Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fish have white things inside them. Please help

Caught these fish out of my pond and was cleaning them for dinner and noticed they all had these white worm looking things inside them. some of them also appear to have white patches on their scales. Just want to make sure they are safe and healthy. Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

I've never seen anything like that, but since I stay outside of the rib cage and filet, I'm not sure I would have.

FWIW, every learned word I've ever heard on fish parasites (if that is what you have there) states that they don't affect humans, especially after cooking.

Ive seen them but have no idea what can be done.

Hopefully one of the experts will drop in to identify the exact grub.

Do you have any red-ear sunfish in your pond? They might also call them "shellcrackers" down your way.

They are one of our best defenses for the many parasitic grubs that have pond snails as part of their life cycle.

I don’t think I have any red ear sun fish but I will definitely look into putting some in.

Let's correctly identify the grub first. I am NOT an expert on parasites - but we do have some actual experts on the forum.

If red-ear sunfish will be a big benefit for your situation, then you should probably read a few of the threads in the archives. For an existing pond, you will have to stock the proper size and amount, so they are not just expensive snacks for your existing fish.

P.S. There is actually a new thread on adding RES to an existing pond that is active right now.

Just look in the sidebar at the upper right and click on the blue title of the thread!

It should help you ask the right questions, if you will need to add RES to your pond in the future.