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TO FISH OR NOT, THAT'S THE ?

Fresh caught fish also provide a completely balanced diet when sufficiently fat & not overcooked.

The main difficulty with subsisting exclusively on fish arises from the fact that in calories they are often far less nourishing than one expect.

An office worker undergoing very little physical exertion still requires some 2,000 to 2,500 calories to push his daily pen or his impurrrfect computer.

It is reasonable to generalize that a man in survival needs at least twice that many energy units. (At least 5,000 calories!)

Any calories not supplied directly by food will be taken from the body own carbo-hydrates, fats & proteins.

A one pound rainbow when caught?!? Canada dept of National Health has evaluated contains only slightly more than 200 calories. Yes only 200 calories! So to eat some 4,500 calories one has to catch? & to eat 20 such trouts each day?

Instead of gaining vigour on 6 pounds or so of fresh trout daily, you would be very gravely loosing strength.

You would do better to finish the journey as soon as possible, unless you have unlimited fishes or that you can supplement the fish with other wild food.

One should Note however that Salmon goes up to 900 Calories per fresh Raw pound. So the more you cook the more you loose.

1 METHOD TO PRESERVE FISH:

SMOKING:

If you have the time & want to keep fish for considerable periods; clean the fish, cut off the head & then split each into 2 filets so joined by the tail that they will hang over a fire smouldering day & night with some green wood such as Alder.

The fish MUST be protected as possible from dampness for the several days until they are dehydrated & Covered with salt. You can also use the method above:

HOW TO KEEP FISH:

As other meat, to smoke a fish, cut the head off, split the fish into length wise, and used a thin branch which you peel the bark first, then you impaled on it the fish.

Fish can be dried by the sun if you suspend it to branches high enough however to AVOID flies, or spread over hot rocks, or raft sides.

When the meat becomes dry, throw some salt water on it to make it salty.

INDIAN FISH COOKING:

On a board or cut off log which was squared off, the fish are fixed tight with steel wire at 2 or 3 places, then place by fire.

COOKING ON INDIVIDUALS PLATES:

Fish can be pegged on preheated hardwood slabs & leaned before a bank of glowing coals.

If after they are opened & cleaned there is any difficulty in making them lie reasonably flat with their skin against the wood, the backbone may be removed.

Turning the slab a time or 2 will give the flesh a better chance to become flaky throughout.

SALTED FISH COOKING:

Once you want to eat salted fish you MUST first part boil it using fresh water, then throw this first water out and re-boil it into new fresh water till fully boiled.

Even 2 parts boil if need be, otherwise it will be too salted. I know I goofed once! Berrk!

FISH COOKING/ SEA PLANTS/ THEN FISHING METHOD:

SCALING, CLEANING, TANNING, FISH & GAMES:

As soon as the fish is caught, cut off the fish-gills, scald it, empty it but DON'T cut off the head nor the cheeks for they contain a lot of flesh. No need to empty fish smaller than 10cm. but you still MUST scald it.

FISHING BARE HANDS:

Fish such as Salmon & Herring go up streams in such a numbers at certain times of the year that one can catch them & throw them on shore by large numbers with bare hands. Also Smelt when schools come up on beaches to spawn in the surf.

NIGHT LINES WORK FOR YOU:

A baited night line affixed for its own protection to something limber such as the end of a sapling is often productive when daytime fishing even arduous is unsuccessful.

One can also use fishing with lights (torches) it works because fishes are attracted by light, but use it only in emergency. It will often pay off to weave, twist or knot a gill net.

SHARKS BUT NOT BARRACUDA:

Sharks ARE EDIBLE, although some may object to their taste. This can be much improved if the meat is sectioned & then soaked in salted water for 24 hours. Barracuda are sometimes poisonous.

FOOD FOR THOUGHTS:

FROZEN RAW FISH TO EAT? YES!

Up in Arctic the natives, catch their fishes, leave them on the ice to be frozen then eat them Raw, Surprisingly Good once you have tried it.

