black spots

[dsqui]

ive noticed here lately that there are a bunch ofblack spots all over the gills ive been catching, outside and inside.  anyone else notice this??  anyone know what it is

[beau]

Probably parasites.

[sprkplug]

Impossible to tell without examination, but I'm guessing Uvulifer Ambloplitis. It's a type of larval flatworm parasite, or digenetic trematode.

Here's a piece I wrote for someone else:

I'll start with the black spot, or pre-peppered  variety to those with a sense of humor. The cycle begins when a fish eating bird, such as a great Blue Heron (GBH) or Kingfisher (KF), eats an infected fish. The flatworms grow to sexual maturity in the bird's intestines, and release eggs which are deposited into the water with the birds' feces. The eggs hatch into the first larval stage, and set off to find a snail, which they burrow into and continue to develop. After transitioning further, the worm exits the snail as a free-swimming second stage larvae. It then finds a fish host and burrows into its flesh where a cyst forms, giving it the characteristic black spot appearance. It remains in the fish until the fish is eaten by a GBH or KF, where the larvae matures completely in the birds intestines, completing the cycle.

[Valparaiso_Girl]

Good explanation Sparkplug.  I gotta wonder, is this a new parasite or has it always been in our waters?  Also, how about deworming the birds (fish or snails).  Is anything we can do about it?  I could see lakes having a "bird pumpkin patch" next to em; (pumpkin is a natural bird dewormer).   I've seen way too many "peppered" fish and that's gotta be rough on em.  Poor fishes.

[Get_the_Net]

Good explanation Sparkplug.  I gotta wonder, is this a new parasite or has it always been in our waters?  Also, how about deworming the birds (fish or snails).  Is anything we can do about it?  I could see lakes having a "bird pumpkin patch" next to em; (pumpkin is a natural bird dewormer).   I've seen way too many "peppered" fish and that's gotta be rough on em.  Poor fishes.

In the past 15 years there has been a huge increase in fish eating birds on all our local lakes.  Because of this they have spread these parasites everywhere.  There are so many it is about time to open a season on them to remove some of them.  Since that will never happen, some have tried to break the cycle by adding red ear to lakes as they eat the snails.  Remove the snails and you break the cycle.  Problem is overzealous bed fisherman often remove the red ear off the beds before they can reproduce and increase their population to actually remove enough snails to break or limit the parasite cycle.  Fishermen are their own worst enemy in many cases and this would be one of them.

Every year there are new lakes where we are seeing panfish infected with these black spots.  A fillet like the one shown above goes in the trash at my house.  If there are a few I will dig them out, but if too bad I throw it away.  Some lakes have the skin and fins littered with black spots but they are not in the flesh.  Other lakes there is no sign of the black spot on the exterior and you don't see it until you clean them, so there is no hard and fast rule to go by on the water as far as knowing what flesh is full of them and what flesh is clean despite exterior spots.

[sprkplug]

They are a naturally occurring parasite in Hoosier waters, but that's not to say their numbers couldn't be on the rise. Most often, the advice given is to stock redear sunfish or pumpkinseeds, as a means to disrupt the life cycle of the flatworm. Both redears and seeds will forage on snails, and if the snail population can be controlled then the parasites will be also.

Just to be clear, these parasites pose no health risks to humans, provided sushi is not on the menu. Cook the fish properly, and enjoy the catch.

[dsqui]

yes that is exactly what i have been seeing.  really nasty lookin when consuming the oustide of the fishes skin and all over the fins

[stinkybaits]

Flavor crystals. They fry up tasty!

[rp dog]

They are a naturally occurring parasite in Hoosier waters, but that's not to say their numbers couldn't be on the rise. Most often, the advice given is to stock redear sunfish or pumpkinseeds, as a means to disrupt the life cycle of the flatworm. Both redears and seeds will forage on snails, and if the snail population can be controlled then the parasites will be also.

Just to be clear, these parasites pose no health risks to humans, provided sushi is not on the menu. Cook the fish properly, and enjoy the catch.
[/quoteDo you think it is more prevalent in harder gravel bottom lakes than maybe muck or soft bottom? It seems to be that way here were I fish.

[Be pro]

I have to seen a lot more pepperd fish the last few years glad to no the red ear play a big role of the fillets r to bad in my house and I've already cleaned them they go into freezer and when people ask for fillets I give them to them lol that's my life cycle on the peppered parasites

[iceon]

Jeremy Price Indiana fish biologist told me there a worm parasite. He said if you cook it hot enough there fine. Or sprinkle it good with pepper. Lol