What do you do with the fish guts?

The Hi Lakers don’t have an official position, but the surprising consensus among biologists, ecologists and other authorities is to throw the guts into deep water, where they decompose to provide essential nutrients and don’t attract animals. Throwing entrails into shallows where they are an eyesore is a no no. Puncturing the air sac and disposing in deep water, or packing out, is the way to go.

Tip: Take the time to use floatation to drop guts in deep water, or walk around the lake to find access to deep water. Consider wrapping entrails around a rock in order to throw into deep water from shore.

Read on for official positions from government agencies, and final comments.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
http://wdfw.wa.gov/outreach/fishing/highlake.htm

"Although fish entrails are biodegradable, a respectful alpine angler will never discard them in lake shallows where they can be seen by others. Pack out viscera in a zip-lock bag, or dispose of them in water at least 25' deep. Never bury or try to burn fish parts near the lake; the remains may attract sharp-nosed bears. Burial at least 100 yards away from the lake, trail or camps is an acceptable alternative."

National Park Service:
http://www.nps.gov/ccso/bears.htm

"If you fish or hunt and then camp, store your game, meat, and fish as carefully as you store your food. After puncturing air bladders, drop fish entrails in deep water at least 200 feet from docks and swimming areas. If possible at least 100 feet from shore to allow natural composition. Do not dispose fish entrails in a toilet."

And one more from the Dept of Ministry in British Columbia:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/safety/bear.html

"Dispose of fish guts by puncturing the bladder and dropping in deep or rushing water, well away from heavily used shoreline areas. Avoid disposal in shallow water or where likely to wash up on the beach, bank or boat launch. Burial or burning is not recommended, and please, do not place in garbage receptacles!"

So many agencies recommend putting fish entrails back into the lake. Why? Well if the fish entrails are at the bottom of the lake, they can’t attract bears and putting them in the lake returns much needed nutrients. In general, most mountain lakes have limited food resources. When you put the fish entrails back into the lake, you are returning some of those nutrients to the lake for its entire biota. It’s a bit like salmon dying after spawning and returning nutrients to the river system.

So the next time you need to dispose of some fish entrails, it is recommended that you make sure the air sack is ruptured, then throw the entrails and other fishy parts you are not going to eat back into the lake where it is deep enough that no one can see them.

When I am at a lake and there are other people around, I try to dispose of the fish entrails discretely so as to not disturb people, or I go talk to them and explain what I am dong and why. I find that most people understand once it is explained.

Hopefully this information will help you and others to properly dispose of fish entrails and help maintain the nutrients in the mountain lakes.

As a final note, please be aware of different regulations in different states. While biologists in Washington recommend putting fish entrails back into the water of high lakes, this may not be the case in other states; for instance, it is not permitted in Wisconsin.