WARNING!:

Yet one should REMEMBER that because of pollution fishes can be a danger even deadly depending where they are caught. Ex: Near towns/villages. Fish can carry deadly radiation or mercury, and chemical poison.

CUCUMBERS THAT ARE ALIVE:

Sea Cucumbers ARE EDIBLE Raw, boiled, stewed, fried & This easily recognizable organism so common along sea shore has a rough & flexible body about 6" to 8" long when contracted & about twice that length when expanded.

The 5 long white muscles which are left after the insides have been discarded & the slimy outer skin scraped away are what is used. Taste like clams. YUMMY!

SEA URCHIN:

ALL THE EGGS YOU WANT FREE!

The Sea Urchin a marine animal related to Starfish is a main source of food for many localities. Safe when found in the Temperate & Arctic waters of this continent gathered at low tide.

They are shaped like slightly flattened balls & have a thin fragile shell that bristles with mobile spines. The lengths of eggs inside the top shell ARE EDIBLE both Raw & Cooked.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING:

Unfortunately many EDIBLE Seaweeds and sea animals or fishes are now poisonous due to pollution & can not be eaten Raw! Yet survival is the key!

The practice of sea dumping and lakes used as open sewers makes your future survival a harder survival, you therefore best to concentrate upon EDIBLE plants as well when possible.

ABALONE:

It's a large rock-clinging Mollusc well known along the Pacific Coast of N. America where hundreds at a time are found at low tides attached to boulders & ledges.

Occasionally found floating free in seaweed. Their flattened shells which vary from black & green to red are fantastically line with Mother of Pearl.

By abruptly inserting a long thin instrument such as a sheath knife or nail or stick between the Abalone & the rock & prying quickly!

The Shell-fish can be detached usually with little trouble before it has a chance to adhere more tightly. The operation otherwise requires a heavier tool and considerable pressure.

The Abalone can then be levered from the shell which not infrequently has a diameter of 10" or so & therefore considerable utility as a bowl. Or the shell can be cracked with a rock & picked off.

The hard white meat is what is retained. This may be sliced in thin steaks & tenderized by pounding with the flat edge of a stone then fried, broiled over open coals or diced & simmered into chowder.

OTHER FREE LUNCHES:

Any times you look for food, there will be in general the best promising area are near water (far off cities). Piles of shells besides a creek may be the clue for Clams that often can be seen in clear water or felt beneath the bare feet.

Salt water Clams although not so easily dug can be secured at low tide. One indication of the bivalves presence being their elongated siphons or the marks left by the withdrawals thereof.

But along PACIFIC SHORES BELOW THE ALEUTIANS; ALL dark portions of clams MUST be discarded for the 6 months beginning with May & ending with October because of possible dangerous concentrations of Toxic alkaloids in it, the white meat alone to be eaten.

SNAILS ETC.:

Snails, Scallops, Shrimps, Oysters, Eels, Lobsters are all EDIBLE. Mussels can be safe to eat with one exception, if care is taken to AVOID any that don't close tightly when touched.

WARNING:

The small bluish black Mussel found attached usually in clusters to seashore rocks becomes poisonous at certain time of the year on the Pacific Coast below the Aleutians. The poison being alkaloid CAN NOT be destroyed by heat.

It is a result of a diet which includes venomous organism that drifts shore-ward from about the end of April through October.

If there is any doubt whatsoever about when in any particular area these mussels are fit for food, they should be AVOIDED entirely.

Lately we have seen many cases of poisonous Mussels from the East to West Coast of N. America due to pollution.

CRABS:

They are all good. They can usually be immobilized with a stick for a long enough period for one either to crush them or reach behind and pick them up.

They will attach themselves readily to flesh lowered on a line. Although salt water varieties may be eaten Raw, land crabs are often infected with parasites & MUST be dropped into boiling water for at least 20 min.

