After writing last week about worms that you might find digging in the mud, I got an interesting question about worms that you might find in your fish. Not to worry — these are not the same type of sometimes-lengthy worms but are instead tiny parasitic worms that are often so small that you can’t even see them. But when you do see them in a lovely local, fresh fish filet, it can be a bit disconcerting. Here is a bit more information about what they are and why they do not pose a problem for the hungry human.

There are several species of parasitic worms commonly found in fish. These worms need a host to live on and to reproduce. One of the most common is a small round worm known as a “seal worm.” The name “seal worm” is an obvious clue as to one of its hosts. Since we don’t eat a lot of seal meat in this country, we aren’t worried about the worms in seals. But another name for these worms is “cod worms”. Cod are just one of the many marine fish species, along with striper, flounder and halibut, that frequently host these worms and are also species that many Mainers and visitors to Maine enjoy consuming. The worms are usually white and less than an inch, making them hard to see, but can sometimes be darker colored so that they stand out more easily. If you’re paying for fresh seafood either at a fish counter or a restaurant, seeing one of these worms is understandably off-putting.

While they may look icky, two common processes result in killing these worms so that they will not make you sick. The first is simply cooking it. While it depends a bit on the species and the thickness of the filet, it can take as little as a minute at 140 degrees to kill any parasites. The second process is freezing. This can be done for fish destined for sushi to ensure that the worms don’t cause a problem if the fish isn’t going to be cooked.

Even if you are freezing or cooking your fish, you might still feel inclined to remove the worms. The best way to do this is with plenty of light. Some seafood mongers use light tables to shine bright light on the fish. But at home, you can easily do this with a pie plate and a flashlight. Then, you can simply use a pair of tweezers to pluck them out.

The gist of things is that, as a colleague recently pointed out, “You have worms in your garden. And worms in the water.” These are wild fish that live in a complex ecosystem full of all kinds of life. Each species depends on another in some way or another. If you think of these worms as part of that ecosystem, they aren’t so scary. They’re simply a reminder that we are fortunate to be able to eat fresh seafood — one of the few local foods that is truly wild harvested.

Susan Olcott is the director of strategic partnerships at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.