Fish: “Wild Caught” Does Not Mean It Is Good

When it comes to fish, there is a huge error in most people’s judgement that “wild caught” fish is the best fish to eat, that it always tastes good. It couldn’t be further than the truth. What matters more than how the fish is caught is how the fish dies.

Most commercially caught fish, or “wild caught” as some people say, is killed the same way: taken out of the water, put on ice, and left on ice to suffocate to death. This can take usually up to 45 minutes, sometimes a couple of hours.

During this time, the fish’s bloodstream fills with stress hormones like cortisol & adrenaline, and the lactic acid & heat released breaks down muscle and fat tissue, making bacteria grow. Fish usually aren’t bled either, which gives bacteria more to feast on.

These fish are then stored on ice, which, when it melts into water, speeds up and spreads the microbial growth. Because of this, the fish doesn’t age (like good steak), it begins to rot, giving it that “fishy” taste & smell. Good twitter thread on this here:

Ever wonder why, after a day’s fishing when you finally catch a fish you put it out of its misery right then and there using a hammer (or rock), and the fish always tastes great when you eat it later? That’s because you’re dispatching it more correctly than “wild caught” fish.

The most humane way to kill a fish, and the way that subsequently makes it taste better, is the way that high-quality sushi-grade fish has been killed for years. It’s a process called ikejime, and it involves a few steps. 

Firstly, the brain of the fish should be killed, which stops it feeling any distress, stopping it from releasing lactic acid & stress hormones. The fish is then bled, which hugely slows down the process by which it can rot.

After this, depending on the kind of fish, a third step includes the destruction of the spinal cord. This ensures that there is no further communication between the central nervous system and muscle tissue, meaning no signals are sent or involuntary movement are made.

The fish is then submerged in an ice bath to cool it completely. The result? Fish that tastes much better due to reduced rotting, less stress, and proper bleeding, along with less suffering for the fish. We treat other animals this way, so should do the same for fish.

Efforts are now being made to automate this process and commercialise it to be done by machine, so in the future hopefully fish can meet a more humane end.

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