TURTLES:

Turtles fat gives a clear savory oil, which is so nutritious that this reptile is AN UNUSUALLY VALUABLE FOOD SOURCE. Blood & juices are often used to relieve thirst.

Its sometimes possible to back track a female to a fresh nest of eggs, generally buried in sand or mud close to water. Those eggs are very nourishing

Turtle can be killed by concussion (hitting) or decapitation. Care MUST be taken even after it is dead to AVOID both jaws & claws.

If possible the Turtle can be scalded for several minutes by being dropped into boiling water. The under shell may then be quartered & the entrails removed whereupon the meat can readily be simmered free of the upper shell.

CLEANING FISH:

Fish can be slit from vent to throat & the viscera removed easily & cleanly. Many like to scrape away the blood vessels & kidneys which form dark lines next to the back bone.

If the fish has scales, it can be held by the tail using a stick or a nail to hold it in place, for it is very slippery, then you scrape it off using the back of a knife of something similar.

You may not want to bother with the head, tail & fins of small fish except to eat around them, for bones will then hold together better & less of a nuisance. Furthermore a few choice titbits will thus be saved otherwise wasted.

If you ever have a number of heads, you may care to find out by essaying a chowder with them, for they are regarded by many as the most delicious part of the fish. To skin off fish; start from tail upward.

PRESERVING FISH:

(SALTING, DRYING, SMOKING)

Fish can be preserved for a day or 2 or longer by IMMEDIATELY cleaning, cutting into thin strips & hanging these preferably in the wind & sun to dry.

Any fish that are going to be retained should be killed IMMEDIATELY, then kept dry or covered with salt all over them. (Inside & out.)

WARNING:

If you are in South SEA region, REMEMBER THAT FISH WILL SPOIL WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. Thus MUST be either salted, dried or thrown out.

WARNING #2:

It has been noted by many observers that putrefaction (spoils) of the flesh of Many TROPICAL FISH sets in a FEW MINUTES. all tropical fish then put the Arctic in 1 block, Arctic is at end.

Many tropical fishes once taught to be poisonous when cooked IMMEDIATELY after having been caught gave no ill effects while some of the same batch were kept uncooked & in 1/2 hour were bad.

MAKESHIFT FISHING:

Just because you don't happen to have a hook & a line it doesn't mean that you can't catch fish. Unravel a bit of sweater for exemple then tie on a small strip of bright cloth ex; the corner of a shirt will do. When the fish closes his mouth over the cloth, give the line a tug.

There are good chances that you will flip the fish on the bank or in the boat or raft. It does not ALWAYS work of course but fish don't take regular bait either. (Fussy!)

As matter of fact; Fishermen on East coast use pieces of bright (Skipping rope) which they slide onto their hooks to attract fishes, it works real good. May be fishes love to dance?

HOOKS MADE ON THE SPOT:

You can invent any number of different types of hooks. A bent pin really works as many youngsters have learned.

The only trick is to maintain pressure so that the fish wont slip off. An open safety pin is a bigger model. Bent nails have been used with considerable success.

Therefore the hooks can be made out of any workable material of sufficient rigidity. A really rugged one can be made by lashing the blade of a pocket knife partly open against a wooden edge.

A second blade so open at an opposite end can if available form a barb of sorts. The knife so prepared can then be hidden in a gob of bait.

You can also cut hooks from wood preferably hard & tough. Whittle out the shank first. Lash one or more sharp slivers so that they slant upward from the lower end.

You can even add a barb by lashing another sliver even more acutely downward from the top. Thorns if available can be used. Fish bones too can be used as points and barbs.

PRIMITIVE FISHING DEVICES:

One of the most primitive fishing devices still used successfully if not sportingly; is made by tying the line to the middle of a small fish & use it as a bait. Ouch?!?

SALTWATER FISH: t

Provided the fish have the usual appearance of fish and have scales & the conventional shape of fish you can say that it is safe to eat & has no poison in the flesh.

