Euthanasia

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Cerbios

Feeder Fish
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Feb 11, 2008
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Wrote this up because I thought I didn't see anything like it on this site, and I thought it might be useful.

Guide to the euthanizing of fish

Why did I write this? Because I am fisherman and a fish-keeper and there are times in both those hobbies when the hobbyist needs to put a fish down: examples include a pet fish suffering from an incurable injury, or the discovery of an invasive species while fishing. Wandering the creeks of Indiana I have seen far too many fish laid on the beach as a means of execution by other fisherman. If we take it upon ourselves to be the executioner of an animal, then it is our responsibility to use as quick and painless a method as possible. To this end I decided to write this up utilizing personal experience, and researching both this site and others. Please add any other information you may have and or think that I missed, I'm sure there's plenty, and we can build a comprehensive guide on an unpleasant but necessary subject within out hobby.

Using chemicals to put your fish to sleep Just as a doctor might put you under before performing surgery a fish could be put to sleep in preparation for euthanizing procedure, or with some chemicals overdosed and killed painlessly by the chemical itself.

Tricaine: Often used for transporting fish. Once your fish is asleep he be easily euthanized by any standard means, or the Tricaine could be used in an overdose and will simply kill the animal in one step.

Here is an informative website regarding the chemical, and which also shows dosage charts. I’m sure other sites could also be found. I will not list dosages myself for liability reasons.
http://www.wchemical.com/TRICAINE-S-MS-222-P43C7.aspx

Clove oil: A little more old fashion, and not quite as scientific. I can’t find any dosage charts on this stuff so I would suggest its use ONLY for putting fish down. It has a variety of medical uses and is sold in pharmacies. One drop of it mixed with a small amount of water and then mixed until the water has turned milky white is supposed to be enough to put a fish to sleep. I do not know for certain whether an overdose would kill the fish and what that dosage would be. My guess is an overdose would be fatal. Note that clove oil is toxic to humans in all but the smallest quantities.


Advantages of chemicals
1. Like prepping a human being for surgery, using chemicals to put your fish to sleep is probably the most effective means of guaranteeing it gets a painless death.

Disadvantages of chemicals
1. This is not a safe means of killing a fish you intend to eat, as you would be ingesting these obviously powerful chemicals second hand.
2. Not of much use in the field for say putting down an invasive species you caught while fishing unless you routinely carry around vials of poison. (Have fun explaining that to the police/game warden)
3. Only chemicals proven to the hobby should be used for this. Just because something under your sink will kill your fish doesn’t mean that death will be painless, or anywhere close to it. When using any chemical on a living animal even with the goal of killing it, you should do your own research first.



Direct means of euthanizing a fish

Brain trauma: There are obviously many ways of doing this. I believe the most efficient and thus quickest way is with an ice-pick and a hammer or other pounding tool. If at all possible the fish should be put to sleep before doing this. The ice pick should be placed behind and slightly above the fish’s eye. The pounding tool is then used to quickly propel the pick into the fish’s brain. If you have struck properly the animal should twitch slightly asleep or not. Some people are put off by this methods apparent violence, but I assure you done properly it will kill the animal almost instantly and is much less painful then flushing it down the toilet or allowing it to suffocate on land. Another entry point for the Ice pick is in the direct middle of the top of the fish’s head, again lined up with the eyes.
A commonly suggested means of causing fatal brain trauma in the old days of the fish keeping hobby was to put the fish in a bag or wrap them in a cloth and strike them hard against a solid surface. I WOULD NOT suggest this method. It is really effective only in small fish and even then is prone to failure. Failure in this case meaning the animal will suffer.

Advantages of causing fatal brain trauma

  • Done properly it is quick and guaranteed.
  • The tools necessary can easily be added to fishing tackle in case of need. It is properly the most effective means of dispatching a fish useable in the field.
  • The fish can be killed this way and still consumed.


Disadvantage of causing fatal brain trauma
1. To kill the fish instantly the brain must be struck and this requires precision. Fish have small brains and the best strike point may vary depending on the fish’s structure.
2. It requires violence which pet owners may find difficulty inflicting.


Severing the spinal column It is relatively simple and self explanatory method. The spine should be severed as close to the skull as possible. The knife used should be as sharp as possible. Position the tip high on the fish to avoid having it impeded by other bones during the cut. Then, apply quick and hard pressure. Using a pounding tool to strike the back of the knife makes the method easier and faster. Note that the fish may twitch after this process is completed which can look disturbing but the movement is only being caused by the nervous system shutting down. From its own perspective the fish is dead.

Advantages of severing the spinal column

  • Relatively fast, better then suffocation.
  • Requires less precision then ice pick method.
  • A knife being a necessary tool when fishing, a fisherman has no excuse for using any more painful way of euthanizing a catch then this.

Disadvantages of severing the spinal column
1.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Not as fast as the ice pick method above.
2.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]May require a certain amount of hand strength in larger fish.
3.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Bloody, unpleasant for pet owners.


Possible methods of which I am personally uncertain

Electricity because of the conductivity of water, electricity would be a very quick and effective way to euthanize a fish. I list it as uncertain because I cannot tell you the voltages needed to kill a fish, which in larger fish may quite high, and because I cannot give a means of delivering the voltage to the water without danger to you and or your property. Please don’t drop a hairdryer in a bucket to kill your fish! It’s a bad idea trust me.

