Sunday, January 15, 2006

Mucous Sample Procedure

Blue walleye, and regular walleye from the same lake, will have blue colored protein in the mucous of their skin.

1) Gently remove the thin layer of blue mucous ("blue slime") from the dorsal side of the fish, moving your knife from anterior to posterior, or head to tail. Be careful not to remove the scales from the specimen.

2) Deposit the blue slime into a small bottle filled partially with water. Be sure to keep the contents of the bottle cool in temperature.

3) Send your sample to the following address:

Dr. Wayne Schaefer
University of Wisconsin - Washington County
400 University Drive
West Bend, WI 53095

View Instructional Video
(101 MB, 2 minutes)