Growth in Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Observation: We have found strange growths in the flesh or meat of salmon. We were fishing for cohos (silver salmon) at the mouth of the Hydaburg River with line and reel. I caught about thirty fish. Most were fine but eight of were filled up inside with strange growths that were either white or pink in color. On the outside the fish looked fine. The growths looked kind of like individual little salmon eggs, and about the same size. Other people were seeing the same kind of growths in their fish as well. We have only seen this in the cohos and not with the other fish (pink salmon, dog salmon, steel head or trout). We are seeing many coho salmon with these growths, and we are concerned about the health of the fish and the safety of the food. Brian Holter Jr.

LEO says: this observation has been forwarded to the Fish Pathology Lab at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. According to lab staff, they may be able to determine the condition of the fish with a photograph. Lab staff are available for consultation. See web site link for more information.

Prologue: Brian Holter Jr. wrote on December 6, 2013: "I found a picture (on line) of the growths in the salmon meat. This was not my picture but it is the same infection in the fish." See following image from Brian. The condition is called Henneguya, a parasite that effects salmon in Alaska and other places. For more information see this ADF&G Fact Sheet.