RSPCA website is saying the freezer technique is an inhumane way to euthanise your fish. They advise clove oil. 🐠

http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-mo ... se-aquarium-fish_403.html

We would agree with that on this site. As far as we are concerned clove oil is the best readily available option and the other humane alternative is to use a fish anaesthetic product which has recently become available over the counter. Article on PFK about this. Any other methods advocated have varying potential to cause pain and suffering and in our opinion should not be used.

I haven't read this entire thread but clove oil or 2-phenoxyethanol (which has been around for a long time as a Koi sedative) are the only options for this.

BUT quite often the advice is to add alcohol, don't. The alcohol isn't needed the fish will die with the right dose of either of the above, alcohol is an irritant and will only add (for a few moments) to the fishes stress.

Having used both products I personally think oil of cloves is the better option.

Incidentally I forgot to mention that some fish panic when they begin to lose their equilibrium this will happen on occasion when a fish is being sedated even with MS-222 (vets equivalent of oil of cloves). It doesn't indicate that the stress is caused by the product and it lasts for less than a minute when it does occur. If you witness this especially if it is the first time doing this please don't let it put you off the method in favour of something less suitable.

The Method used in the scientific community under regulations by the home office is to stun the fish with a blow to the head then quickly use a needle/ pin to destroy the brain. obviously this is done on larger fish such as tilapia, bass, carp ect. But you probably could do this with most fish.
This is used as a last resort for sick fish, it is also used when taking samples for histology and morphological analysis.

Do you have any links to this information?

Errm I don't have it online, It resides in a COP folder at the Aquarium main office, as it is part of the project licence for scientific work on fish, these are given to the facility's. I can photocopy it when I'm back in the lab, but I should be found on the home office website, I'm not sure where as I don't deal directly with this.
The main point of it though is all about destroying the brain as quickly as possible. which will obviously cause less pain.
They prefer this over any use of anaesthetic or freezing, as these methods can still cause prolonged harm to the fish

WARNING - do not click on this link if you are easily upset

I think THIS would be the code of practice you mean?
Reading that as a lawyer not a scientist, to me it says that OD of anaesthetic is suitable in all circumstances, and that only trained competent people should use the blow on the head etc method

Quote:
Yeh that's the one, an OD of anaesthetic is not used now as studies have been shown that it can still cause excessive pain to the fish, when given both internally and externally.
Any person working in a fisheries environment is a "competent person" in this case it means you have been shown how to do it and have been signed off by the project licence holder. When working in this environment everyone would need to be able to do this.
This translating to a hobbyist your obviously not bound by these rules, the blow to the head method is used by fishermen, sport and commercial so why cant this be done in a hobbyist environment?

Tricky one. Speaking personally, I euthanise fish so rarely - and they are so relatively small - that I certainly would not feel competent to deliver a blow to the head etc. But you are right - my Dad was perfectly competent at despatching trout and salmon he caught, as a regular fly fisherman, having been shown how to do it and with plenty of practice.
I expect others of a more scientific bent would be interested to see the studies which have overtaken the code, as Finnipper says.