Application of anaesthetics in fish hatcheries to promote broodstock and fish seed welfare in Zambia

Abstract

This study investigated the application of anaesthetics in 23 private and government-owned hatcheries in 10 provinces of Zambia. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research designs and used a structured questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The results showed that most hatcheries (65%) were not using anaesthetics in handling fish and all (100%) that were using anaesthetics (35%) used clove powder as the only type. Most respondents (61%) were not sure or did not have information about the availability of the anaesthetic substances in their localities while only 26% reported wider availability but 13% had a divergent claim. The mortality rate for fingerlings in hatcheries that applied anaesthetics ranged between 15–30% with consistently high demand while those that did not use anaesthetics reported mortality rates of more than 50% and had low demand. The majority of the respondents (53%) had received training up to certificate level, followed by those who had attained up to a diploma qualification (27%) while those that attained up to a degree (13%) and general skills (7%) levels were in the minority. Furthermore, most respondents (35%) did not know the importance of fish anaesthetics. We conclude that the use of fish anaesthetics in Zambian hatcheries is very low and could partly be the cause of high fingerling mortalities, and there is an urgent need to address the situation.

Keywords:

• Anaesthetics
• fingerlings
• fish hatcheries
• stress management
• fish handling
• Zambia

Public Interest Statement

In the face of declining fish catches in the wild and an increasing human population, aquaculture is expected to play a pivotal role in supporting human life through income, employment, and most importantly food needed for livelihood. However, sustainable aquaculture is expected to be partly hindered by inappropriate stress and welfare management of farmed animals especially in hatcheries where broodstock and fingerling are exposed to various stressful situations. One fundamental way of managing stress in hatcheries is by using anaesthetics. Therefore, this study surveyed hatcheries in Zambia to find out the extent to which anaesthetics are used in daily routine practices. This information is crucial for improved quality of fish seed which will consequently contribute to increased fish production in a sustainable way while maximizing animal welfare which has become extremely vital to consumers especially in both developing and developed countries in the recent past.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Mr. Chad Kancheya for the support rendered during data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

All the necessary material is contained in this article.

Author contributions

JM generated the idea, defined the objectives, and coordinated sample collection and the writing of the manuscript. OJH assisted with data collection and in defining the objectives and participated in writing the manuscript. SM assisted with statistical analysis and participated in the writing of the manuscript; DP, VM and CM critically reviewed and made substantial contributions to the manuscript. EK, ES, KN, BMH, CJP and SS participated in writing the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study did not receive any funding.

Notes on contributors

Joseph Mphande

Joseph Mphande is a Fisheries Officer at the Zambian Department of Fisheries with over six years of work experience in the aquaculture and fisheries industry. His research interests are in fish health and welfare management, fish anaesthetic, aquaculture production, ecological and carrying capacity modelling of aquaculture, fish hatcheries, aquaculture and environment, fisheries management, morphometrics and meristic measurements, fish diseases, fish genetics, climate change, heavy metals, microplastics and their impacts on aquatic biota. This study fits into animal welfare and stress management which will contribute to sustainable aquaculture development in Zambia and beyond.