# What is this thing I found in a can of salmon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523 "2012-03-02T05:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Theobroma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Theobroma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theobroma)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/1 "2012-03-02T05:17:05Z")
Link: [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://imgur.com/mNr9t) Found this in a normal can of salmon and it put me off canned salmon for life. It was around an inch and a quarter, maybe an inch and a half across. Is it a parasite? Fish part? No idea. I’ve never seen anything like it. Also showed this picture around work. Everyone was stumped. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/2 "2012-03-02T05:36:50Z")
It looks like worms, honestly, but I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m never eating fish, ever again. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/3 "2012-03-02T06:03:58Z")
It could have been anything inside the fish, anything that came in with the fish, and anything that fell in with the fish or the giant machine that cut the fish up and shoved it in cans to be cooked. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/4 "2012-03-02T06:57:40Z")
Fish, probably. ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/5 "2012-03-02T07:20:50Z")
It’s the salmon’s stomach, I catch a lot of trout and it’s usually like a tube however some fish its exactly like in your photo. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/6 "2012-03-02T08:03:06Z")
Don’t worry, it’s part of the fish. It’s the pyloric caeca. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/7 "2012-03-02T09:17:14Z")
[Pic of Atlantic salmon pyloric caeca in situ](http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6793/9/3/figure/F1?highres=y). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/8 "2012-03-02T10:34:33Z")
That is really, really disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Xandroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/91b2a8/32.png) [@Xandroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xandroid)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/9 "2012-03-02T10:41:24Z")
Don’t leave us in suspense–how did it taste? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/10 "2012-03-02T11:04:02Z")
This reminds me of the thread where someone had found a growth in a bell pepper, like [this one](http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/31/my-bell-pepper-is-pregnant-with-an-alien//). Panic and cries of “Gross!” ensued. You people are sissies. You pay more for "perfect"veggies and other food that has been carefully prepared so it looks factory made, instead of coming from a living thing. Oh, well, more for me. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/11 "2012-03-02T11:09:27Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > This reminds me of the thread where someone had found a growth in a bell pepper, like [this one](http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/31/my-bell-pepper-is-pregnant-with-an-alien//). Panic and cries of “Gross!” ensued. > > You people are sissies. You pay more for "perfect"veggies and other food that has been carefully prepared so it looks factory made, instead of coming from a living thing. Oh, well, more for me. Cannot see scary vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/12 "2012-03-02T11:16:31Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Cannot see scary vegetable. [Scary vegetable](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2007/03/mutant_bell_pepper.jpg). These things are incredibly common. The wormy-looking tendrils in the salmon, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/13 "2012-03-02T16:29:40Z")
I eat the scary vegetable organ when I find it. I gain it’s strength and mutant ability. Bwahahaahahaha ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/14 "2012-03-02T17:30:35Z")
Anyone remember the ‘eyeball in salad’ thing? (turned out to be an inside-out blueberry skin) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/15 "2012-03-02T17:39:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Anyone remember the ‘eyeball in salad’ thing? (turned out to be an inside-out blueberry skin) Yeah, and I don’t think she’s been back since! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/16 "2012-03-02T19:16:41Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > This reminds me of the thread where someone had found a growth in a bell pepper, like [this one](http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/31/my-bell-pepper-is-pregnant-with-an-alien//). Panic and cries of “Gross!” ensued. > > You people are sissies. You pay more for "perfect"veggies and other food that has been carefully prepared so it looks factory made, instead of coming from a living thing. Oh, well, more for me. So you’d eat the unidentified wormy thing in the can of fish? 'Cause, I’ll eat the sad pepper abortion but there’s no way I’m eating that other thing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/17 "2012-03-02T19:20:29Z")
I’d eat it. Hell, I probably wouldn’t even notice it. No big deal. (For some reason I just thought of Bill Murray in Caddy Shack eating the _Oh Henry_ from the swimming pool!) ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/18 "2012-03-02T19:22:25Z")
Fish innards. Good eats. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/19 "2012-03-02T19:23:47Z")
You people are eating the little baby peppers, ripping them from the big red pepper womb? If Rick Santorum finds out about this, you will be in big big trouble, you baby pepper murderers! I always inspect the contents of a can of salmon very carefully, taking great pains to remove bones and icky black skin. That stomach-y thing would give me pause, as would finding an eyeball in a can. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523/20 "2012-03-02T21:09:43Z")
Canned salmon is way too over priced to have anything close to resembling that in it. BLECH! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-i-found-in-a-can-of-salmon/614523.md?page=2)