what is the most humane way to kill a fish

[Hockeyben51]

yes obviously it is much better that the fish be ripped shreads instead of instanlty slapped with mom's rolling pin and instantly die, I think both are crazy ways to kill fish, i prefer that the fish be in less pain than me.

[JHemdal]

All,

The freezing method is what I generally suggest for home aquarists - EXCEPT with temperate species. Tropical fish will become catatonic long before ice crystals form, temperate fish may hang on right down to 32 degrees.
The "do fish feel pain" issue simply can't be hashed out here - even researchers are split on this question. Saying "yes they do" or "no they don't" is meaningless in this context because it is based solely on personal feelings and bias.
Some people have used Alka-seltzer tablets or CO2 from their carbon dioxide reactors in a closed container - this reportedly has some anesthetic effect as well as euthanizing the fish.
I've heard mixed reviews of clove oil - but haven't used it myself. MS-222 (tricaine methanesulfonate) at 250 ppm is the absolute best method and the only one I'll use for fish euthanasia.

JHemdal

[latino277]

Well... I've never had to euthanis a fish... but i can tell you what we do when I go fishing for blue's

1) rip hook out of fish mouth
2) take strong hold of tail
3) Wack against side of boat! or wack on head with stick!

[torchstang05]

What about putting the fish in a bucket and just leave it outside. The water will cool and they will die a nice death. It is not quick but i heard it is a very good way to kill them. Or just feed them to a huge shark, eel or trigger!!

[Hockeyben51]

as long as they can be eaten whole, i think its fine.

[cougaraug]

Who says freezing to death is painful? I've had hypothermia and had a friend who nearly froze to death. It was not painful in any way. RECOVERING from it was.

[jman77]

Smash or cut off it's head....can't get and quicker...

[BrokeColoReefer]

I think the hammer seems most humane.

[addo]

I agree on the hammer, when im out fishing i usally just wack the fish over the head.

[CrazyLionfish]

This is not a proven fact, but I have read that fish may not feel pain in the same manner as we believe they do. I read this on a thread on this website and the guy said, "90% of fish die within the first days of life in the ocean, there would be no reason for them to feel pain" something along the lines of that. Also, I think the cold water would numb some of the pain as well as if this fact is true, they wouldn't feel hardly any pain at all!

[WILDTHING]

Rabbits are a prey species, their purpose is to be one of the beginning mammals on the food chain, same with most rodents thats why they have so many babies. Many rodents have at least 2 large litters a yr and of those 2 litters if 1 or 2 babies survive to reproduce its a lot. They assuredly feel pain. Pain is a great motivator and teacher to animals not to be caught. Being a prey species doesn't mean that you are exempt from pain. Also almost everything is prey to something else. Only man feels that he is outside this cycle.

[jman77]

I think they prob do feel pain.

That's why i think u should just smash/cut his head off.

[CrazyLionfish]

I didn't say they didn't feel pain.. well maybe I did. But I meant they don't feel the pain the same way we do or to the same extreme.

[keener1830]

I find it easier to just flush them down the toliet as nemo said "all drains lead to the ocean"

[Richard Melucci]

Using two rocks is pretty painless, as long as you keep your fingers from between the rocks!

(just Kidding)

[Jonsey]

Wildthing:

I really can't believe someone else has done this! I ran over one of my clowns several years ago and have never heard the end of it from my friends....

He was deathly ill... damaged by an agreessive tank-mate. I thought the best way to end the suffering was to put him in a bag with a little water and put him outside (it was December and about 20 degrees F).

Half an hour later, I look and he's still swimming around.

I feel awful, so I put him in the freezer, thinking it just wasn't cold enough.

An hour later, he's still alive.

At this point, I'm thinking that maybe he wasn't that bad off. Feeling guilty, I put him back in the tank.

The next morning, he's laying on the bottom, still alive, looking at me like 'what ya' gonna do to me now??'

I was a mess. He was my favorite fish, and here I was just prolonging his inevitable death. I didn't have the heart to slam him on the counter or hit him with a rolling pin, so I thought the best way to distance myself from the deed was to tuck him under the back wheel of my car and just.... back up.

That did it.

But my friends still think I'm weird.

[WILDTHING]

I actually thought it up one night when my husband and I were driving home and a bunny ran in front of us. He was so badly hurt that it was obvious that there was nothing we could do but I didn't want to just leave him, so I tucked his head under the wheel then put his body over into the grass so other animals wouldn't be attracted to the smell and die in the road as well.

Let your friends think what they will you know you did the right thing. Guess who they'll be calling if they find themselves in a *situation*.

[Jonsey]

Well, let's hope they don't have to!

Nice cockatoo, by the way. I had one a long time ago when I was a teen. He was wild caught and mean as a ... well, you can imagine. Within 2 weeks of working with him, he'd cradle in my arm and let me pet his belly. Had to get rid of him when he hit puberty, though - WAY too loud for my parents. I wonder what he's doing these days...

Sorry, didn't men to threadjack.

[Runner]

I just got one of those floating magnets the other day and promptly squished my finger. If you get one that is rated for the 125G+ aquriums, place the fish between the two pieces, then move the them closer together...

Well, you get the picture. Needless to say, little Nemo will be removed from this world rather quickly.

[cbicop]

I have always put the animal in a small tupperware container and then froze it. The idea being that the animal slows down and eventually just goes to sleep well before the actual "freezing" ever takes place. Freezing to death is probably one of the best ways to go even for a human.

[WILDTHING]

Jonsey, I got very lucky that LaLa is a girl. When I got her I had no idea that males become so aggressive during their mating months. She is a sweet well tempered and relatively quiet little girl. There must be someone looking out for fools like me who fall in love with birds that take one look at you, jump on your hand cuddle under you chin and whisper "I love you" while kissing you and laughing.

[Jonsey]

Good for you she's quiet! Barney wouldn't really get agressive, but he would stand on top of his cage and let out the loudest screams I ever heard, flapping his wings all the while. He'd only stop when I would hold him and at bedtime. He had me trained very well...

They are the sweetest birds, though.

[Esper]

i've laughed, i've cried...am i sick for thinking this should be a thread of the month?

[wimplefish]

I have had to do the freezer thing to a few of my fw fish luckily no salt fishes yet.
I had a cat once that the vet said had a urinary problem cant remember what but they want 250 dollars to put him down so i had to acually put him to sleep with a 12ga. now thats hard to do I mean I love my fish but they dont jump in your lap and start purring so in my honest opinion Id go with the freezer
or the 12ga im only joking

[WILDTHING]

frankly since I'm not convinced that they don't feel the pain of slowly freezing to death, I'd go with the 12ga on the fish over putting it in the freezer. I'm not kidding. It might be messy but it sure would be fast.