Can you eat dead fish

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any commisions earned helps keep this site sustainable. Click here for privacy policy. Last night over dinner, a friend alerted me to the story in the local paper about dead fish being found on the public beach by the Burj al Arab.

Lifeguards reported that people were running into the water and collecting the dead fish with their bare hands and that it took them 4 hours to clean up the mess. Now if I saw a slew of dead fish and squid on the beach, I would be very suspicious about how they got there. A fish that has been recently killed by a predator, preferably within an hour or two of you finding it, would be suitable to risk eating, but only in a very desperate situation.

You could remove the portion of the carcass where the predator has eaten or damaged the fish, and the rest of the carcass should be good for you to consume. This is providing that the fish has not been dead too long.

Follow the steps to check for the time of death of the fish. If you really need to scavenge, the best scenario would be if you saw the predator catch the fish. You would then be absolutely certain about the time of death of the fish and the condition that it was in. If the fish has died due to disease, it will usually be obvious from the state of the carcass.

The fish would not be in good condition, and there would be indicators on the carcass of illness like the fish being thin and malnourished or the flesh starting to degrade and not much meat on the animal. In this case, it would not be advisable to eat the fish. The disease could have been the result of a parasite, bacteria, or virus, which could still be in the meat of the fish and cause you to become sick should you eat it.

If the water is not clean and is stagnant, the fish may have died from the contaminants in the water. If the water is contaminated by a pollutant, you will probably find more than one dead fish on the banks of the water.

Fish that have died for these reasons are not worth the risk to eat. The contaminants in the water would have penetrated the meat of the fish and could pose a health risk for you. If you find a dead fish that is suitable to eat, it would be wise to take the additional precaution of cooking the meat if possible before eating it. This will give you the added protection of the heat killing any bacteria or parasites that may be in the meat of the fish.

The heat will, in effect, kill these micro-organisms in effect sterilize the meat, making it safer to eat. Rotten fish, or fish that has started to decompose, should not be eaten at all.

The decomposing proteins can produce toxins that the heat of cooking will not break down. However, if you have the means to make a fire, you would have the tools to make your own fishing equipment to be able to catch your own fresh fish. This would be the preferable and safer survival route. Of course, the question can you eat a dead fish is a little of a misnomer. What's Special about the Zika Virus in Singapore? Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Read More Previous.

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