# Cyst in Striper Flesh?



## Xray Lima (Apr 9, 2005)

My uncle caught a Striper yesterday out of Husted's Landing in south Jersey and filleted it. To my suprise there was sand like clump inside the flesh of the fish next to the spine. there was nothing but this greyish brown grainy stuff like some one injected sand into the fish. it was encased in a red veiny membrane. Was the weirdest thing i've ever seen. Anyone know what this may be?


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Yeah I have seen this before. I don't know exactly what is, but I just cut around it.


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## RickLandRover (Mar 5, 2008)

I'm a Fisheries Biologist for the US governernment mostly dealing with freshwater fish but I do have some knowledge on fish diseases for saltwater species. A cyst is usually caused by an environmental stressor such as low dissolved oxygen levels, point and non point pollutants, water temperature change, over population and even boat traffic. These variables cause the fish to become stressed and more vulnerable to parasites and or diseases, a tell tale of the cyst which presents itself externally and sometimes internally on the fish depending mostly on the species linked to how "strong" the species is to fight off the parasite combined with fighting of the stressor. Your describing sand in the cyst, my thinking is the cyst was there, then burst "drained" and started to heal but then sand started to attach itself to the mucas in the opened wound, got infected again, the membrane started to grow over the sand and whallah there is your cyst filled with sand. I have seen this with native brook trout but instead of sand it was gravel inside the cyst. Hope I did not ramble but there is some information for you, might be wrong might be right....it is tough to tell without pictures. RuddeDogg is right, as long as you do not see any inflamation around the cyst on the meat or any discoloration usually it is okay to cut around it but again it depends on the degree of infection and genus of the parasite if one is present. Be safe and think if you are starving then yes cut around it but if not, is it worth getting sick over. I hate to waste fish that I catch and will not survive if released due to bad hook sets or something like that but your health should come first. Hope this is useful to you!


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## Xray Lima (Apr 9, 2005)

Hey Thanks Rude for the reply and Rick for the informative post. Your explanation sounds logical to me. I couldn't come up with any reason this would occur on my own. I really hated to get rid of that fish but i was so grossed out, I was going to stop fishing in that area totally. Thanks again.


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## RickLandRover (Mar 5, 2008)

Your very welcome, I have also learned a great deal posting on this website, I think it is one of the best forums to post on due to the people on here, everyone is very helpful and very open to people's questions. Catch a few for me guys, just got married and fixing up my house is killing my fishing time, probably won't get back to the coast until the striper run!


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Well....you guys get down this way in the fall give me a shout, we'll do some line side huntin.


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## RickLandRover (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks for the invite, will do RuddeDogg! Always looking for a partner to wet my lines with.


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