Parasitic Red Worms

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    Posted: 23 Aug 2011 at 1:34pm
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Fished the Hine last week and took a couple of what I thought were very fresh good conditioned 3lb rainbows home. When filleting for the smoker noticed thin red worms crawling out of absesses in the flesh of both fish.

Last time I saw something like this was over 25 years ago when fishing at the Hamurana spring mouth - where all the fish seemed to be heavily infested. At that time the locals who we asked put it down to the warm conditions, shallow lake and weed that promoted good conditions for worm growth.
 
Searching around the interweb I found what I think is the organism  - Eustrongylides. Which is described as a bird parasite spread from Herons and Cormorants (shags). The eggs hit the water from bird poo - get taken in by snails in weed, then presumably the snails are eaten by the trout.
 
Worms look something like the attached picture but brighter red..
 
 
Question I have is - anyone else noticed these from Taupo trout? This is something new for me and I've been fishing there for 30 years!
Anyone know more about them?
 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote T T Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Aug 2011 at 3:19pm
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I don't know more about them but have seen a few and heard others talk of them, unfortunately I can't contribute more than that!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mike thomas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Aug 2011 at 1:12pm
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Yes I have seen them in some fish from Taupo, but not often, compared to rotorua. They can be present but hard to spot if they are small, as they get bigger they are more obvious. They seem to be mostly spread by Shags, hence the local name of shag worm.
The shag population in Taupo seems to have increased over the last few years so I think we will get more and more fish with Shag worm.
The fish is still ok to eat, as long as it is cooked! This is why I never eat raw trout.
All the best.
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jet_ski_fisher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Aug 2011 at 3:14pm
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Shag worms, another good reason to cull the dam shags once n for all...
50 shags eat 2500 crays a day
50 shags eat 250 trout a day
50 shags eat 0 catfish a day
50 shags shag and make 50 more shags a year 
and then 100 shags eat 5000 crays a day
100 shags eat 500 trout a day
100 shags eat 0 catfish day
100 shags shag and make 100 more shags a year.. the list is endless
will the trout and crays still be there at this rate?? food for thought...
and if a shag dont eat a trout a red parasitic worm will infect your next trout  you catch..just cause a shag pooped n ate in the mighty tonga :)  
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote fsholc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Aug 2011 at 3:41pm
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yeah have caught a lot of fish in the last couple of years with absesses on them and have kept one but after watching the clear guuuu come out and the little red worm. it was the last one haha but have noticed an increase and x2 on the shag culling!! watched a shag eat a 2.5lb slab that i had just released into the river infront of me. took him about 10min to get it down but surprising
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote jamesdaulton Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Aug 2011 at 4:12pm
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I mentioned this in a previous post - but this is mentioned in Hintz 1955 and again Hintz 1975.
 
I really does seem that there is a management problem that hasn't changed for at least 35-55 years (probably more).
 
I'm not suggesting that there are any easy solutions to this as the vested interests are vast and deeply intrenched.
 
The parasitic worms are a symptom of a much larger problem with the fishery.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jet_ski_fisher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Aug 2011 at 10:46pm
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The shags did it. kill em all! :) :)LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote John The Apostle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2021 at 10:47am
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Hi 2011 that's a while ago I been living in Taupo the last 4 years and fish a lot in the Waitahanui we caught one last night and decided to take home for tea when filleting my son noticed a long thin red worm in the meat ,not sure if it makes the meat toxic but fed some scraps to my dog as filletingvthe fish and she puked up all night long, so decided not to eat it, your thoughts would be appreciated.
cheers John
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote John The Apostle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2021 at 10:52am
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Just found this link about the parasitic worms in fresh water fish Parasitic Worms
In short do not eat the meat raw and cook it thoroughly, freezing also kills the parasites and worms as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Fishb8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2021 at 1:32pm
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Back in the UK many years ado, mum gad some Haddock on a plate prior to cooking.
I saw a thin red worm emerge from the fleshand was about 5 cm out of the flesh. gripped it gently and pulled it our and crushed it and washed down sink.
Never told mum and she cooked the fish and no one was anyway the wiser or got ill. It was shop bought.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken
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