If the creature does not have the usual "fish shape" and does not have scales then regard it as poisonous unless certain it is safe. Ex: The Shark which has no scales. The flesh of Shark is safe to eat but Beware of the innards.

Shark liver has a high concentration of vitamin D, fried liver may be fatal.

EEL & RAYS:

Flesh of Eels is also GOOOD! TO EAT. So are Rays good eating. Yet under NO consideration DON'T EAT the innards.

CAUTION DO NOT EAT:

The Puffer or Toady, the Box Fish, the Pig fish and Leather Jacket are ALL POISONOUS.

The Colour of the flesh is NO indication of the presence of poison in the flesh, ex: Parrot-Fish or Mackerel have green colour yet GOOOD! TO EAT.

SHELLFISH: (SELFISH?)

All bivalves are free from toxic poisons except for the reputed poison in the saltwater Mussels at certain period of the year and the flesh of all is safe to eat unless taken from contaminated waters. This is unfortunately more and more frequent.

This also applies to freshwater Shellfish which host for many parasites harmful to man.

Actually NO freshwater Shellfish MUST be eaten unless you are way out in the bushes near a lake or river of which you know there is no town near by.

Then those shellfish should be well cooked to destroy any possible parasites and their eggs. We repeat NO freshwater shell fish ARE EDIBLE when close to cities, towns, due to sewage etc.

BIVALVES:

When unpolluted are found all along coastal sea beaches and make an excellent meal. 12-18 bivalves make a good feed for one person.

To cook put the bivalves into a billy and pour boiling water over them. The bivalve will open and the fish itself can be easily removed from the 2 shells.

The fish MUST be washed many times in fresh water to remove all sand and then boiled in fresh water. You can add milk and thickening after boiling for 10 min. (Use also dried milk.)

Before cooking the flesh can be cut into small pieces. After 10 minutes boiling add thickening and salt to taste.

OYSTERS:

They are eaten Raw of course or maybe cooked & served as soup. Oysters ARE EDIBLE & safe all year round.

CLAMS ARE MISSING TO FIND INCLUDE:

CRUSTACEANS:

All crustaceans are safe to eat and free from toxic poisons.

But freshwater Crayfish and #Yabbies# are subjected to parasite infestations harmful to man.

Their flesh MUST be EXTREMELY well cooked as a safety measure. (None from nearby town ARE EDIBLE.)

When we say fit to eat we ALWAYS refer to those away from civilization.

Crustaceans are usually boiled but it is also practical to simply kill the creature and wrap the Shellfish in either and old we newspaper, a ball of clay or large green leaves such as banana or palm leaves.

The wrapped shellfish is then placed deep IN the hot ashes of a fire. Be sure you place it IN the ashes and not ON the surface coals.

Cover the bundle completely and leave for 6 to 12 hours. The food will not have dried nor burn but cooked great.

FISH: (Cooking with Al. Paper!)

You envelop a fish (emptied) by folding the AL sides twice. Add some butter or margarine, or fat and #romarin# if any before or after cooking, thus keeping the juice and sealing odours, because fish too much cooked smells.

Punch a hole in Aluminium Paper. So as to permit the steam to escape.

OCTOPUS AND GASTROPODS:

The flesh on the tentacles of all the Octopus & Gastropods (Octopus, Cuttlefish etc.) IS EDIBLE but many are EXTREMELY tough and rubbery.

Octopus flesh taste like Lobsters. To cook, beat the Octopus tentacles and boil in very hot oil 10-15 minutes.

CAUTION:

One small species of Ringed Octopus 4" to 6" long has been known to give Fatal stings.

COOKING FISH NATIVE WAY:

(South-Pacific) SEA

First he laid fishes on a bed of heated coral stones, the fishes were intact, uncleaned, he did not touch the leathery skin of the shark nor remove the large scales of the parrot fish.

