FS Digest

My ex took me fishing and it was my first time. When it came time to fillet the fish, he skipped the part where he kills it humanely first and he just started cutting into it. He said he didn't want to cut its head off because then he has nothing to grip when he is filleting it. I thought it was kinda disturbing but he laughed at me like I was being sensitive about the realities of where our meat comes from. I couldn't even imagine how you would humanely kill a fish anyways. I just don't really know their anatomy well or how they process pain.

The image still sticks in my mind of him skinning that fish and laughing though.

Years later I ended up in a koi pond group and I discovered that pond owners humanely kill their fish with clove oil. I didn't know if you could use the same process on a fish you intend to eat though.

Anyways what is the proper procedure for killing a fish humanely? Am I being too sensitive by wondering if my ex was being cruel to an animal and this is just one of the harsh realities of putting meat on the dinner table? Or was my ex being needlessly cruel to an animal and could have followed a more humans procedure?

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by IceCreamIceKween

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

I won't go to wonton cruelty but a quick stick between the eyes with a knife is instantaneous and a much better way to handle the situation.

Danger25 Loc: Philly/ Cape may New Jersey

Koi pond group?

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

I don't know what kind of fish you're talking about, but with trout if I'm going to eat them I do a quick field dress - cut from anus to gills, grab by the "lip", pull the guts and gills out. Real quick. There's no humane way to kill a catfish other than to chop off its head - they are some tough critters and refuse to die.

mistred64 Loc: Grayslake, illinois

I use the back of my fillet knife and club it on the head. Sounds bad but it's quick. I don't have the heart to fillet it alive.

Jeremy Loc: America

You can put them in ICE water or cut gill so they pump blood out but Trout wont last long without ample oxygen. Catfish will continue trying to swim with the fillets already removed. The best way to clean a catfish is to first skin them and then fillet them. If you can cut their gill on one side they will pump the blood out of themselves so the blood will not spoil or stain the meat. Sturgeon are somewhere between a shark and similar to Catfish. The best thing to do after they are checked for retention regulations ( usually length ). I put them on Stringer with a cut ( one side only ) gill then they bleed themselves.

I cleaned a Sturgeon that was 55" long. I was preparing for a Dinner the following night. I removed the heart. It was on the top of little import car. Granted it was about 40F overnight but when I went out to hot tub the next day before guests arrived the heart was still beating 15 hours after getting home and cleaning the fish. That was very strange I figured it needed to be connected to the fish brain ( hard drive ).

I am not kidding.

aha Toro

Is it humane to hold someone's head under the water until they drown? Taking fish out of water is the reverse of that. Dead is dead anyway you look at it.

Iafierman

Sounds like the correct way of things to me. I do it all the time. You want the fish as fresh as possible.

Able Man Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)

You can give the fish a good bash on the head with a ball peen hammer... That calms'em down fast. Just aft of and above the eye facing you. (Works well on Mahi-Mahi.)

Iafierman

Same thing with a turtle. The heart will keep on beating when removed. Freaky! To some.

Reckoner Loc: New York

I find that most fish die off on their own pretty quickly once out of water.
I personally would not fillet a fish while still alive.
If in doubt,a quick whack to the head will do the job.

tlkile Loc: Myrtle Beach

Gill cutting seems the best for me.

MAS fish Loc: Peoria,IL

CLOVE OIL ... Will burn through your skin and you want me to kill the fish with it????
THINK ABOUT THAT
If you are going to eat the fish anyway yes bleed it and fillet as quickly as you can and put that fillet in cold water. The fish is dead!!!
If it bothers you that much and it has been years since this happened, just stay away from fishing.
Just sayin

MAS fish

fishinphil

Dont know how this will go over here, but then i dont care about personal thoughts on anothers opinion.You're ex was a d#*k, through and through.

Captain

We harvest one med sized Black Tip Shark every year as a great fish to eat but shark population is in trouble due to countries still finning sharks. FL finally made it illegal. We gut them in the water boat side as fast as possible if keeping it. Almost all sharks urinate thru their shin and if you kill them first it starts to back up in their body. If you are going to harvest game of any kind. Do it right and treat it with respect so you end up with the best food possible. People that say they soak it in buttermilk to get the bad taste out of it did not handle the fish or game properly! I would rather not marinate my shark in urine.