Can anyone tell me how to handle and unhook a Weever fish safely for consumption? I came across weevers today which where about a foot long!
Many thanks for the help
A
I use 2 long noses and a knife. When I get the fish on board, I use a long nose to get a grip on its mouth, I use the other long nose to unhook the fish. Then I cut its head just behind those black dorsal fins and throw the head away.
I also use long nosed pliers to remove the hook but I don't cut off its head - when it is dead (and I am sure of that!) I cut off the spines on its gill covers and its dorsal fins with a pair of scissors/cutter using the pliers to hold the gill cover and fins when I am cutting them out
I just spoke to someone who is a fulltime fisherman and he suggested to get an old pair of pliers and weld 2 metal rods on each side for a total of 4 pieces of metal to form like 2 pairs of bent nose plier facing each other. When grasping the fish its like a sharks jaw and the fish will not be able to move. Once safely gripped, with the use of a sharp scissors one cuts the dorsal fin and the gill spines.
please keep in mined that weever spines are still poisonous even after they are cut out from the rest of the body and they remain poisonous for a long time. One has to be very careful how to dispose from these spines and don't forget that rubbish is partially sorted by hand at the waste plants.