ADRENALIN

[sam-cox]

There could be several ways to look at this, but they all hang on the above question.

 

I think game is hung to let the adrenalin levels decline before being consumed by a human.

So is the taste of fish different after they have been dead a while because the lowered adrenalin levels?

 

As an angler I get a hell of a adrenalin hit from catching or just hooking a good fish. But does the fish also get an adrenalin rush.

 

Do the live baits I use produce more adrenalin as they wriggle temptingly?

 

Can any one give me any answers?

[Newt]

As to the topic question:

Click Here for a pretty good answer for teleosts. Elasmobranchs probably behave in a similar fashion but that's only a probably.

[phil_I]

There could be several ways to look at this, but they all hang on the above question.

 

I think game is hung to let the adrenalin levels decline before being consumed by a human.

So is the taste of fish different after they have been dead a while because the lowered adrenalin levels?

 

As an angler I get a hell of a adrenalin hit from catching or just hooking a good fish. But does the fish also get an adrenalin rush.

 

Do the live baits I use produce more adrenalin as they wriggle temptingly?

 

Can any one give me any answers?

 

Just speculation: they probably do, the flight or fight response is of fundamental evolutionary importance to a wide range of animals without it fish would not quickly respond to danger.

 

But there is no way you could taste a hormone that is released in such low concentrations. Your more likely to taste lactic acid produced by the fishes muscles during the excertion. But if you kill the fish how can these waste matabolites be broken down.

 

I imagine they are hung up for other reasons.

[Davy Holt]

I think game is hung to let the adrenalin levels decline before being consumed by a human.

 

No...I have a feeling it dates back to the days prior to a good transport network, it often would take a few days to get game killed in the North of Scotland down to where it was wanted in the South of England. As a result the game was left hanging for a considerable length of time prior to being eaten. People then got used to eating partially decomposed “fresh” game.

 

 

 

When the transport network improved they started to hang the game so that the same flavour was produced.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

All meat that is hung for a week taste much better than quick slaughter and freeze in todays slaughter houses.

 

Pheasants, hare, rabbits are all hung for at least a week.

 

But one of the nices tasting fish is a mackeral straight from the sea and into the pan