A Review of Three Commonly Used Fish Anesthetics

Anesthesia plays a critical role in prevention of mechanical injuries and manipulation stress in fish. Commercially reared fish are subjected to confinement and handling including netting, weighing, sorting, vaccination, and transport. In research, fish may also undergo surgical procedures ranging from tagging, blood sampling, and small incisions for invasive procedures. In these situations, treatment with anesthetic agents may be necessary to ensure the welfare of the fish. In this review, we provide information on optimal dosage and effects on fish physiology of three widely-used anesthetics worldwide: clove oil, tricaine methane sulphate, and 2-phenoxyethanol. These anesthetics are effective and have been widely used with many species of fish.