Etiquette regarding disposal of fish guts
 

Last year we rented our cottage to fishermen. At the end of the week I had a lovely surprise upon opening the door of the shed where we ask tenants to put their bags of trash.

My sons were advocating keeping the security deposit after dealing with the stinky trash and scrubbing the shed floor with bleach. It certainly was unpleasant, but because we have no set policy regarding this, I returned the deposit to the renters as specified in our initial contract.

What is the best way to deal with the waste after you catch a fish and filet it? I need to specify this in our informational booklet that is in the rental cottage. Thanks in advance for any help.

Burn it (if cooking over an open fire) or return it into the ECO system (the water) for other wildlife to process.

Animal carcasses smell horrible if bagged raw. One other method that reduces the smell is to boil the remains before throwing them away. Works well for trimmings as well.

There is also the tried and true method of just tossing it into the neighbors yard or a trash bin at the boat launch to force the issue to be dealt with by someone else!:look::rolleye2:

Vinegar is a more eco-friendly deodorizer.

Yes. They fished throughout the week and by Saturday the shed smelled a bit ripe. Someone else mentioned returning the guts to the lake, but I'm concerned that they would toss them into the water from our beach. Very yucchy.

I guess I'll specify that they have to go back out in the boat and throw the remains somewhere more appropriate than off our dock.

Thank you.

Provide them with
 

a good disposal method.

Fisherman will abide by it if you provide it. Don't make them go out of their way. They are your customers..

Try this:

Small metal trash can with lid. Double line it with trash bags. To be used for fish remains only. Mark it as such. Then once a week the bags are removed and disposed of. If needed the metal can can be washed with some soap and water from the hose, dried and new bags put in.

This is what we do at our house when we are fishing.

ToW

Renter's Trash
 

I put in my rental contracts that they must make mandatory dump and recycling runs during the week, facility tickets are provided. Minimal trash must remain upon leaving. If they have a problem with this, they shouldn't rent. It makes life for the cleaning company a little easier.

we imply just told renters where the dumpster for the property was and upon leaving please make sure their trash is thrown in it.

I would suspect if you said to through trash somewhere else they would have. They did technically put the trash were you told them. I am sure they were not thinking that it would sit there for a while after they left.
in fact if I did not think about it I probably would have done the same thing if I did not think to dispose of them back into the lake

It didn't sit for a while after they left. Renters check out at 10 and the trash pick-up is shortly after that. The fish remains were left sitting in trash bags in a closed shed through the week. Upon check-in they were told that the trash would be picked up on the following Saturday.

Yes, they did put the trash where it was supposed to go. We will now handle fishermen/women renters' trash differently. The metal barrel is a good suggestion.

We were all caught off-guard by these folks' handling of the situation.

its crazy some of the things that get encountered that only come to you while renting I know we ran into a few
good luck, I am sure it will work

If you decide to give my trash can method a try, be sure to get a galvanized can with a lid. If you can't find one at a hardware store try a feed store or maybe Tractor Supply.

A small 10 - 15 gallon can is best. When you put the trash bags in fold them over the top edge so that the lid seals it when put on.

ToW

Back into the Lake
 

I was brought up on a small pond in southern New Hampshire. My dad and all my uncles fished all the time. The guts always were dumped back into the lake. "Food for the turtles and fish" is what I was told.

Do you mean to tell me that fishermen don't do this anymore? I have to say that I only take fish home one or twice a year the rest of the time it's catch and release. Whenever I do take them home, I clean them on the boat and guess what I do with the guts?

Back into the lake or fertilizer for the garden.
 

Our ancestors and Indians been doing this for eons. Frigging govt. now have regulations for this? Jeez!

No more fish waste...
 

This is a great way to dispose of fish guts!

Add ice and you've got a refreshing summer drink.

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You Owe
 

me a new keyboard. I was drinking a coffee when I hit the play button!!


ToW

You must be younger than me! I didn't have to hit "play." I saw this one live back in the day. :D

(If you enjoyed the "Bass-o-matic" you should google "dan ackroyd/Julia child." "Save the livers!" ; )

Where did somebody post something about the government? LOL..I was asking how to handle this with folks who rent my cottage...wasn't thrilled about week-old fish guts in our household trash.

There were some good suggestions posted, and I say "thank you!"

Don't know about that age thing. I'm going on 67 in a month.:) Because of that I may have forgotten the video :eek:

ToW

Well, this old school SNL skit is the kind of thing I remember. It's when I go from one room to another and forget what I needed or why I'm in the new room that seems to be more of a problem at 57! ;)

Catch And Release Works...
 

If I remember correctly...

Fish guts makes great fertilizer! Bury it in your garden.:)