Ike-Jime

I've pithed a bunch of frogs, but never a fish. Next time I might try it...

Had to look that one up. That's quite a process !

I usually just run a knife through their gills & that seems to do it.

I usually just run a knife through their gills & that seems to do it.

+1 in a bucket of water face down.

I’d give it a shot if I was fishing on a private boat with a fish that I intended to eat. Too time consuming on a partyboat. Good info though.

The only time consuming part is destroying the nervous system. Sticking an ice pick through the brain and cutting the gills is pretty simple.

I read an article about this in the LIF magazine decades ago. An official from the Japanese fish markets explained this technique to tuna fisherman. This was, I guess back in the 70s when they started buying local bluefin for the Japanese market. He used a heavy piece of monofilament to pass down the inside of the spinal cord to kill the nervous system.

I have never seen the Wicked Tuna guys do this. I have to wonder if tuna fisherman do this in the real world.

The only time consuming part is destroying the nervous system. Sticking an ice pick through the brain and cutting the gills is pretty simple.

I read an article about this in the LIF magazine decades ago. An official from the Japanese fish markets explained this technique to tuna fisherman. This was, I guess back in the 70s when they started buying local bluefin for the Japanese market. He used a heavy piece of monofilament to pass down the inside of the spinal cord to kill the nervous system.

I have never seen the Wicked Tuna guys do this. I have to wonder if tuna fisherman do this in the real world.

Old school way too do it

I believe that cutting the gills, to bleed the fish, & icing as soon as possible, is the best & quickest way for the vast majority of us to dispatch a fish. The Japanese are a very traditional people, & if their Fathers & Fathers Father dispatched fish using the ikejime method then that's the way they will do it. It's possible but I doubt if any of us would notice the difference in out dinner.
John

Spineing the fish as I knew it was the fastest way way too get a Tuna too stop moving and burning itself up

It is going to be interesting trying to run a heavy piece of monofilament or maybe a #12 piano wire shark leader down a fluke spine. Very close to having the first fish of 2020 hitting the deck. We will see.

In my physiological opinion the spinal destruction, which is the last step, is more of a ceremonial exercise. Once you've knocked out the brain and removed the blood you've taken out any hormonal release that is mediated by the central nervous system and the way hormones are distributed.

I do bleed and ice my catch and now I may start with the brain destruction this season. Couldn't hurt!

I purchased the tool but wanted to use it properly. This site has pics: http://www.ikijime.com | HUMANE KILLING OF FISH - FRESHWATER - ESTUARY - OFFSHORE Maximum quality, minimum fuss.



So for a fluke, the white dot is the spot. If your going to do it, you might as well do it correctly. This, along with cutting the gills will hopefully make a difference.

BTW: IF you are interested the site his more info. They say, and I have no idea if it is true, that the fish will taste better. I do know sushi always appears better. Does the lack of stress lead to better tasting fish? If anyone knows and would like to chime in, please do.







Yes, they even have one for Sea Robins as other countries do eat them.

BTW: IF you are interested the site his more info. They say, and I have no idea if it is true, that the fish will taste better. I do know sushi always appears better. Does the lack of stress lead to better tasting fish? If anyone knows and would like to chime in, please do.

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Yes, they even have one for Sea Robins as other countries do eat them.

As far as taste, it depends. There's not doubt that bleeding all fish make for a better taste. However I do question the neural steps in our fishing context. The method is used in fancy sushi restaurants in Japan where they keep fish in tanks so a quick netting and dispatching with the shot poke in the brain, gill cutting and spinal cord inactivation will reduce the release of epinephrine and other flight or fight hormones, reducing cell responses which could impact flavor.

However in a fishing context, if you've been fighting a fish for a while, this response has already been activated so besides bleeding, I'm very skeptical whether or not the neural steps make any difference. That fish has been stressed starting with the second you hooked it. If revived the fish by throwing it into a tank and letting it go back to steady state and then went through the process, it may help.

There is an article on ike jime in the Feb 2021 "On The Water."

I have heard about spiking the brain before but not the pithing of the spine. Very interesting approach and certainly has it's benefits, especially to those who really take a great deal of pride and truly appreciate the flavor of a fresh caught and properly cared for fish. I also think that, as stated in the video and other comments, the biggest culprit when it comes to poor taste is the presence of blood in the filet and warm temperatures which leads to rapid bacterial degradation. Anyone who properly bleeds their catch will immediately notice how much cleaner the filets are once it comes time to break down the catch.

Personally, I cut the gills and heavily ice all of my catch, plus I keep adding more ice to the box throughout the day, regardless of the season and outside air temps. Virtually all of my family, friends, and customers consistently say the fish caught on my boat taste far superior to almost any store bought fish.

We spend a lot of time and money to capture such a precious resource. It seems almost sinful to not treat it with the respect it deserves to provide first class nourishment for the angler.

Captain: It does not surprise me that fresh caught on your boat and properly handled tastes better than store purchased fish. When you buy fillets, you have no idea how old they are. At least looking at a whole fish, you can check the eyes, gills and overall condition. Plus I agree that having ample ice is key. I was on a party boat. I didn't bring ice with me and just used sea water. The Porgy we caught didn't taste right.

One other thing that the article mentions, aging the meat. They said fresh tuna was "green meat". I have heard this from another fisherman that made sushi on the boat after catching a tuna and said it wasn't as good as he thought it would be and tasted "metallic".

The only issue I have with the process is sometimes when the tide is right, your catching. I can see that spiking and cutting the gills is quick. The pithing of the spine, especially for someone like myself who has not performed it before, can take a bit of time.

Aside from the unknown age of what you purchase in the fish store, when you buy fish that has been harvested via a dragger or long liner, you could be getting a piece from the catch that has been at the bottom of a pile of several hundred or even thousands of pounds of other fish on top of it. Fish, like fruits and vegetables, are soft and easily subject to bruising. So, on a charter or recreational boat the smaller harvest quantity also works in your favor.

Using sea water alone on a party boat can cause problems because, even though the air temperature may be fairly low, any amount of sun will quickly warm the water and start the degradation process. As far as I am concerned, having enough ice is an absolute must any fishing trip.

Regarding "aging" Tuna, I have to research the science behind it but I do know it is true. One of my long term customers is a famous high end Chef and he has always told me the same thing about preparing Tuna for consumption.