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A Portable Electronarcosis System for Anesthetizing Salmonids and Other Fish
Author(s) -
Hudson J. Michael,
Johnson Jeffrey R.,
Kynard Boyd
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1080/02755947.2011.578524
Subject(s) - fish <actinopterygii> , software portability , fishery , anesthetic , environmental science , computer science , biology , medicine , anesthesia , operating system
Abstract The physiological responses of fish to continuous (nonpulsed) direct current were first described in the 1960s. One of these responses, electronarcosis (anesthesia, accompanied by muscle relaxation, through electrical inhibition), has been used in fisheries research and management as an anesthetic since the 1970s. We provide details on the assembly and operation of a portable electronarcosis unit for fish anesthesia and describe its performance with respect to two species of salmonids. The portability and effectiveness of this approach make electronarcosis a viable alternative to existing anesthetics that can be used for a number of applications. Received June 8, 2010; accepted January 27, 2011