Aquaculture

Farmed Fish Anaesthesia Research and Applications

Anaesthesia is increasingly used in aquaculture to reduce stress and pain during husbandry procedures.

Key Facts

Tricaine methanesulphonate (MS-222) is the most widely used fish anaesthetic
AQUI-S (eugenol-based) and clove oil are alternatives used in some countries
Anaesthesia is recommended for procedures including tagging, blood sampling and vaccination
Dosing must be species- and temperature-specific to ensure efficacy and recovery
Recovery time and monitoring are important to ensure fish survive the procedure safely

Welfare Considerations

Many husbandry procedures in aquaculture cause pain and extreme stress without anaesthesia. The evidence that fish are sentient and experience suffering makes anaesthetic use an important welfare tool. Industry adoption is growing but remains inconsistent, particularly in lower-cost production systems.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture welfare certification that requires anaesthesia for invasive procedures
Advocate for mandatory anaesthesia standards in national aquaculture regulations
Choose certified welfare-labelled fish products
Follow Fishcount.org.uk for evidence-based fish welfare research and advocacy