Fibrotic salmon meat?

I’ve caught several salmon with fibrous white connective tissue centered around the spine and extending out into the meat like that. I cut out the tough parts and everything else was fine.

In the most extreme case it appeared to be associated with a spinal deformity or early injury: the back part of the fish was shortened, like an inch was missing from the spine.

I’ve caught several salmon with fibrous white connective tissue centered around the spine and extending out into the meat like that. I cut out the tough parts and everything else was fine.

In the most extreme case it appeared to be associated with a spinal deformity or early injury: the back part of the fish was shortened, like an inch was missing from the spine.

Must be scar tissue then...fish is probably delicious everywhere but there...

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/species/disease/pdfs/fish_disease_book.pdf

Check out page 47 and 119 (book page).

The reason I asked about bilateral symmetry was because my first hunch was that it was a bacteria/fungal infection early in life and the white tissue was basically the result of a chronic immune response and potential calcification around the pathogen (like cysticercosis).

Page 47 shows the result of a chronic protozoan infection from Ichthyophonus, but page 119 shows non-pathogenic pigment aberration (is albino salmon).

Either way, potential for human harm is probably low so I’d eat it. Probably.

All good information! Really appreciated! The white patch is on both side, I think. But if you look at the collar in that picture, the area doesn't have white patch, the meat is whiteish. I ate two pieces from it. So far so good.

... I ate two pieces from it. So far so good.

Be sure to let us know if you don’t survive...

Save it for the inlaws, next pot luck or the winning YouTube subscriber   

I have caught a lot of kokanee in the Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir which had fresh or healed puncture wounds on their sides.  There are typically wounds on both sides of the fish.  There are sometimes a lot of double-crested cormorants in this reservoir, and I think these are fish which got chomped by a cormorant but escaped.  Double-crested cormorants have a sharp hook on the tip of their bill which creates the puncture wound.  When the wound is healed on the fish's skin, there is usually scar tissue in the meat under the healed wound.  But if this salmon didn't have signs of old injuries on its skin, the white meat is probably not scar tissue from an injury.

Some years ago, when processing an elk which I had shot, I was surprised to find old scar tissue in the rear side of each hind quarter.  The elk had apparently been wounded by a bullet which went through the rear edge of both hind quarters.

I have caught a lot of kokanee in the Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir which had fresh or healed puncture wounds on their sides.  There are typically wounds on both sides of the fish.  There are sometimes a lot of double-crested cormorants in this reservoir, and I think these are fish which got chomped by a cormorant but escaped.  Double-crested cormorants have a sharp hook on the tip of their bill which creates the puncture wound.  When the wound is healed on the fish's skin, there is usually scar tissue in the meat under the healed wound.  But if this salmon didn't have signs of old injuries on its skin, the white meat is probably not scar tissue from an injury.

Some years ago, when processing an elk which I had shot, I was surprised to find old scar tissue in the rear side of each hind quarter.  The elk had apparently been wounded by a bullet which went through the rear edge of both hind quarters.

Thanks for sharing. This fish is nearly perfect outside. Just the meat is off.

I emailed Monterey Bay Aquarium. Hopefully, they could provide some insight on it as well.