Efficacy of Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS-222) as an Anesthetic Agent for Short-term Anesthesia in Juvenile Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess an optimal dose of tricaine methansulfonate (MS-222) for rapid anesthesia and recovery in juvenile Yellow perch Perca flavescens. Yellow perch (≈7.0 g/fish) exposed to increasing concentrations of MS-222 (100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mg/L) showed significant (P<0.05) decreased anesthetic induction and increased recovery time with increasing MS-222 dose. Among the doses tested, the 250 mg/L MS-222 dose showed the shortest anesthetic induction and recovery times. Blood glucose and hematocrit levels were significantly (P<0.05) lower in juvenile yellow perch exposed to the 250 mg/L MS-222 dose than the other MS-222 doses tested. Juvenile yellow perch (about 9.7 g/fish) exposed to 250/mg MS-222 combined with bicarbonate buffer at three ratios (w/w: 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:2) showed significantly (P<0.05) reduced anesthesia induction and recovery times. The shortest times of anesthesia induction and recover were observed in treatments using the 1:1 MS-222 to buffer ratio. Analysis on serum biochemical parameters (e.g., osmolality, glucose, albumin, calcium, alanine transaminase, total protein and calcium) showed that use of sodium bicarbonate with MS-222 did not have any significant effect on the above measurements compared with those determined in fish exposed to MS-222 only. Anesthesia induction time and recovery time of yellow perch were significantly affected by body sizes. These results suggest that a brief exposure to a 250 mg/L MS-222: sodium bicarbonate dose may be optimal for minimizing handling disturbance in juvenile yellow perch.