Tumor found in King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Observation by Harold Okitkun:

There is something wrong with the insides of the salmon, it can be seen in the picture. This picture was sent to me via FB from a friend who is concerned about what was seen in a fish caught for subsistence use at Pilot Station.

Jayde Ferguson, Fish Pathologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, writes:

The abnormality in this fish appears to be a neoplasm of connective tissue or muscle origin and it appears invasive in nature. The external lesion on the lateral surface of the fish may or may not be related to the tumor, it’s difficult to say with certainty based on the photos. Neoplasia in fish is generally a rare event within a fish population, but if a higher frequency occurs there could be a potential indirect concern for people in that the tumors could be linked to an environmental contamination.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Abnormal cell growth creates neoplasms, or tumors. According to the ADFG Diseases of Wild and Cultured Fishes in Alaska, a number of factors can contribute to neoplasia, or cancer, in fish including viruses, environmental chemicals, repeated physical trauma, age, sex, genetics, and health of the fish's immune system. In bony fish, neoplasms are most commonly found in the connective tissue. For more information, see the Neoplaisa section in the ADFG Diseases of Wild and Cultured Fishes in Alaska. Erica Lujan