A recent study by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says that some commercially-available cured salmon eggs are harmful to juvenile salmon and steelhead. ODFW and Oregon State University scientists tested a random sample of commercially-available cured eggs and found that some juvenile fish died after ingesting some brands. Specific mortality levels varied among products and ranged from 0 to 30 percent.
In a second round of studies at OSU, researchers identified sodium sulfite as the ingredient causing the fish to die.
As you can imagine, this issue has the salmon/steelhead world all abuzz, but before we get too far ahead of ourselves and start calling for the heads of anyone who uses roe for bait, we need to look into this further. Let’s not panic, here people!
Some links for you to help better understand the situation…
A good overview can be found at Northwest Sportsman Magazine
The official news release from Oregon Fish & Wildlife: ODFW STUDY & SUMMARY
Origins and background of the study on The Caddis Fly
Input from leading cure manufacturer, Scott Amerman
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