FROST FISH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3822, 24 July 1928, Page 3

FROST FISH.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY.

BY LOCAL SEASIDE RESIDENT

Beach residents report frost fish to be fairly plentiful on the Foxton Beach this winter but owing to the discovery of a “worm” in the stomach of the fish by one resident, seasiders are somewhat chary of partaking of this delicacy and as a result numbers of the fish that have been washed up have been left on the beach for the gulls. In conversation with our representative the beach resident who first made the discovery of the socalled “worm” said that he had picked up many frost fish in years past and had always noticed a strip of what appeared to be yellow fat inside the fish when cleaning it. On opening up a frost fish the other morning he accidentally cut the yellow strip when it immediately became animated and a portion moved with considerable rapidity to the end of the fish where it burrowed into the flesh. The resident mentioned the matter to several other beach people who, since then have discovered “worms” in every frost fish picked up. It was also noticed that in most cases the inside of the fish was missing or considerably devoured.

It is generally assumed that frost fish are deep sea fish and are driven into shallow water in the cold weather where the lightening of the pressure kills them and they become washed ashore. Whether the worm has anything to do with its death or whether it is a disease which attacks the fish is a matter of conjecture. At any rate it is sufficient to put the ayerage person “off” frost fish.