Mycobacteriosis

This year, I've noticed that a lot of fish I have been catching have had a couple dark spots on them...

I saw a few the past couple of years, but not like this year.

Upon doing some research and talking to some people, it seems that mycobacteriosis is the culprit. Some people even say that up to 70 percent of the Chesepeake Bay tribe is affected by it.

Some older articles from a decade ago say that it is harmless if fish are cooked and that it is rarely transmitted to humans. The couple fish I have kept this year, upon being cut open, I noticed some fleshy little bumps that resembled poppy seeds on the intestines... For all I know, this is normal... After hearing about mycobacteriosis though, this freaked me out.

I also caught a fish a few weeks ago that had no blotches but I noticed that a small chunk of flesh was missing by its dorsal fin... What would cause that?

Any experience with any of the above would be appreciated. Looking at you, deaf fisherman and bloomago!

So you have probably read the various state advisories about handling stripers. You should use gloves and keep any open wounds from being exposed because you can pick up this bacterial infection. Having said that, think about how many guys use bare hands to handle stripers and how often you hear about someone picking up an infection. There is obviously a risk, but it is unclear to me how large a risk. If you are the cautious type, then wear fishing gloves to minimize your risk. Think about how many times you've been stuck by those damn spines on their dorsals.

Regarding eating of stripers, so long as they are properly cooked it should not be a problem. There are advisories about limiting your consumption of striped bass but that has to do more with bioaccumulation of mercury, PCBs and other environmental contaminants.