Blue slime Walleye

[dada2727]

My brother was fishing way up north of nipigon in a fly-in lake and every walleye they caught was covered in a blue slime. Anyone ever seen anything like this or know what it's all about?

[jackal68]

Daryl i just googled the slime. It is not uncommon. Here is what I found

Blue pigment (Sandercyanin) is produced in membrane-bounded vesicles (440x) just posterior (toward tail) to each dorsal spine and next to an adjacent blood vessel.

 

Just google blue slime on walleyes

Edited March 19, 2010 by Caribou

[adempsey]

Never caught a walleye that had blue slime, but it's supposedly not uncommon. The walleye secrete a blue protein into their slime coat, nobody knows why for certain but one hypothesis is UV protection: http://wayneschaefer.blogspot.com/.

[LimbLifter]

This is very interesting. By no means am I an expert, however, I do know there is a breed of Blue Walleye which excrete a blue mucous, but never have I seen anything to this degree. Typically fish will excrete excessive mucous if water quality is poor, overcrowding, or if the fish is stressed. I'm not sure when this fish was caught, but typically you will see more mucous on walleye during the latter summer months. The University of Wisconsin completed a study on blue walleye. See link below - I'm sure you will see similarities in pigment color.

 

http://wayneschaefer.blogspot.com/

Edited March 19, 2010 by LimbLifter

[dada2727]

Fish was caught a couple weeks ago through the ice on a remote fly-in only lake north of lake nipigon. Every walleye they caught had the blue slime.

[Joey]

I caught a pickerel up in Lake Temagami when we stayed at Wayne's cottage last year. Blue slime came off of it awell. We thought it was a bit odd too.

 

Joey

[Muskieman]

bang on.... I love the way that you've worded it " Blue Slime Walleye"... that name should be adopted by the MNR.

or maybe not.... It could actually complicate things...now we'd have to be able to differentiate a *Extinct "Blue Walleye" and the new "Blue Slime Walleye".... nonetheless I like your choice of words.

 

 

RFS

[irishfield]

I caught a pickerel up in Lake Temagami when we stayed at Wayne's cottage last year. Blue slime came off of it awell. We thought it was a bit odd too.

 

Joey

 

unfortunately the blue jug throws the colour off..

 

[Dabluz]

Spawning season is fast approaching for walleye and from what I have seen of other fish who are about to spawn, there is more slime on the fish as added protection from all the rubbing that goes one when spawning.

[scugpg]

If the fish are in waters with blue-green algae this could also be residue off of the lake.

[bow slayer]

I catch several with the blue slime every year on Restoule.Never really thought much about it since the fish have a blue colour also.

[LucG]

I catch several with the blue slime every year on Restoule.Never really thought much about it since the fish have a blue colour also.

 

Yeah, I was catching blue walleye through the ice out of Kipewa Lake a few weeks ago. They were'nt slimy though.

[Spiel]

Yeah, I was catching blue walleye through the ice out of Kipewa Lake a few weeks ago. They were'nt slimy though.

 

I've also caught lots of blue coloured walleye out of Kipawa.

 

The one pictured above looks like the heavy slime of fish that have been laying in the snow.