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[Rodney]

When you bring home that prized catch, do you fillet your fish and throw away the rest? The bones usually carry a few more hundred grams of meat, depending on how well the fish is filleted. Although it does not seem much, it could be precious waste especially when the current salmon and steelhead stocks are not what they used to be.

I usually prefer to save the leftovers after filleting. They are then cut into pieces and pan fried after being seasoned with salt and pepper. The meat can be removed from the bones quite easily and make a good meal or two when mixed with rice or pasta.

[Sam Salmon]

To my mind an ultra sharp knife is the key to proper fish cleaning/no waste-that and having a decent place to filet not crouched on a rocky beach in the freezing rain somewhere.

I use Japanese waterstones to sharpen my fish knives and they're sharp enough to shave with/never used for anything else ever.

[MERC]

And, you can use the head, and the bones to make a fumet de poisson or fish stock. 

[WEEFISH]

Well call her spoiled but I bake the bones and scraps in the oven and serve the leftover morsels to my pup...she LOVES them!!

[Funeral Of Hearts]

Nothing goes to waste for me. The raw leftovers go to my sister for her dog and I sometimes use the head for crabbing. I try not to waste any food.

[Eagleye]

I generally save my fish heads for a friend of mine who makes fish soup with them.  If I do a bad fillet job I cut the leftover meat off in strips for making indian candy or a more effective way is to use a spoon to scoop/scrap it out and make salmon patties with it.

[DionJL]

I always save my fish heads for crabbing. I normally take any left over slices of fish from filleting and turn it into ceviche.

[DaN ThE MaN]

Left overs from filleting goes straight into the piranha tank, they love it.

[Nitroholic]

after I fillet, I clean the skeleton really good, throw it in some teriyaki sauce, and throw it right on the grill. Great appy 

[skibumAB]

I have heard that it is dangerous to give dogs raw salmon.

[skibumAB]

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/salmon.aspx



Fishing can be wonderful recreation, but sharing the catch with your dog can be an act of kindness that kills. 
Salmon Poisoning Disease is a potentially fatal condition seen in dogs that eat certain types of raw fish. Salmon (salmonid fish) and other anadromous fish (fish that swim upstream to breed) can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmincola. Overall, the parasite is relatively harmless. The danger occurs when the parasite itself is infected with a rickettsial organism called Neorickettsia helminthoeca. It’s this microorganism that causes salmon poisoning.

“Salmon poisoning occurs most commonly west of the Cascade mountain range,” says  Dr. Bill Foreyt, a veterinary parasitologist at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He adds, “Canids (dogs) are the only species susceptible to salmon poisoning. That’s why cats, raccoons and bears eat raw fish regularly with out consequence.”

Generally clinical signs appear within six days of a dog eating an infected fish.

Common symptoms of salmon poisoning include:

vomiting
lack of appetite
fever
diarrhea
weakness
swollen lymph nodes 
dehydration
If untreated, death usually occurs within fourteen days of eating the infected fish. Ninety percent of dogs showing symptoms die if they are not treated.
Thankfully, salmon poisoning is treatable if it’s caught in time. A key to its diagnosis is telling your veterinarian that your dog ate raw fish. If you have a dog that wanders, or raids trashcans and you are unsure of what it’s eaten; consider the possibility of salmon poisoning.  Salmon poisoning can be diagnosed with a fecal sample or a needle sample of a swollen lymph node. Detecting the parasite’s eggs as they are shed in the feces confirms its presence. The rickettsial organism can be detected in a needle sample from a swollen lymph node. The combination of symptoms, and the presence of parasite eggs or the rickettsial organisms, are enough to justify treatment.

Given the severity of the condition, treatment is relatively simple. Your veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic and a “wormer”. The antibiotic kills the rickettsial organisms that cause the illness, and the wormer kills the parasite. If the dog is dehydrated, intravenous fluid are given. Once treatment has been started, most dogs show dramatic improvement within two days. 
Next time you are fishing or purchase raw salmon and you hear the familiar begging whine of your dog, ignore it. They may not understand it, but not sharing the fish is the best thing for them. This will save them from suffering salmon poisoning, and save you from a veterinary bill.

This Pet Health Topic was written by Sarah Hoggan, Washington State University, Class of 2001.

Washington State University assumes no liability for injury to you or your pet incurred by following these descriptions or procedures.

[Nymph]

Thanks for the info SkibumAB.

I never would have thought that dogs could be harmed by raw salmon.

[Nick78]

I use the bones and fins and the leftover meat to make a fish stock. Head and skin for crabbing. Roe for fishing or my own. Nothing is wasted when I keep one.

[Headshake]

Skeleton is barbecued then flaked for sandwiches, or sometimes soup. Head and tail is used for crabbing, roe we eat or use for bait. The only thing I chuck is the fins. Cuts down on garbage and they are too little to use for crabbing as they fall out of my bait holder.

[fishinfever]

does anyone know if freezing salmon kills the parasite that effects the dogs?
guess we have been fortunate so far. My wife would have hard time forgiving me if i killed the dogs sneaking scaps to them.