Tell me what you know about eating dogfish

[DoubleJ]

With the number of sustenance fishermen we have on here, at least a few of you keep and eat dogfish.  What are your tips and tricks?

[Skillet]

Curious myself.  There is a strong market for these as "fish & chips" in Europe.  Of course, some of those folks also eat haggis as well...

[h20hunter]

I've heard of a few guys that eat them...never tried it myself.

[lokidog]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

[Fishstiq]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

I should have known you'd eat 'em!   

[CoryTDF]

Chew and swallow that’s all you need to know.

[lokidog]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

I should have known you'd eat 'em!   

That's all we can eat now that the state won't let us keep much of anything....  don't let it out or we'll have a catch card for them coming soon.   

[bobcat]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

[lokidog]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

They come out of the same water you are eating rockfish, lings, crabs, etc. out of....     And they eat the same things.

[DoubleJ]

Instruct me on the bleeding process.  I watched a video where a guy cut off the spines, stuck rhe knife through it just behind the head on the mid-line, cut all the way to the back, made a small cut by the head to free the skin, ripped off the skin, then removed the now skinless, gutless meat from the body.  I didn't see bleeding in there anywhere. 

Basically lookkng for hook to plate instructions.  I don't want to get sick and don't want to ruin it and not like it if it is actually worthwhile.

[Skillet]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

I'd try it, don't seem like they're in polluted water to me.  We caught and released a ton of them just jigging spoons on Possession bar a week or so ago.  They filled the water column from 100 feet up to about 15 feet below my boat, so they're not only bottom feeders...

[DoubleJ]

The big one we caught last night was about 5' up from bottom with a nightcrawler

[Blacktail Sniper]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

Is there any particular fish that you would equate them too, maybe catfish, perch, or something else?  How about number of bones, some fish seem to be more bones than fish.

[luvmystang67]

"Spiny dogfish are not in demand as a food item in the United States, but they’re popular on the international market. If you order “fish and chips” in Europe, for example, you’ll probably be eating spiny dogfish shark meat. The size of north Atlantic fishing catches that supply this market climbed sharply between 1988 and 1998, leading researchers to declare the dogfish shark overfished. Spiny dogfish don’t become sexually mature until 20 years old, so overfishing can be devastating to populations. To protect dogfish populations, quota limits were established in 2000 in waters from Maine to Florida; once the quota is filled, dogfish shark fisheries are closed for the season.

You can read more about the sustainability of sharks as a food item in the Seafood Watch section of our web site."

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=VsGX+Lst7QYFrKIYw3JEKQ==

[luvmystang67]

and theres this... enjoy them while you can.

"Once the most abundant shark species in the world, populations of Squalus acanthias have declined significantly. They are classified in the IUCN Red List of threatened species as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in the Northeast Atlantic, meaning stocks around Europe have decreased by at least 95%. This is a direct result of overfishing to supply northern Europe's taste for Rock Salmon, Saumonette or Zeepaling. Despite these alarming figures, very few management or conservation measures are in place for Squalus acanthias"