Seashore survival food

Seashore plants will differ according to the climate, but they will be available when weather or tide prevent you gathering food from the sea. In the water, you will find seaweed's (more correctly called algae) are very valuable as food. In many parts of the world they form a major part of the diet and many are considered a delicacy from the cuisine of Japan to the laver bread of Wales. Seaweed's can be dried and stored for months.

Warning! Do not eat the blue-green algae sometimes found on fresh water pools. It is very poisonous.

Seafood

The best hunting for fish and molluscs will be at low tide, when rock pools can be inspected and buried molluscs and other creatures dug from sandy shores. Bivalves, which feed by filtering water through their digestive systems, can build up a dangerous concentrations of toxic chemicals in areas polluted by industry or sewage.

In tropical zones mussels are poisonous during the summer, especially when seas are reddish or highly phosphorescent. In he arctic, black mussels can be poisonous at any time of the year. Learn to recognize the cone shells, which shoot out a poisonous barb, in a few species potent enough to kill you. There are more than 400 types of cone shell, mainly found in the tropical Indo-Pacific with about 12 species off the south east of usa and in the Caribbean. They are all identified by there shape. Tenebra or auger and turrid shells also have poison darts. There venom is not dangerous to man , but a sting could still be painful. Only eat molluscs collected live. Bivalves such as oysters, clams and mussels, should close tightly if tapped gently.

Gastropods, such as winkles and whelks, have a "trap door" (the operculum) to close the entrance to the shell. It should close tightly if the shell is shaken. Other gastropods, such as limpets and abalone's, have no operculum but are tightly anchored to the rocks. Use a knife under the edge of the shell to prise them off. If they are hard to dislodge, they are good to eat . If they come off easily, they are probably dead or sick.

After high tide any limpet found still fastened is good food- the tide washes away sick or dead specimens. Cook shell foods by plunging them into boiling water and boiling for at least five minutes. If you eat shell foods raw you expose yourself to parasites and pollutants which they may carry.

 

Fishing

Fish and sea snakes require more effort than shellfish. Some fish are dangerous and all sea snakes are venomous. Distinguish snakes from eels by there scales and their broad flattened tails. They are said not to bite swimmers. Bites usually occur, and then only rarely, when fishermen are removing fish from nets in which the snakes are also caught.

On most coasts the best time to fish from the shore is about two hours after high water. If you fish when the tide is still coming in you are constantly retreating and probably getting wet. Remember that salt water will rot boots and clothing. Sea fishing requires a larger hook than fresh water fishing. A wide variety of bait can be used. Limpets, for instance, can often be found clinging to the rocks, or ludworms (Arenicola) can be dug up on sandy and muddy beaches. At low tide look for the coiled worm casts that show you where their L-shaped burrows are.

Make use of the tide to help you catch fish by building large arrow-shaped fish traps from stakes or rocks. Point them away from the shore. Fish will be caught when the tide recedes.

Octopus and squid

Octopus can be hunted at night, when they are in search of their own prey. Attract them with a light, then spear them. In daytime empty shells around a hole are an indication that an octopus may live inside. Drop in a baited hook, wait until it is taken and pull sharply up. The best way to kill an octopus is to turn it inside out: place a hand inside the fleshy hood, grab the innards and pull hard. Try it on a small octopus first! It takes practice so until you are proficient stab the octopus between the eyes or bang it against a rock. All octopuses have a hard, parrot-like beak, and a few can give a poisonous bite. The worst is the Blue-ringed octopus of eastern Australia- its venom can be lethal. AVOID IT!

Octopus flesh is tough and chewy and very nourishing. Pounding it will help make it more tender. Boil the body and roast the smaller tentacles. In the open sea squid can be huge, but a few small squid may occur inshore. Look for them in rock pools attached to seaweed. Catch them at night with a bright light, by jigging. Cuttlefish do not come close inshore but can be caught at sea in the same way.

Fish are a valuable food source, containing protein, vitamins and fats. All fresh water fish are edible but some tropical ones can be dangerous : keep clear of electric eels, freshwater stingrays and the piranha of south American rivers.