Drug Research Information Bulletin - The Efficacy of AQUI-S®20E (10% Eugenol) and BENZOAK® (20% Benzocaine) to Sedate Fish to Handleable: Individual Sedation versus Group Sedation

AQUI-S®20E (10% eugenol; AQUI-S New Zealand, Ltd., Lower Hutt, New Zealand) and BENZOAK® (20% benzocaine; Europharma, Victoria, Minnesota) are candidates for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use as immediate-release fish sedatives. As part of the AQUI-S®20E and BENZOAK® approval processes, several efficacy trials were conducted on a variety of freshwater-reared finfishes (e.g., Bowker et al. 2013a, 2013b, and 2013c). In those trials, fish were sedated individually; however, it is common in aquaculture and fisheries management to sedate fish in small groups. Therefore, in 2011, additional trials were conducted with AQUI-S®20E and BENZOAK® to investigate whether time to handleable was similar between individually sedated and group-sedated (1) Lake Trout (LKT) Salvelinus namaycush, (2) Walleye (WAE) Sander vitreus, and (3) Channel Catfish (CCF) Ictalurus punctatus, which served as representative cold-, cool-, and warmwater finfish, respectively.

Author(s)
Daniel Carty
Jim Bowker
Molly P. Bowman
Niccole Wandelear
Publication date
Type of document
Fact Sheet
Program
A fish with a reddish tone body with black spots on upper part of body, this side view of a Chinook salmon shows the salmon swimming right above a gravel riverbed.
Healthy fisheries are core to the conservation work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are working with partners to protect and enhance the health of fish and other aquatic animals in aquaculture and in the wild.
A man is fishing in a boat with three young girls. The kids are excitedly pulling a fish out of the water.
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation programs work together to deliver resilient habitats, healthy fish, connected people, and strong partnerships. From habitat restoration to aquatic invasive species prevention, captive breeding to population assessment and monitoring, our programs are driven by the...
Species
Subject tags
Aquaculture
Fishes
Research
Animal health