I've read scholarly articles that indicate the fish dies fairly slowly and painfully in the freezer. However, dropping the fish into a bowl of near freezing water, in which a skin of ice had formed (after punching a large enough hole in the ice), causes shock and death almost instantly.
I do prefer the clove oil method, and, when done carefully, the fish is calm and not stressed and it is certainly less stressful for the fishkeeper, and less messy than the boot method.
I personally would be afraid I might not slam it hard enough to kill it instantly. Besides, being poured onto the concrete must certainly cause extreme distress, even if for a few moments.
However, in the face of what I perceived to be horrible suffering, if I had no clove oil or other more gentle methods, I think I could muster up the courage to use any means; boot, hammer, or rapid deceleration (slamming as hard as I can to a concrete slab).
I read a paper that compared the use of clove oil and MS-222 in tranquilizing salmon for tagging and measurement. The clove oil produced less cortisol, a stress hormone, than the MS-222, so I feel very comfortable that the fish is euthanised in a humane method using clove oil.
There's a good article on euthanasia on AC that was put together by one of our members. It thoroughly discusses the clove oil method and others. Here it is:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1370852#post1370852
Euthanasia is a difficult decision to make, but I think that I prefer to end suffering if all reasonable hope is lost. Fish, as is true of most other animals, especially when in pain are just in the here and now. They are aware of pain or suffering, and if I don't have a reasonable expectation that they can get better then I want to end it as soon as possible. They're not hovering, struggling, or lying there thinking "I want to live... not matter what."
All animals have the instinctive drive to live, and pain certainly is part of that instinctive mechanism. Feel pain, get away... escape. The more painful... the more frantic the effort. Feeling pain and escaping means survival whether they are capable of having that thought process or not.
However, it seems reasonable to me that when in unrelenting pain or suffering, that is the only thought, if you will, that is all consuming in every moment they are alive.
I choose to end it when necessary. It's not an easy decision that's for sure.
I do prefer the clove oil method, and, when done carefully, the fish is calm and not stressed and it is certainly less stressful for the fishkeeper, and less messy than the boot method.
I personally would be afraid I might not slam it hard enough to kill it instantly. Besides, being poured onto the concrete must certainly cause extreme distress, even if for a few moments.
However, in the face of what I perceived to be horrible suffering, if I had no clove oil or other more gentle methods, I think I could muster up the courage to use any means; boot, hammer, or rapid deceleration (slamming as hard as I can to a concrete slab).
I read a paper that compared the use of clove oil and MS-222 in tranquilizing salmon for tagging and measurement. The clove oil produced less cortisol, a stress hormone, than the MS-222, so I feel very comfortable that the fish is euthanised in a humane method using clove oil.
There's a good article on euthanasia on AC that was put together by one of our members. It thoroughly discusses the clove oil method and others. Here it is:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1370852#post1370852
Euthanasia is a difficult decision to make, but I think that I prefer to end suffering if all reasonable hope is lost. Fish, as is true of most other animals, especially when in pain are just in the here and now. They are aware of pain or suffering, and if I don't have a reasonable expectation that they can get better then I want to end it as soon as possible. They're not hovering, struggling, or lying there thinking "I want to live... not matter what."
All animals have the instinctive drive to live, and pain certainly is part of that instinctive mechanism. Feel pain, get away... escape. The more painful... the more frantic the effort. Feeling pain and escaping means survival whether they are capable of having that thought process or not.
However, it seems reasonable to me that when in unrelenting pain or suffering, that is the only thought, if you will, that is all consuming in every moment they are alive.
I choose to end it when necessary. It's not an easy decision that's for sure.
