Can you humanely euthanize a fish

Yet still, so many years after they have been debunked, these inappropriate techniques insist on rearing their torturous heads. Hugely contentious, chilling may have a role to play in the humane killing of some fish. The idea here is that cool water has a soporific quality to it that will send small fish into a stupor, and eventually brings about a lethal shock, most likely through osmoregulatory functions being disrupted.

Lynne Sneddon of the Institute of Integrative Biology directs my attention to the work of Monte Matthews and Zoltan Varga, who have published papers on the subject of chill euthanasia. Correct temperature is essential. Some usage of too-cold ice slurry has produced extreme physical and behavioural reactions, and indicated a long and protracted death.

However, done correctly and with small fish, Dr. One method of dispatch is described whereby the fish is cooled until losing consciousness which can be approximately ten to twenty minutes of ice water exposure followed by maceration. It should also be noted that some authors report that cooling of a fish reduces nerve conduction, but may not eliminate it.

Peter Burgess has some reservations regarding the cooling approach. This one has come up a few times, most frequently from US websites and forums where I can only presume it is still widely used. Methods cited include the addition of a fish to a closed chamber of water, and methodically bubbling CO2 gas through to drive out oxygen, using carbonated water, or even dropping Alka Seltzer into a container of water with fish.

Alka Seltzer was often cited as a fish anaesthetic in scientific research from the early s, which compared its efficiency against the anaesthetic MS , but things have moved a long way in 30 years. The Norwegians are still using it. Though the use of CO2 is still considered by some to be a more efficient and faster method of killing than, say, injection, it does create uncomfortable conditions for fish, resulting in increased respiration, and acidosis caused by the formation of carbonic acid.

Besides which, lacking experience in the use of CO2 as a humane killer, the amateur fishkeeper could potentially get some part of the procedure very wrong, drawing out a slow and painful death of acidic burning. For my part, I can find no scientific paper that has ever been carried out regarding boiling live fish as a euthanasia method, but the general consensus is that the method is not instantaneous, and likely to cause the most intense nociceptive reaction of any method of dispatch. What should be the most humane method of dispatch is not without some contention.

As aquarists, we have two options for anaesthetic overdose: Eugenol, as found in clove oil, or Aqua-Sed. If unable to find an aquatic retailer stocking it, a chemist will usually carry clove oil for toothache. Aqua-Sed is 2-phenoxyethanol, and available to the general public. At low doses it is used to sedate a fish, and at higher doses can be used to kill a fish quickly and efficiently. A dosage of AquaSed at four pumps per litre is enough to ensure lethality, and the fish should then be left in the solution long enough to ensure that it is dead.

The actual timescale will vary from fish to fish, the trend being that larger fish may take longer to perish from an overdose. Alternatively, a deeply anaesthetised fish can then be finished with decapitation and pithing. Anaesthetics are not without their risks, or potential to cause distress. Many fish show an adverse reaction to being placed in a body of water containing the prescription only sedative, MS The problem with this chemical, and some others like it, is that it is inherently acidic, and a sample of water containing a lethal dose may easily have a pH of 5.

Taking a fish and putting it straight into this could easily cause acidosis, which is, of course, painful. If using an anaesthetic, it should be accompanied by buffering of the water it is going in to, if needed. In an ideal world, it could be made into a stock solution ready for use, mixed with ethanol, which would allow easy application. But we then face the issue of adverse reactions to ethanol.

The fish is then transferred to this water, after which it will lose consciousness within seconds, and breathing will quickly cease. Eventually the fish will succumb to hypoxia and die, though like other methods this can vary in timescale from fish to fish.

There is no one method that can be considered as suitable for the euthanasia of all types of aquarium fish as they vary greatly in size and their adaptation to different environments e. In addition, the scientific research that assesses the humaneness of different methods of killing fish is very limited, so it is hard to know exactly how humane some methods are. The following methods appear to be the most humane available for the euthanasia of sick or injured aquarium fish:.

Aquarium fish can be safely and humanely euthanased by administering an overdose of anaesthetic dissolved in water. This method is especially appropriate for large fish that are difficult to handle but needs to be carried out by a veterinarian as the recommended anaesthetics MS tricaine methanesulfonate and benzocaine hydrochloride are not available to the general public.

Advice should be sought from a veterinarian on the best way to euthanase a particular species of fish as some species react differently to anaesthetics and may require a secondary method of euthanasia after the anaesthetic overdose to ensure a humane death for example, goldfish. Clove oil is a sedative which at high doses, can be used to euthanase small fish. Unlike veterinary anaesthetics, clove oil is readily available from most chemists.

Around 0. The clove oil should be mixed with a little warm water first before slowly adding it to the aquarium water containing the fish. Do not add all at once as fish get excited — add the clove oil mix over a 5 minute period.

When you are finally ready to move your fish do it with as much care as you would if the fish was going to live another few years. You are trying to prepare a safe place for it to pass calmly after all. There can be a few reasons why you might need to put your fish down like if you accidentally put the wrong water in the tank or if the fish was bullied by another fish.

Depending on the symptoms, you only have one option for your fish and that is to put it down as gently as you can. Most likely, your vet will use an anesthetic overdose and usually done to larger fish but it is possible that your vet will opt for a different method depending on their preference and the type of fish.

You can definitely take your fish to be put down at a vet if it makes you squeamish or too sad to do it yourself but as we all know, it is expensive to go to the vet for anything.

You will save more money in the long run if you learn to euthanize your fish quickly and humanely. This method is the most effective and the easiest and for squeamish people. It is also arguably the most humane way to euthanize your fish. The clove oil method to euthanize your fish only requires that you purchase a small bottle of clove oil. You can also try a solution of 1 tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water and then adding your fish to the solution.

It will take minutes for the fish to completely stop moving. This method is much more humane than vodka and more accessible than clove oil. The method requires that you take 1-part vodka and 4 parts water and place the fish in it. The fish will pass out and die from alcohol poisoning, but I recommend trying to find clove oil instead. I personally could never do this to my fish but if you are comfortable and willing to follow through, you might opt for this method. Lay the fish down on a sheet of aluminum foil and cover it with more aluminum foil.

You should use a blunt heavy object to strike its head as hard as you can. I recommend looking at this video warning graphic if you would like a better idea of how to do it. It is painless if done correctly but you need to know what you are doing. There is no guarantee that flushing your fish will kill it. All you are really doing to your fish is sending it to a different place to die.

You are removing the responsibility from yourself. You may as well remove the water altogether. You can try to contact a local pet store to see if they will buy it off of you but what could be even better would be if you know a fellow aquarist who might like that specific fish.

You can reach out to other locals in your area who might have saltwater tanks and see if they might like free fish. Like any other pet, you should be doing your best to find your fish a new home since you took the initial responsibility of caring for it.

If you read this article only to find a way to dispose of a fish you do not want, I hope you strongly consider relocating your fish to a new home that will take proper care of it. Fish are just like cats or dogs as they trust you to care for them to the best of your ability and you accept that responsibility when you take on the hobby. Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of how best to care for your fish that may be dying.

Your fish is a part of your family and you should help to put it to rest as humanely as you possibly can. It will help to lessen the stress on you as you take on your final responsibility to your fish. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.