OT: Hunting/Fishing/Outdoors Thread

[Canadienna]

It's not often I see where the fish is marked wild or farmed, beside shrimp mostly. Any way to tell by eye?

You definitely can tell by the colour, but that varies by species of salmon as well. Typically it is farmed unless it says otherwise. Wild caught is almost always advertised.

I realize in ON/QC it's almost impossible to find fresh wild caught salmon, but even from frozen it tastes way better than farmed. Best case scenario, you get up to NE Quebec for an Atlantic Salmon trip and fill your freezer! (and your heart).

 

[peate]

You definitely can tell by the colour, but that varies by species of salmon as well. Typically it is farmed unless it says otherwise. Wild caught is almost always advertised.

I realize in ON/QC it's almost impossible to find fresh wild caught salmon, but even from frozen it tastes way better than farmed. Best case scenario, you get up to NE Quebec for an Atlantic Salmon trip and fill your freezer! (and your heart).

Just noticed your location. Where in BC are you?

 

[Canadienna]

Just noticed your location. Where in BC are you?

Lower mainland, on the coast

 

[angusyoung]

You definitely can tell by the colour, but that varies by species of salmon as well. Typically it is farmed unless it says otherwise. Wild caught is almost always advertised.

I realize in ON/QC it's almost impossible to find fresh wild caught salmon, but even from frozen it tastes way better than farmed. Best case scenario, you get up to NE Quebec for an Atlantic Salmon trip and fill your freezer! (and your heart).

Appreciate the info. Will certainly be more circumspect going forward.

 

[Runner77]

Paul Greenberg, best selling author, a writer about fish and seafood for 10 years and a lifelong fisherman, conducted an interesting experiment in 2016-17.

He wanted to tackle the question about how fish is considered to be the healthy alternative and wanted to see what would happen if for one year, he only ate fish for breakfast, dinner and supper.

A year later, he ended up with a high mercury spike in his bloodstream. And so, he's learned a few lessons on account of it.

His story ended up as a Frontline documentary which is well worth watching:



Here's an article that recounts his saga, which includes plenty of tips drawn from his experience: Q&A: Why Paul Greenberg Spent a Year of His Life Eating Fish

If any of you take the time to review these links, I'd be curious to know your thoughts.

 

[Canadienna]

Appreciate the info. Will certainly be more circumspect going forward.

No problem! When it comes to our food I often think if we only knew...

Paul Greenberg, best selling author, a writer about fish and seafood for 10 years and a lifelong fisherman, conducted an interesting experiment in 2016-17.

He wanted to tackle the question about how fish is considered to be the healthy alternative and wanted to see what would happen if for one year, he only ate fish for breakfast, dinner and supper.

A year later, he ended up with a high mercury spike in his bloodstream. And so, he's learned a few lessons on account of it.

His story ended up as a Frontline documentary which is well worth watching:

Here's an article that recounts his saga, which includes plenty of tips drawn from his experience: Q&A: Why Paul Greenberg Spent a Year of His Life Eating Fish

If any of you take the time to review these links, I'd be curious to know your thoughts.

Wow, that's crazy!

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification is a big issue in seafood from the grocery store, but also even locally in people's backyard river/lake/fishery. Depending on where you live, you can find recommendations about frequency of eating fish from certain areas on government websites.

Big meaty fish will have significantly higher concentrations of mercury and other heavy metals than smaller ones, so as long as you are within your slot size, you can avoid a lot by simply keeping more smaller fish, and less large fish.

Edit: Also avoid organ meat.

Either way, you can definitely overdo it and anyone who eats a lot of personally caught fish (or crabs) should be frequently checking water quality conditions and dietary recommendations in the areas they fish.

 

[Canadienna]

Nice Pike from the kid!

@Runner77 this is the kind of fish I'd avoid eating. Older, big spawner, and full of heavy metals...

 

[Runner77]

Nice Pike from the kid!

@Runner77 this is the kind of fish I'd avoid eating. Older, big spawner, and full of heavy metals...

What have we done to our environment, Canadienna? We were gifted an abundant nature and we're squandering all of it.

Can't even eat fish and seafood without asking ourselves a ton of questions -- what a sad state of affairs.

 

[peate]

@Runner77 this is the kind of fish I'd avoid eating. Older, big spawner, and full of heavy metals...

If the fish doesn't kill you, the heavy-metal will.

 

[Runner77]

If the fish doesn't kill you, the heavy-metal will.

All this time I thought the only fallout from heavy metal was deafness in your old age.

 

[angusyoung]

No problem! When it comes to our food I often think if we only knew...



Wow, that's crazy!

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification is a big issue in seafood from the grocery store, but also even locally in people's backyard river/lake/fishery. Depending on where you live, you can find recommendations about frequency of eating fish from certain areas on government websites.

Big meaty fish will have significantly higher concentrations of mercury and other heavy metals than smaller ones, so as long as you are within your slot size, you can avoid a lot by simply keeping more smaller fish, and less large fish.

Edit: Also avoid organ meat.

Either way, you can definitely overdo it and anyone who eats a lot of personally caught fish (or crabs) should be frequently checking water quality conditions and dietary recommendations in the areas they fish.

