The Use of the Anaesthetic Quinaldine in Fish Ecology

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Abstract
The properties of the anesthetic quinaldine were investigated in order to assess its suitability for capturing fish from rock pools. The minimum exposure times for complete anesthesia at concentrations of 20, 10, 5 and 2.5 ppm were determined for 5 spp. of littoral fish. The required time for anesthesia varies from 0.75-2.7 min. at 20 ppm to 3.2-9.0 min at 5.0 ppm. It was found that a concentration of 2.5 ppm was insufficient to induce the required depth of anesthesia in all the species tested. Long exposures (2 and 5 hr.) cause some mortality in Acanthocottus bubalis and Pholis gunnellus at 20 and 15 ppm. Recovery is rapid after anesthesia, varying from 2 to 25 min depending on the concentration and the species. The recovery time after long exposures is slightly greater. The influence of quinaldine on behavior is briefly described. Its mode of action is considered to be analogous to that of barbiturates. Quinaldine was tested on the shore at concentrations of 5-10 ppm and was found to facilitate the capture of fish from rock pools. It is suggested that this drug could be of great value in obtaining fish from such habitats for short or long-term ecological studies.

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