Cooked up both to test. Milky is pet food.

Out off Omaha and just clear of the inside cable-zone marker a few days ago. Four of us kept a dozen snaps (nothing to write home about - late 30's to mid 40's) -> 2 milky-ish and didn't look skinny but rest in good nick.

brmbrm wrote: Brought home 6 pannies on Thursday.  5 fine, 1 "a bit" milky and flesh fairly firm - half way in between OK and malnourished?They are going in the smoker tomorrow and will do a "blind" taste test on the missus..... PS  Neighbours cats love the scraps, milky flesh or not

I have a theory which is likely to be unpopular with some. (Theory isn’t mine but from a friend who has worked with aquaculture for some time).

The idea is that it could likely be from barotrauma aftermath. Ie the fish is healthy enough to live but is struggling to swim due to a blown swim bladder. This would intern deplete the fat and muscle mass of the fish for sometime till it can recover. I believe these fish are still healthy enough to feed but have to put far more effort into doing so hence the reduced flesh quality.

This also aligns with with 99% of what I have observed. Being that it’s generally in smaller fish (likely released size), from deeper water, and the numbers of Milkys are higher in areas where more people fish.

The problem I am having after scrolling through numerous scientific papers, is that all the barotrauma research only seems to look at the immediate affects, mortality and the gut cavity.

This along with the fact that the swim bladder will likely have healed before the fish has regained muscle mass makes it very hard to prove.

I realise this may get some hate, but welcome your feed back and observations.

demo wrote: I have a theory which is likely to be unpopular with some. (Theory isn’t mine but from a friend who has worked with aquaculture for some time). The idea is that it could likely be from barotrauma aftermath. Ie the fish is healthy enough to live but is struggling to swim due to a blown swim bladder. This would intern deplete the fat and muscle mass of the fish for sometime till it can recover. I believe these fish are still healthy enough to feed but have to put far more effort into doing so hence the reduced flesh quality. This also aligns with with 99% of what I have observed. Being that it’s generally in smaller fish (likely released size), from deeper water, and the numbers of Milkys are higher in areas where more people fish. The problem I am having after scrolling through numerous scientific papers, is that all the barotrauma research only seems to look at the immediate affects, mortality and the gut cavity. This along with the fact that the swim bladder will likely have healed before the fish has regained muscle mass makes it very hard to prove. I realise this may get some hate, but welcome your feed back and observations.

I don't hold with the catch and release theory. The last trip I did out of Waikawa, 70% of the fish were milky white. That's a really return high catch ratio. I've had other trips around 50% white flesh ratio. 

Just wondering in the last couple of years the gulf has been full of small snapper’s some days I’ve been out I’ve thrown back heaps so no wonder there’s not enough food to go around.

Think this might be pressure on the entire food chain - from things getting a bit warmer

A mate of mine using a torpedo off Bayleys beach on west coast Northland caught 4 good snaps between 10 & 19 lb . Three were in mint condition & one was milky , but not inedable. I have caught the milky gurnard in Whangarei area in the past