So true! Often no clue to how food is raised,grown etc. Organic and free range would be ideal,but costly.

Glad that you're around to enlighten us. But why avoid organ meat?

 

[peate]

But why avoid organ meat?

That's where the toxins accumulate. The liver filters blood, and such.

 

[peate]

All this time I thought the only fallout from heavy metal was deafness in your old age.

Amazingly, that part still works great.

 

[angusyoung]

That's where the toxins accumulate. The liver filters blood, and such.

Ok,so we should not be eating chicken livers beef livers etc? Makes sense to me.

Friends of mine regularly eat kokaretsi which is goat organs,all of them! stewed and then stuffed into the intestines and grilled. Had it once like 30 years ago or so,still frikin can taste it! From what I gather though is that they are free range goats,so not sure if that is a concern or not.

 

[peate]

Ok,so we should not be eating chicken livers beef livers etc? Makes sense to me.

Friends of mine regularly eat kokaretsi which is goat organs,all of them! stewed and then stuffed into the intestines and grilled. Had it once like 30 years ago or so,still frikin can taste it! From what I gather though is that they are free range goats,so not sure if that is a concern or not.

I imagine it greatly depends on the diet. Foie gras anyone?

 

[angusyoung]

I imagine it greatly depends on the diet. Foie gras anyone?

So aside form dangers in food,you bringing up treatment of animals? lol. Just kidding.

 

[Canadienna]

What have we done to our environment, Canadienna? We were gifted an abundant nature and we're squandering all of it.

Can't even eat fish and seafood without asking ourselves a ton of questions -- what a sad state of affairs.

Indeed Runner it is, but to get me started on that would likely be a bad idea and definitely would throw this thread off the rails.

The good thing is, we live in one of the wildest countries in the world, and we still have access to game to hunt, fish to eat, and plants and mushrooms to forage for.

The same can't be said for a lot of the rest of the world. And with that thought, I think I'll tie some flies...

 

[cphabs]

Having great success with rattle traps this year!

 

[cphabs]

Caught a cormorant while musky fishing... freaking unbelievable lmfao

 

[sheed36]

I see that Brad Marchand is back in Newfoundland again this year for another big game hunting trip. I saw some pictures tonight of him posing with some people I know. From a picture I saw earlier he bagged himself quite a nice caribou yesterday with a bow and is now looking to fill his moose tag.

 

[cphabs]

Here’s a good one! There has been a sustained and unbelievably successful program to reintroduce bald eagles in our region. There have been numerous articles in the local news paper, and abroad, about how endangered they are and the consequences of messing with them. Even possessing a feather can get a person in big trouble.
We were working 9 inch musky surface baits on a local river. What flies by straight down the valley? Biggest f***ing bird, seriously, I have ever seen flying. You could see the bastard coming! My buddy said “ What the f*** is that?” It was at about 100 feet and cruising.
“That’s a f***ing bald eagle I said!”
We were in awe as it past us... Until it did some kind of inverted 180 degree fighter jet move to come back... The awe turned into terror as we cranked our baits to the boat.
Bastard screeched at us as it came back for a 2nd look.

 

[peate]

Here’s a good one! There has been a sustained and unbelievably successful program to reintroduce bald eagles in our region. There have been numerous articles in the local news paper, and abroad, about how endangered they are and the consequences of messing with them. Even possessing a feather can get a person in big trouble.
We were working 9 inch musky surface baits on a local river. What flies by straight down the valley? Biggest ****ing bird, seriously, I have ever seen flying. You could see the bastard coming! My buddy said “ What the **** is that?” It was at about 100 feet and cruising.
“That’s a ****ing bald eagle I said!”
We were in awe as it past us... Until it did some kind of inverted 180 degree fighter jet move to come back... The awe turned into terror as we cranked our baits to the boat.
Bastard screeched at us as it came back for a 2nd look.

They're amazing birds. One flew by my car as I was driving in BC, it followed me for about a quarter km, it came to about 10 feet away from my door, then it turned its head and gave me the most piercing look, then banked away and of it went.

In late fall when the salmon spawn, the shores of certain rivers are littered with dead fish. I've seen gatherings of hundred of these guys feasting on the free buffet.

 

[cphabs]

They're amazing birds. One flew by my car as I was driving in BC, it followed me for about a quarter km, it came to about 10 feet away from my door, then it turned its head and gave me the most piercing look, then banked away and of it went.

In late fall when the salmon spawn, the shores of certain rivers are littered with dead fish. I've seen gatherings of hundred of these guys feasting on the free buffet.

Ours seem to be different... They hunt not scavenge where I’m from.

 

[peate]

Ours seem to be different... They hunt not scavenge where I’m from.

You know those BC birds, one big fatty and it's off to the free food.


World’s largest congregation of eagles begins in B.C. - Nanaimo News Bulletin

 

[cphabs]

You know those BC birds, one big fatty and it's off to the free food.


World’s largest congregation of eagles begins in B.C. - Nanaimo News Bulletin

That’s what I was thinking! All kidding aside? I think there should be some kind of pamphlet for fishermen/women about the possibility of encountering these giant ass birds. Especially after reintroducing them to their lost habitat... which I happen to be fishing in. LMAO
That 180 degree inverted turn was the stuff of legend!