Alcohol Supposedly a strong spirit such as whiskey or vodka applied directly to the fish’s mouth will cause near immediate heart failure. I list this as uncertain because I have never personally tried this, seen this, or heard any direct accounts of this working. I see it as quite possible since alcohols its potency as a depressant would be more effective the smaller the organism, and whiskey spills are fatal to fish. I can all but guarantee that this would kill your fish, But I cannot personally verify how fast it would work.

Boiling Death should be almost instant, or so lobster lovers claim. I list it as uncertain because if this method took even a few seconds to kill the fish, those seconds would have to very painful.


Means I do not approve of for killing fish

Bleeding If you need to euthanize a fish and you have a knife you should sever its spinal column. If you insist on using the method for whatever reason the knife should be inserted through the gill plates and then the fish should be placed in the water where it will bleed out within several minutes.

Suffocation This is a horrible way to die. It is long and painful. I believe most people who use this method use it because it requires little action on their part. In my opinion: You’ve decided this animal must die, and there are times when this is necessary, but you are still responsible for that decision. It is your responsibility to make the process as painless to the animal as possible even if it is less comfortable for you.

Freezing Probably the best method among the methods I’m going to list among the do-not-dos. In some species it can bring death fairly quickly, but I believe better methods would almost always be available. If this method must be used, the fish should be placed in a small amount water in order to speed the drop in temperature. Ice cubes can be floated in the container to help the process, and the colder the freezer the better.

Microwave One of the most painful deaths I can imagine actually. While it might be fairly quick, I don’t know for certain how long it would take to kill a fish. What I do know is that whatever time it did take would be torturous.


Flushing Don’t even think about it. Read my rant on responsibility under suffocation.
 

H]-[H

Fire Eel
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Oct 11, 2008
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Great article!
Although I never had to euthanize any of my fish, it's useful for fish keepers to know the do's & don't in putting down their beloved pet fish..
 

Lupin

Viviendo la vida loca!
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bluehairman

Feeder Fish
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Well, I'd like to add some stuff.

Clove Oil can be used to overdose your fish usually at about 5-6 drops, but it's not recommended because it can slow gill movement down so much that your fish appears dead, when in fact it is alive. I also recommend if you use clove oil you use clove oil to make it fall asleep, then add alcohol to mix to put the fish down. If you don't have clove oil readily available you can use clove spices, crush them and shake in a bottle.

Also, you can use Finquel. Finquel is the only FDA approved method of putting your fish down. The active ingredient in Finquel is Tricaine, which you posted. Could be useful for people trying to obtain it.

I also have never head of the bleeding method. Does not make sense why people would choose that, when they could just chop the head off.


And if you euthanize your fish, properly dispose! Or in other words, don't flush it! Flushing the fish could cause resistant strains of bacteria to spread. Of course if you treated a bacterial infection and it did not work.
 

Cerbios

Feeder Fish
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Feb 11, 2008
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I also have never head of the bleeding method. Does not make sense why people would choose that, when they could just chop the head off.
Its a method popular among fisherman, rather then fish-keepers, as removing the blood in this way supposedly makes for better eating while keeping the fish mostly intact for transport home.
 

sostoudt

Feeder Fish
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May 5, 2009
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the only way i will put a fish down again is with a knife chop off the head.
ive tried snapping a back on a table, like a marine biologist i new would do. he did it clean and efficently, instant death. i screw it up the fish didnt die, felt like crap after that and just chopped its head off.
i tried alkoseltzer method to put down too silver dollars, took 2 large packs of them before the fish would die.
 

Camshaft Ramrod

Jack Dempsey
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May 10, 2008
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bluehairman;3155695; said:
Clove Oil can be used to overdose your fish usually at about 5-6 drops, but it's not recommended because it can slow gill movement down so much that your fish appears dead, when in fact it is alive. I also recommend if you use clove oil you use clove oil to make it fall asleep, then add alcohol to mix to put the fish down. If you don't have clove oil readily available you can use clove spices, crush them and shake in a bottle.
To put a fish under for short term (i.e. surgery, teeth trimmming), in the past, I used 1 drop clove oil per 3 cups of tank water. But as stated above, remember, it can cause long term effects if done regularly.

If you want to put a fish down for good, do at least 10 drops per cup.

You can find 100% clove oil at your local health food supplier.
 

bluehairman

Feeder Fish
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I had a good and bad experience with clove oil and alcohol. The first time it went well. The second time after adding alcohol the fish woke up and make 2 quick attempts to escape the water before dying :\.
Be sure you use enough clove oil!
 

abarilot

Fire Eel
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Mar 4, 2009
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I would use alcohol only on small fish. I've used it on baby rockfish for research and it kills them almost instantly. However, I could see it taking longer for bigger fish so it would be a cruel way to put them out.
 

bluehairman

Feeder Fish
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I would like to add that pure clove oil worked extremely well. The fish was only alive for a second (literally). What I did was soak clove spices in water for a couple days so it got really dark, then put the fish in. Of course there were some adverse reactions, but it was all done in less than a second.
 
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