Cured eggs and steelhead smolts

troutdude
troutdude
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From ODFW's Weekly Rec Report...

Cured eggs and steelhead smolts

A recent study by ODFW and OSU has shown that a common ingredient in some egg cures – sodium sulfite – can be toxic when consumed by juvenile salmon and steelhead. To help protect salmon smolts, there are several things anglers can do to reduce the introduction of sodium sulfite into the environment.

If you’re making your own cure, avoid using sodium sulfite. Borax is a good alternative that does not appear to cause mortality in juvenile salmon.

If you’re buying commercially cured eggs: * Choose products that specify they are free of sodium sulfite. * Don’t add additional sodium sulfite to already cured eggs. * Don’t dump unused eggs in the river where they can be eaten by juvenile fish. * Consider the use of net bags to reduce the likelihood of juvenile salmon consuming the eggs

The effect of sodium sulfite on salmon and steelhead populations has not been determined. However, removing sodium sulfite from cured eggs is a small step that individual anglers can take to help reduce salmon and steelhead smolt mortality.
 
Yeahhhh they've been throwing this around for a while....

I'm not entirely convinced, I think we need to keep crap out of the rivers, but, that said....the miniscule amount from egg cures isn't going to spell extinction. Portland dumps way more harmful stuff into the rivers than sulfites, just saying.

Additionally, sulfite cures, in my experience, outfish borax cures almost everytime.

Like I said, i'm all for environmental improvement, but there needs to be more solid information and more done. Banning cures isn't gonna make a big enough dent in water pollution.
 
Hi Jeanna,

You have some very valid points and observations.

I can recall an ODFW Fisheries Biologist, telling me that it's perfectly fine to use WD-40 on bait. His/their resoning, is that it's less harmful by far--as compared to the leakage from boat motors (not picking on motor boaters...just using his example).

In either case, most of the WD-40 or the sulfite; would be washed downstream and filtered by natural processes.
 
The way I look at it every little bit helps! Other measures need to be taken for sure but removing sodium sulfite from egg cures is a step in the right direction. From what I understand sodium sulfite is a preservative, many other cheap effective preservatives are available. I see no reason to make a SIMPLE change to make sure I'm doing what I can to improve water quality. Even though the impact will not be felt unless other products change as well. Sodium sulfite is toxic, take a look at the symptoms ingestion by humans can cause, "Mildly toxic by ingestion. Slowly absorbed from the alimentary tract. Because of osmotic activity, it will draw water into the lumen of the bowel and may cause purging, fluid loss, blood in stools, fall of blood pressure, and high sodium levels in the blood." I sure as hell don't want to go through that, why put a fish through it?
 
Im with beaverfan on this one,,anything we can do as anglers to preserve fish runs should be looked into.
 
JeannaJigs said:
Additionally, sulfite cures, in my experience, outfish borax cures almost everytime.
.
Click to expand...

Ahh, that's all circumstancial. Like species; Borax owns over any sulfite cure I've tried for Steelhead, but ANY sulfite cure outfishes Borax for Fall Chinook. (in my limited experience)

And I'm not sure, this story might be from a mute Blue Heron and/or maybe this is translated wrong from a Native American mime- but a "Super Sulfite" will absolutley outfish any other eggs on the Wilson for some reason.
 
beaverfan said:
The way I look at it every little bit helps! Other measures need to be taken for sure but removing sodium sulfite from egg cures is a step in the right direction. From what I understand sodium sulfite is a preservative, many other cheap effective preservatives are available. I see no reason to make a SIMPLE change to make sure I'm doing what I can to improve water quality. Even though the impact will not be felt unless other products change as well. Sodium sulfite is toxic, take a look at the symptoms ingestion by humans can cause, "Mildly toxic by ingestion. Slowly absorbed from the alimentary tract. Because of osmotic activity, it will draw water into the lumen of the bowel and may cause purging, fluid loss, blood in stools, fall of blood pressure, and high sodium levels in the blood." I sure as hell don't want to go through that, why put a fish through it?
Click to expand...

bigsteel said:
Im with beaverfan on this one,,anything we can do as anglers to preserve fish runs should be looked into.
Click to expand...

Ya that! Along with all the motor oil/gasoline that runs off the roadways into our streams and rivers!
 
beaverfan said:
The way I look at it every little bit helps! Other measures need to be taken for sure but removing sodium sulfite from egg cures is a step in the right direction. From what I understand sodium sulfite is a preservative, many other cheap effective preservatives are available. I see no reason to make a SIMPLE change to make sure I'm doing what I can to improve water quality. Even though the impact will not be felt unless other products change as well. Sodium sulfite is toxic, take a look at the symptoms ingestion by humans can cause, "Mildly toxic by ingestion. Slowly absorbed from the alimentary tract. Because of osmotic activity, it will draw water into the lumen of the bowel and may cause purging, fluid loss, blood in stools, fall of blood pressure, and high sodium levels in the blood." I sure as hell don't want to go through that, why put a fish through it?
Click to expand...

im with you on this to.
 
Fishtopher said:
Ya that! Along with all the motor oil/gasoline that runs off the roadways into our streams and rivers!
Click to expand...

Let's not forget about toxic Farm/Ranch Chemicals...there's a lot more of that (as many Oregon streams [tribs and main branches] run right through many of those types of land masses).
 
*Ding ding ding*

I dont know why the first ding was capitalized...it wasn't louder than the rest of 'em....
 
ChezJfrey said:
Sodium Hydroxide (lye) is also a salt and is used as drain cleaner...how safe and non-toxic do you suppose that is?
Click to expand...

Sodium hydroxide is a caustic salt. Its a corrosive, so of course I wouldn't use it. Don't you know the difference?
 
Halfthrive said:
Sodium sulfite is salt, you guys make it sound like its a toxic chemical or something. Salt.

Sodium sulfite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click to expand...

Sodium sulfite is a "type" of salt, as is lithium which is also a toxin! It causes you to bleed out your butt as well as other problems! As I quoted above this is from the sodium sulfite material safety data sheet.

"Ingestion:
Mildly toxic by ingestion. Slowly absorbed from the alimentary tract. Because of osmotic activity, it will draw water into the lumen of the bowel and may cause purging, fluid loss, blood in stools, fall of blood pressure, and high sodium levels in the blood."

A few eggs to a small smolt is an insanely large dose! Even if it doesn't kill them it likely causes many of the same problems. I think for an animal like a fish it's probably not a good idea to cause purging, fluid lose, and bloody butt!
 
troutdude said:
Irregardless of what a substance is...if it kills or makes things ill...then it IS toxic.
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Ingesting enough salt it would kill anything. Does that stop you from putting it on your french fries?
 
Do you enjoy arguing?
 
Dude you seriously need to do some research, just because it has the word sodium in it doesn't make it table salt! Check out the MSDS for sodium sulfite or shut your mouth because your spreading FALSE information!

sodium sulfate msds sheet
 
beaverfan said:
Dude you seriously need to do some research, just because it has the word sodium in it doesn't make it table salt! Check out the MSDS for sodium sulfite or shut your mouth because your spreading FALSE information!

sodium sulfate msds sheet
Click to expand...

Thats a MSDS on sodium sulfate not sulfite.

GO DUCKS!!!
 
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