Deformed Blackfish

Observation: This is blackfish that has either a growth or dislocation on the left side of the fish. It looks more like a growth to me. There's small tannish colored on top of the bump. On top of the head is white-ish colored streak. I thought it was a smear and I tried to remove it. These fish grow as long as 6-8 inches. These are the kind of fish that we love to eat.

Alaska Department of Fish & Game Consult: Dr. Ted Meyer, State Fish Pathologist writes, "This fish looks like a developmental deformity." says Dr. Meyer, "There could be a neoplastic growth underneath the tissues causing the linear deviation but more likely there was either a defect during embryogenesis or a traumatic injury early after hatching that malformed either the vertebrae or opposing skeletal muscles, ie causing one side to pull more than the other producing the bend in the profile of the fish. The thickened area at the curvature is likely fibrous connective tissue. (scar tissue)."

LEO says: Seeing an occasional fish appearing like this is probably not cause for concern, although certainly worth posting as a LEO observation. If however, you observe several fish with the same condition, we begin to question if there is some kind of illness or environmental cause that would require further investigation. M. Brubaker