Ikejime

Basics

• A Method of Fish Slaughter that Improves Flavor of the Harvested Meat, and in theory reduces pain/suffering to the fish
• Involves

1. Pithing (Destruction of the Hindbrain behind the eye, and the Spinal Cord) Immediately after Capture
2. Rapid Exsanguination
3. Rapid Cooling

• This prevents pain/struggle (which could increase cortisol, and in the case of fish, due to the lack of oxygen they will undergo Anaerobic Respiration and produce foul tasting lactic acid etc)
• Not necessary, but arguably a better process, and can also be used for marketing (Re Hipster Money etc)
• It also may extend Shelf Life and allows for something akin to Dry Aging of Beef

Tools

• Brain Spike
• Pith
• Fishing Knife

Sourcing

• Amazon Search (Seems to be ~20-60 USD for a kit)

Internal Links

• Electrostunning of Fish
  • Cold Resistance of Fish is an issue, but i was also curious about the effect of rapid cooling of the water (reduced oxygen + slowed processes?)

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Ikejime
• A Video by "Vox" Titled "The right way to kill a fish - The most popular way to kill fish isn’t great for the fish — or our taste buds. " ( ~9 Minute Watch )
• [https://youtu.be/5-6laIbvFn0 A Video by "AFTCO | American Fishing Tackle Company" Titled "How to Ike Jime A Fish" (~7 Minute Watch)