Black dots in the meat

[Bear125]

I caught some gills the other day and noticed that there were little black spec's in the meat. Does anyone know what this is? There were some on the scale side of the fish also.

[lawnguy]

where were they caught? I've heard several people talk about this lately. They only saw them on te scales and didn't keep the fish so not sure if they were on the meat as well

[just ducky]

Not sure what it's called, but it's real common in 'gills in southern Michigan. I catch them that way all of the time. Nothing to worry about (so I've been told by the DNR) as long as you cook them thoroughly.

[callie]

Hey the same question for me after catching a dozen or so perch with the black spots on and in them. Are these a fungus of some sort? I'm assuming they are still safe to eat. However, I might begin to worry if I look in the mirror and see these strange growths taking the place of my beard(or other areas).

[lawnguy]

Just spoke to biologist Francis at Livonia office. It is a parasite the fish pick up form birds and snails. Fish are only intermediate "homes" for these. It is referred to on the DNR site by the name "black dot". The dots have no harm, other than physical appearance to the fish. As long as you cook the meat thouroughly(spelling) you have no worries. Severity changes lake to lake and year to year as well

[Bear125]

Thanks for all the info..
I have also noticed before that some fillets have little grubs in the meat. They are just visible in size. Would this be the results of the parasites?

[Islander26]

I notice the black dots on perch from shallow inland lakes more frequently than in gills. So far this winter only one gill with 2 dots, I just cut them out ;) .

[jpollman]

From what I've heard, the info here is correct. They say that if you thoroughly cook the fish you'll be fine. But from my perspective, I wouldn't even consider eating a fish full of black spots or grubs. YUCK ! :sick:

[Banditto]

yep you are looking at a parasitic larvae. Very nutricious. extra protein. YUM YUM :)

If they live long enough they will eventually turn into an external protrusion that will literally hang off the fish and will live inside the fillet too.

Cooked fish containing them are harmless to eat.

[Sawcat]

Yep I have stopped fishing on more than one lake because of the explosion of the black dots. They seem to be really bad in lakes that are stunted or overpopulated. Finding "Clean" fish is getting tougher all of the time between the grubs which are close to the same color (slightly darker or light tan) as the fish flesh and the black dots. You thought the bluegills were good? and here it's been the parasites all along.:cool:

[9mmruger1]

I don't worry about the black dots, but do cut the grubs out of the filet. Cooked or not, I ain't eatin no grub....this ain't the outback! :yikes:

[DuckDog]

If there are black dots, they don't need pepper! :lol: :lol:

[Oakley]

Text from another website:

The yellow grub is a digenetic trematode. These types of parasites require several hosts to complete their life cycles. In the case of the yellow grub, the adult parasite is found in the throats of fish eating birds, such as herons. During the feeding process, eggs produced by the adults are washed out of the bird's mouth and into the water. There they hatch, yielding a free swimming larval stage (miracidia) that will die within several hours if it does not find and infect a snail of the genus Helisoma. After further development within the snail, a free swimming cercaria leaves the snail and seeks a fish host. The cercariae burrow through the skin of the fish and encyst, where they develop into the metacercariae. These yellow grubs may live several years in the fish. If the fish is eaten by the bird host the larval metacercariae will develop into adult parasites, completing the life cycle.

Infestations by a few individuals likely cause little harm to fish, however, under certain circumstances, heavy infestations can kill fish. Yellow grubs are described as unsightly by fishermen. A related species occurring in Asia has been found to infect the upper respiratory tract of humans. Thorough cooking kills the North American yellow grub and the parasite does not alter the flavor or the infected fish; however, fish with heavy infestations are typically not eaten by anglers.

Infestation is somewhat greater for fish caught in shallow water where snails and fish eating birds are most prevalent. Fish caught from deep water typically exhibit less infestation. Like many biological phenomenon, prevalence of the grub may be greater in some years and less in others for a variety of reasons including an abundance of intermediate host mollusks and birds.