He did not even gut them. We thought it was a lazy stunt if ever there was one, we were ready to save effort but this seemed to be stretching the point.

Before long he pronounced the fish ready. He removed the charred skin and cuts the fish into sections.

The skin and scales had kept the flesh moist, the viscera only added to the flavour, and after tasting it we conceded it was better than our broiled fish would have been and so simple. Now you decide which way you prefer.

CRABS CAPTURED AT NIGHT:

The nights frequently proved more productive than the days. Many terrestrials and aquatic creatures move around only after dark. So it is for the giant coconut crab and spiny lobsters, if you want them then be ready for the night shift fishing.

CLAY FISH COOKING ADD ON:

Coating the fish with clay and grass and lay them on coals. Diners; break off the hard shell 1/2 hour later and find that the fish has lost none of its natural juice.

GIANT CLAMS OF THE PACIFIC:

#Hypopus clams# are found on reef, you remove the content, the large abductor muscle which has a plant like taste and make it boil in their own shells which you use as a shell for plate.

FISHING TIP #? :

Place your gill net at the bottle neck of lake or stream, creeks for better fishing. Also you can do the chilly art of stirring the mud of beaver ponds with your feet and with bare hand, catch trout as they are blinded by the muddy water.

FISH PRESERVING:

NEVER, NEVER put fish and meat in direct contact for preservation.

Because the fish will come full of worms and meat will spoil. Once the fish are cleaned, wash them and place them on fern leaves freshly cut, put fern inside as well and under the fish, and place the whole thing in a shadow place in a storage box.

SMOKING TROUT INDIAN STYLE 1930:

They would use a big flower barrel, covered by a makeshift strainer or by a bag and a series of stick.

The trout were hanged by the tail well cleaned off, and maintained open using fine little sticks stuck in the skin inside the abdomen. The head was kept on.

They would choose trout about 6 to 8" as the best. (15-20cm). First they would soak them in a light brine for one night. They would use rotten wood stump (Birch) for the smoke.

They would install a stove pipe of 7"(18cm) wide in the moss and 4 to 6m long (15-20') along a slope up trench to the barrel. They would light the fire at the bottom entry of the pipe.

The #inclinaison# was sufficient to drive the smoke upward, they say that it is important for them that the smoke be cool when reaching the smoking barrel.

A good Northwest wind was the best to dry the fish and smoke them faster.

They would need 2 days to do the job but 6 days would give a better result. These trout would keep up to a month after which they loose their taste.

FROZEN FISH & FROZEN MEAT:

As soon as you have caught the fishes, then gut them out and, let them freeze on the ice so that it keeps its freshness. Now you have food for a long time and the best way to eat it is Raw and frozen, it tastes Deliciousss!

With the frozen fish that you eat you will not notice the warmth right away as if you had eaten hot rice but after 20 minutes then you will feel its warmth and it will last for several hours.

As for the frozen and Raw meat beside having its top in vitamin values you also can eat enormous quantities when frozen.

As for the meat that has spoiled this taste is acquired with time this wouldn't apply in hot climate as in the arctic regions.

CARIBBEAN ISLAND SEA FOOD: MULLET, QUEEN CONCHS, COQUINA: photo needed in south sea food

Through the wet sea sand just run your fingers & you will dredge up a dozen tiny rainbow coloured shells #Coquina# their broth is excellent.

So are the clumps of mussels clinging to tidal rocks & you will find schools of Mullet moving which you can fish by grenade, nets, concussion method or spearing.

#Queen CONCHS#:

Are no doubts browsing around at the edge of the shallows but for Mullet One needs a net for they move quickly but without one you can build a fish pound which will keep them.

Hitting the sea close to them with a plank on its wide side will create a stunning effect which helps in fishing at day or night using a torch to attract them. So all those with some spices garlic, herbs and sea weed for salt will make a nice Bouillabaisse.

