It took just three minutes for this 38 inch muskie to swallow the sucker. Upon hookset, the 8/0 J-hook tore a roughly one inch hole in the esophagus. As the hook continued to move towards the mouth and through the esophagus it also nicked the liver which would have resulted in a fair amount of bleeding. The injuries did not stop there, however. The hook ruptured the coelom (membrane) and penetrated the pericardial cavity where the heart is located. The hepatic portal vein (delivers "dirty" blood to the liver where it is detoxified, and then to a set of capillaries that distributes it to the heart) was also nicked. The latter would have caused a great deal of bleeding, probably the bulk of bleeding we noticed. The hook finally settled just outside the esophagus
Nearly all major vital organs are located just below the esophagus. Had the hook turned the other way as it moved through the muskie's body it is possible the damage may not have been as severe. Nevertheless...
Picture 1: The scalpel is inside the pericardial cavity and is pointing to the tear in the coelom. Just left of the scalpel is the tip of the tong that was inserted down the muskie's esophagus to show the hole created by the hook.
Picture 2: Close up of picture 1.
Picture 3: The tweezers are inserted in the hepatic portal vein which was nicked by the hook. To the right is the tear in the coelom where the hook penetrated the pericardial cavity.
Picture 4: Pooled blood inside the pericardial cavity perhaps a result of nicking the hepatic portal vein or the atrium.
It's a real shame that the fish died and I know how badly you feel; however, your posts are certainly very educational for us laymen types and I hope the necropsy will provide valuable data for the project. Thanks Sean!
ReplyDeleteYes it was a shame the fish died, but hopefully valuable information can be gained from its death.
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