Dear All,

We have been sampling fish larvae for about five years and we have now come to
the attention of Animal Ethics bureaucrats who are concerned about how we are
killing our fish larvae.  We cannot use formalin in our research centre for
health reasons and, since we need to look at otoliths of some of the larvae, we
usually throw larvae <10 mm in lenghth straight into 95% ethanol.  My experience
is that the larvae die within a second or so and surely this must be as'humane'
as any method.  Juveniles and adults are anaesthetised first before being put
into alcohol.  The bureaucrats have queried the use of ethanol and put me under
pressure to justify this method.  Can anyone out there point me to 'official'
guidelines for the 'humane' killing of fish larvae?

Yours in hope and frustration, Paul.

Dr Paul Humphries
Research Fellow, Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Department
of Biological Sciences,
Monash University, C/- Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre,
PO Box 921 Albury, NSW, 2640, AUSTRALIA
Tel: Int 61 02 60582317
Fax: int 61 02 60431626

email: [log in to unmask]

http://freshwater.canberra.edu.au/

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