Black spots

Black spot disease is commonly observed in rock bass and other sunfish, bass, pike, perch, minnows, and other fish species. It can be identified by the presence of small black spots, usually about the size of a pin head, in the skin, the fins, the musculature, and the mouth of the fish. The black spots are caused by pigment that the fish deposits around the larval stage of a parasitic digenetic trematode, usually a Neascus spp.

The lifecycle of the "black spot" parasite is complex. The adult parasite is found in a fish eating bird, the kingfisher. The larval parasite is transferred from the infected fish to the bird during the feeding process. In the kingfisher, the larval stage develops into an adult parasite. The adult parasite in the intestine of the bird produces eggs that are eventually deposited in the water. There the eggs mature, hatch, and develop into the miracidium stage of the parasite. The miracidium infects a snail. In the snail, the miracidium develops into the cercaria life stage. The cercaria leaves the snail and actively penetrates a host fish. In the fish, the parasite becomes encysted. In about 22 days, black spots form around the cyst. This entire lifecycle takes at least 112 days to complete.

In general, the presence of the "black spot" parasite does not affect the growth or the longevity of the infected fish; however massive infections in young fish may cause fish mortality. The parasite is incapable of infecting humans and, as is the case with all fish parasites, it is destroyed by thorough cooking. When fish are heavily infected, some anglers prefer to remove the skin to improve the appearance of the cooked fish.

[2tundras]

Just asked our inhouse Great Lakes biologist, the yellow or white grub explanation above its right on.


The little black guys are called "clam glochida" (sp?). They are clam larve. :piparty: Once sprung they zip around looking for a host fish. They burrow into the skin until they are ready to boogy. I've always eaten these fish as long as they arent too bad.

Most prevelant in inland perch

[WALLEYEvision]

Great info, thanks Oakley!

[just ducky]

From what I've heard, the info here is correct. They say that if you thoroughly cook the fish you'll be fine. But from my perspective, I wouldn't even consider eating a fish full of black spots or grubs. YUCK ! :sick:

J-
I've seen you post on the Waterfowl page......often the ducks we clean have fleas or other little critters jumping around as you clean them....would you not eat them either? Let's face it, we're dealing with wild creatures here, and wild creatures have all kinds of parasites because they live in......THE WILD! Not flaming you, just saying we need to be realistic. If the experts say it's harmless, ya gotta get over it.

This discussion reminds me of a co-worker who always laughs at me spending time...and money...fishing. He says "When I want to go fishing, I go to Meijer...it's cheaper and quicker".

[Garret]

AKA...pepper grub. a friend called them this years ago and said there are harmless. Pick them out or cook them up!

[GillHunter25]

This question came up again about grubs I thought I would bring this back to review...

[bcmimatt]

I've caught many inland gills, perch& crappie with this in them, I soak them in salt water seems to help. a few years back i contacted the DNR about it and they said as long as fish been around so have the parasites. Same goes for red worms in perch and small white grubs in both perch and gills. kind of freaky but harmless....

[chunkster27]

I agree with all you guys.........all they mean is MORE MEAT!!!!! :D

[SPITFIRE]

maybe so but the thought still kinda grosses me out.

[GullLkRltr]

This question came up again about grubs I thought I would bring this back to review...

Thanks GillHunter25 Read the info, I'm still wondering why only sunfish seem to have the white grubs in them and not bluegills from the same water??:confused:

[Dedicated Sportsman]

I catch a LOT of smallmouth bass loaded with grubs. They just look nasty and i always throw them back. I also noticed there are usually more smaller bass with grubs than big bass.

[MrBluegill]

i wouldent eat them i have had a couple of perch like this latly.....i belive its a deseas called ick

[Ed Michrina]

Did you notice both parasites need fish eating birds to complete the life cycle.

Ever sense the explosion of the Cormorants the grubs and black spots have increased. Darn worthless birds.

[BradU20]

i wouldent eat them i have had a couple of perch like this latly.....i belive its a deseas called ick

Ichthyophthirius (Ich) is a totally different parasite. Its most common in aquarium species. Signs of infestation are small white dots on the scales.

Brad