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Routine Measures of Stress Are Reduced in Mature Channel Catfish during and after AQUI‐S Anesthesia and Recovery
Author(s) -
Small Brian C.,
Chatakondi Nagaraj
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/fa04-028.1
Subject(s) - catfish , anesthetic , fish <actinopterygii> , anesthesia , fight or flight response , zoology , biology , medicine , fishery , biochemistry , gene
Mature channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were exposed to water containing three different concentrations (20, 40, and 60 mg/L) of AQUI‐S (50% isoeugenol) during routine handling procedures at a commercial catfish facility. Anesthetic efficacy, recovery time, and the effects of AQUI‐S on routine measures of stress were compared with similar measures in a group of fish sampled prior to anesthesia (preanesthesia [PA] group) and a group anesthetized with 100 mg tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS)/L. On average, all the fish lost equilibrium at 8.0, 3.9, and 3.7 min when anesthetized in 20, 40, and 60 mg AQUI‐S/L, respectively. Fish anesthetized with TMS lost equilibrium at 4.5 min. Recovery time in freshwater was 2.1, 2.8, and 5.3 min for fish anesthetized in 20, 40, and 60 mg/L AQUI‐S, respectively. Recovery time after TMS anesthesia was 1.7 min. Short‐term (24‐h) survival was 100% for all treatments, and long‐term (21‐d) survival ranged from 87.5% for TMS‐anesthetized fish to 98.8% for fish anesthetized in 40 mg/L AQUI‐S. All anesthetic treatments significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) plasma cortisol levels relative to PA fish, and circulating cortisol was lower ( P < 0.05) in all AQUI‐S−anesthetized fish than in TMS‐anesthetized fish. Plasma glucose concentrations were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) in fish anesthetized with 40 mg/L AQUI‐S than in PA and TMS‐treated fish after both anesthetization and recovery. Plasma lactate and chloride concentrations were not reduced ( P > 0.05) in any treatment compared with the levels in PA fish. Fish anesthetized with 40 mg/L AQUI‐S had lower ( P < 0.05) plasma lactate levels after recovery than TMS‐anesthetized fish, and plasma chloride levels were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) immediately following AQUI‐S anesthesia at all concentrations than in fish anesthetized with TMS. Anesthesia did not affect ( P > 0.05) postrecovery plasma chloride concentrations. Overall, AQUI‐S exhibited efficacy as an anesthetic for mature channel catfish and demonstrated stress‐reducing properties during handling procedures.