[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Oolie

It's an Ike jime 池締め needle, and shinkei nuki　神経抜き wire combo. I use the same set for anything from corvinas to yellows.


The needle is used to dispatch the fish, you can pierce the brain either from the front (upper lip), the top (forehead aiming for lateral line), or from the side, coming from the lateral line and aiming for the eyes. Closing the fish with the needle should be done before bleeding, as soon as the fish is landed.


The wire is for breaking up the nervous tissue in the spine, you can enter from the hole you made in the front if you went through the upper lip, if you do, the needle is used as a "coring tool" and will have a piece of bone that needs to be removed before it can be used as a guide. You could enter through the nasal duct, or you can enter tailside, if you cut the tail off you use the top hole (easiest for a beginner).


Shinkei Nuki in particular can be pretty graphic, and is hard to get used to if you have trouble convincing yourself the fish was already dispatched when you used the needle and that the movements are all involuntary.


The wire should be used after dispatch, but before bleeding.


After you pass the wire down the spine a couple times and the fish no longer twitches, you can bleed the fish.


Doing all of this will allow you to keep a raw fish shelf stable for days-weeks potentially, depending on post dispatch handling.


Don't allow contact with fresh water (ice or condensation) lest bacteria grow, and don't let the fish get too warm or too cool. Aim for 2-5*C.


Doing all of this and you can age the fish meat to allow for premium quality, and your sashimi can reach its full potential.


Lumica sales reps are really friendly, if you send me pictures of your catch that has benefited from the use of their product, I can forward them.

Thanks for explaining. What is the reasoning for doing this prior to bleeding as opposed to at the at the same time? Is there a best brand of these tools? And where is the best place to buy them?

The tuna I dispatch by wacking over the head tend to have transparent meat, while others will have a solid semi cooked appearance with a metallic sheen. It can make a huge difference in the quality. I would like to try these tools.