Need help making fish emulsion

bonefish · May 12, 2011

I've got a place on Lake Livingston (90 miles north of Houston) and the shad are coming to the bulkheads to lay eggs and it's possible to use a cast net and fill up 5 gallon buckets of them in one morning. Does anyone know how to make a fish emulsion using the shad? We've been putting them in gallon zip lock bags and will use them for chum this summer offshore but if I knew what to do I would like to try and make some fish fertilizer.

organichris · May 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonefish

I've got a place on Lake Livingston (90 miles north of Houston) and the shad are coming to the bulkheads to lay eggs and it's possible to use a cast net and fill up 5 gallon buckets of them in one morning. Does anyone know how to make a fish emulsion using the shad? We've been putting them in gallon zip lock bags and will use them for chum this summer offshore but if I knew what to do I would like to try and make some fish fertilizer.

Good question. I don't know really, but I'd probably blend the fish up in some water, strain it, and then use the scraps as a soil amendment.

Stepheninky · May 12, 2011

Not really sure if the time effort and stink would be of any greater benefit to you then just rigging something up so that you could irrigate with the lake water. The lake water itself would make a great fertilizer as it contains fish poop and is already ready to go. You might have to check and see if there are any regulations that would prevent you from pumping the lake water into your garden.

bonefish · May 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stepheninky

Not really sure if the time effort and stink would be of any greater benefit to you then just rigging something up so that you could irrigate with the lake water. The lake water itself would make a great fertilizer as it contains fish poop and is already ready to go. You might have to check and see if there are any regulations that would prevent you from pumping the lake water into your garden.

Only problem is that the tomatoes are on my patio in Houston and the lake is 90 miles north. I do have fruit trees, blueberries, blackberries and grapes at the lake and I can get a permit for $50/yr to pump out of the lake. I may look into that.

waterman1971 · May 12, 2011

Hey bonefish, If I may, I would like to add a little something to this thread.

I worked at a marina on Toledo bend for about three years during the late 90's.

A local guy by the name of Paul Hinton would come by and get all our fish heads from the fish cleaning station during the spring.

I wish I knew his processing methods, but what I do know is he had HUGE plants with fruits that were very impressive.

I hope y'all are able to utilize the fish for fertilizer.

Sorry for hijacking your thread.

kevinrs · May 12, 2011

fish emulsion is made from the waste products processing fish. basically fish minus meat, maybe minus fat as well, depending on the source. You could always just put the fish in your compost pile for many of the benefits. Some people put fish guts, heads, bones etc in the bottom of the hole when they plant a plant.

lowlylowlycook · May 12, 2011

We had the shad up against the shore on our little lake just the other day. I wonder how it is timed given that the spawn happened at around the same time in Texas and Illinois?

Anyway, I hope my tomatoes were able to suck up some of what the shad were spraying.

Come to think of it they are looking pretty healthy...

Here are some before and after photos about a week apart.

bonefish · May 12, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowlylowlycook

We had the shad up against the shore on our little lake just the other day. I wonder how it is timed given that the spawn happened at around the same time in Texas and Illinois?

Anyway, I hope my tomatoes were able to suck up some of what the shad were spraying.

Come to think of it they are looking pretty healthy...

Here are some before and after photos about a week apart.

We've had shad coming in for about 6 weeks now. They only come at night until about 2 hr after sunup. The catfish follow them in and we've caught up to 40 catfish per morning. Thats a hoot. Your lakeainer looks great. I'd try that if we didn't have 15+ mph winds and 3 ft seas.

desertlzbn · May 13, 2011

My dad just buried his fish leftovers in the garden under the plants. Seeing as I live in the desert, I don't fish much. (there are places to fish, but I just don't). His plants LOVED it. Huge plants all summer long.

stormymater · May 14, 2011

My Dad & I used to scoop shad out of the Potomac under the cherry blossoms at night. We would pack the roe on ice & Bury the males & the bodies of the females in the garden. Had the best garden in NW DC... other than our neighbors in their 90s we had the ONLY vegetable garden in the neighborhood (before gardening was cool & after the Victory garden push).

I still bury fish viscera in the garden if I can't take it to the pigs (Mr. July & Mr. October) in the country an hour away.

May 12, 2011	#1
bonefish Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Houston tx Posts: 11	Need help making fish emulsion I've got a place on Lake Livingston (90 miles north of Houston) and the shad are coming to the bulkheads to lay eggs and it's possible to use a cast net and fill up 5 gallon buckets of them in one morning. Does anyone know how to make a fish emulsion using the shad? We've been putting them in gallon zip lock bags and will use them for chum this summer offshore but if I knew what to do I would like to try and make some fish fertilizer.

May 12, 2011	#3
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	Not really sure if the time effort and stink would be of any greater benefit to you then just rigging something up so that you could irrigate with the lake water. The lake water itself would make a great fertilizer as it contains fish poop and is already ready to go. You might have to check and see if there are any regulations that would prevent you from pumping the lake water into your garden. __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com

May 12, 2011	#5
waterman1971 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: The great state of Texas Posts: 43	Hey bonefish, If I may, I would like to add a little something to this thread. I worked at a marina on Toledo bend for about three years during the late 90's. A local guy by the name of Paul Hinton would come by and get all our fish heads from the fish cleaning station during the spring. I wish I knew his processing methods, but what I do know is he had HUGE plants with fruits that were very impressive. I hope y'all are able to utilize the fish for fertilizer. Sorry for hijacking your thread.

May 12, 2011	#6
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	fish emulsion is made from the waste products processing fish. basically fish minus meat, maybe minus fat as well, depending on the source. You could always just put the fish in your compost pile for many of the benefits. Some people put fish guts, heads, bones etc in the bottom of the hole when they plant a plant.

May 12, 2011	#7
lowlylowlycook Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: So. Illinois (6a) Posts: 147	We had the shad up against the shore on our little lake just the other day. I wonder how it is timed given that the spawn happened at around the same time in Texas and Illinois? Anyway, I hope my tomatoes were able to suck up some of what the shad were spraying. Come to think of it they are looking pretty healthy... Here are some before and after photos about a week apart.

May 13, 2011	#9
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	My dad just buried his fish leftovers in the garden under the plants. Seeing as I live in the desert, I don't fish much. (there are places to fish, but I just don't). His plants LOVED it. Huge plants all summer long.

May 14, 2011	#10
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	My Dad & I used to scoop shad out of the Potomac under the cherry blossoms at night. We would pack the roe on ice & Bury the males & the bodies of the females in the garden. Had the best garden in NW DC... other than our neighbors in their 90s we had the ONLY vegetable garden in the neighborhood (before gardening was cool & after the Victory garden push). I still bury fish viscera in the garden if I can't take it to the pigs (Mr. July & Mr. October) in the country an hour away.