Tiny Black Specks???

[matthewphillips]

Last year I saw most perch were infested with these tiny black specks and I suspect they are a type of mite. I threw them all back. This year, I am seeing Bluegill, Panfish, and Pumpkinseed with the same malady.

What is it? And is it safe to eat?

[Creekcrawler]

They're fine for eating.

See the link -
ohioseagrant.osu.edu/discuss/index.php?topic=764.0

From the link-

"There's not much better eating than bluegill fillets, but those black spots are certainly a turn-off.

Yes, you're seeing the larval stage of a parasitic worm called a trematode. The adults live in the mouths of kingfishers. Their eggs pass through the birds' digestive tracts into the water, hatch, and then become free-swimming larvae which burrow into snails. After a few weeks the transformed larvae leave the snails and swim to a fish, burrowing into the skin or flesh.

The actual black spot you see is not the worm -- the fish form a layer of black pigment called melanin around the larvae. When a kingfisher eats the infected fish the cycle is complete.

These worms cannot infect humans - they're harmless. At pond management clinics I tell people that they have three levels of protection here. First, you'll probably cut the black spots out of the fillet. Second, any that you miss will be killed during cooking. Third, even if you swallow living black spot worms, they would pass through you without infecting you. Sorry, but you're just not the food they like. It's almost insulting."