08-29-2013, 08:08 PM
It's funny you ask that. I think it does, at least with catfish specifically. If you google the big pee dee river in SC, you see it's a dirty muddy body of water. Lots of clay and mud. They do as much scavenging as live prey hunting. The meat isn't great, and it historically has a darker tint to it.
Now, google Winyah Bay in Georgetown, SC. The main bridges there are centralized in brackish water, and the blue cats in that area have adapted. The water is always fresh and clear being tidal, and their diet consists almost exclusively of fresh shrimp or live fish. The color of the cats is a bright baby blue, and the flesh is clean and bright white. Even the larger catfish out of the bay are delicious to eat.
This is all based off of personal experience over a series of years. So it's factual that the water quality and diet preferences of the target species impact how good of table fare they are. Is that the case for all fish? I can't answer that. For catfish it most certainly is.
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Now, google Winyah Bay in Georgetown, SC. The main bridges there are centralized in brackish water, and the blue cats in that area have adapted. The water is always fresh and clear being tidal, and their diet consists almost exclusively of fresh shrimp or live fish. The color of the cats is a bright baby blue, and the flesh is clean and bright white. Even the larger catfish out of the bay are delicious to eat.
This is all based off of personal experience over a series of years. So it's factual that the water quality and diet preferences of the target species impact how good of table fare they are. Is that the case for all fish? I can't answer that. For catfish it most certainly is.
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