DRYING FISH: t

Preserve fish as biltong. Cut off heads and tails and gut. Split open. Remove back bone and lay on hot sun-baked rocks. Score inner flesh to speed up drying. Small fish under 7.5cm (3in) long need not to be gutted.

Fish can also be smoked. They should be opened out, but it will be easier to hang if cleaned and gutted without removing the backbone, head or tail. Suspend by one side of the head.

DRIED FISH:

Fish can sun-dry as meat yet it's ESSENTIAL to dry them quickly and if the day is not hot and dry then smoke them thoroughly over the fire. If you can.

If the flesh is flaky & can not be cut into strips, heat flat smooth stones and lay the slices of flesh on these and place in the sun to dry out completely. Turn the slices frequently.

Fish meat is easily powered into Fish Pemmican and can be cooked either by making into fish cakes or by soaking if in strips and then fried in batter.

SMOKING FISH: HUMMM!

By keeping the fish strips in the smoke continuously until they are completely dry you have smoke fish and Very Good too.

The best smoke for this is a thin blue smoke & definitely not a heavy white smoke.

Same warnings about NEVER use green leaves or evergreen.

FISH:

Usually germ-free if caught in fresh water (Note that it only applies if away from cities or human habitat due to excessive pollution of these days.)

Fish take little cooking and are best stewed or wrapped in leaves (or tin foil) and placed in hot embers.

Chickweed and Butterbur are good for this: AVOID toxic leaves.

TURTLES: t

Boil turtles and tortoises until the shell come off. Cut up the meat & cook until tender.

SHARK MEAT:

Has a bad taste unless correctly cooked. Cut into small cubes and soak overnight in fresh water. Boil in several changes of water to get rid of the ammonia flavour.

SHELLFISH: (Not selfish!)

Crabs, lobsters, & shrimps, crayfish, prawns & so forth are safer boiled since they may contain harmful organisms.

ALL SEAFOOD SPOILS QUICKLY & MUST BE COOKED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN HOT CLIMATES. Drop into boiling salted water for 10 minutes.

If you are sure the food is fresh, a clambake is delicious way to prepare mussels, clams and similar creatures. Dig a hole in the sand and light a fire along side with stones on top.

When the stones are hot place them in the hole, put shells on top and cover with wet seaweed or grass, then a 10cm (4in) layer of sand. The hole will develop a lot of steam which cooks the mollusc.

STEAMING:

IT DOES NOT OVERCOOK SO IT PRESERVES ALL NUTRITIONAL VALUES. (ESSENTIAL in Survival)

It is an excellent way of cooking fish and green vegetables.

OTHER DANGERS FROM THE TROPICS: Animals (Tarzan or Jane?) IN TROPIC.

PIRANHA:

These little fishes live in Amazon & its connected water ways. The black Piranha the biggest one can attain up to 46cm in length. They are attracted by the least amount of blood. These carnivorous fishes are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

To be safe act as if all the water ways of South America were infested with them, even when you know that they prefer clear and moving waters to muddy waters.

If you MUST cross a river full of these not so very nice fishes, throw first the bleeding carcass of an animal then cross at a good distance UPSTREAM. (OOPS's!)

ELECTRICAL EELS:

These fishes in cylindrical form (tube) long & flat live in almost all tropical waters, yet most abundant in South American rivers. You see them along water shores and #haut-fonds#.

Most of them are peaceful and lazy, yet the biggest one can give an electrical shock capable to throw off a horse. Can measure up to 2.5m in length & 45cm in thickness. (Watt a cable Clarck?)

CROCODILES & ALLIGATORS:

These reptiles live in regions very far from one another. Alligators are found to the South of USA & in China, along the Yangtze river, while crocodiles are numerous in African and Madagascar swamps.

The American crocodile lives on the coastal shores of Mexico, Occidental Indies, Central America, Columbia, Venezuela yet they generally AVOID humans.

Although having a reputation to be more treacherous and vicious than the alligator they are usually inoffensive when left alone.

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