Cormorant Wounds?

[Tony 1]

Caught this 12lb.7oz torpedo shaped common from my local river, on landing it I noticed a couple nasty stab wounds obviously heron or cormorant wounds, is there any think worth carrying in you bag that you can put on such wounds to help with the healing process. I use an antiseptic for the carps mouth but a wound that size would take the whole bottle.

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

bonjela or orabase(available at chemists)it might help,but them wounds look quite bad,especially if it puntured any internal organs,a fishery owner who i know once told me he used table salt to quaterize the spawning wounds on his carp,he said it was safe to do and he rekons its worth doing.not alot you can do mate some survive some dont ive caught a few jacks with wounds simalar and big chub too.not seen qany carp attacked tho.and barbel ive seen it on too you can see it in some photos in the papers.i beleive cormarants will attack a larger than it can eat prey simpley because its there and it can,herons i dont know?maybe it was spawning in the shallows and got caught out??

[argyll]

I take two things for pike. Malachite blue which is an old koi remedy and a tube of Orabase paste. Both available from specialist koi dealers. The Malachite blue will disinfect the wound and the Orobase paste spread over the top will keep the MB in place for a day or two. Without it, whatever you apply will quickly wash off. However I'm sure that there are new fangled all-in-one creams on the market. Try talking to a specialist koi dealer instead of a fishing tackle dealer, his expensive fish stocks rely on his experience. We've had this discussion before about whether it's worth applying creams and potions to fish wounds, but having seen my koi survive cuts, abrasions and ulcers and regrow a full set of scales, after a little judicious medication, I would say its definitely worth the effort.

 

[ 21. June 2004, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: argyll ]

[Peter Waller]

Koi livebaits then Gerry?

[monkeyboy]

I dont think thats a cormerant injury! More like an ulcer from stress or spawning

IMO

[Peter Sharpe]

You can rule out a heron and I'm almost certain it's not a cormorant. I think it's more likely to be a spawning wound or even a boat's propeller. I once caught a zander with a horible looking wound, with the skin pulled back and exposed flesh. I caught the same fish about a year later, only a short distance from where I first caught it. Strangely enough, the wound hadn't even healed over, but it was so identical that I feel certain it was the same fish.

[Bruno Broughton]

The wounds are almost certainly fish or angler related (spawning or poor handling); herons tend to leave a distinct 'hole', whereas typical cormorant wounds are across the back, with scrape marks on both sides of the fish.

 

The easiest cream to buy and use is 'Adcortyl in Orabase', widely available in Boots the Chemist, although other chemists may well stock it. A 10g tube costs about £4.00 and is sufficient to treat a LOT of fish.

 

Remember to dry the wound area gently before smoothing the cream over the wound (or it may fall off). It is pretty waterproof, so it serves as an antiseptic, stimulating the healing process, and the equivalent of a plaster to stop secondary infections.

[Peter Sharpe]

I worry about the smell of some of these preparations, which can be extremely strong to the point of being distressing to the fish. Not only that, but any treated fish that returns to the swim could easily scare all the others away because of it. Are there any odourless ones around?

[Tony 1]

Thanks for your input guys, will head of to Boots and get some cream. The picture is not to clear of the wound, it had a hole of around half inch wide by around half inch deep, roughly in the middle of the inflamed patch