The effectiveness of clove oil as an alternative to cyanide in catching coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus

Abstract

Live reef fish are fish that have important economic value and have a very high selling value for export. Unfortunately, the process of catching reef fish still uses cyanide anesthetic, causing various problems, including damage to fish and coral reefs. As an alternative, it is recommended to use clove oil. However, it is necessary to analyze the effectiveness of clove oil as a cyanide alternative. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of clove oil in coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus). This study consisted of aquarium preparation, preparation of test animals, observing fish behavior before and after exposure to clove oil and analyzing the effect of clove oil on the response of fish behavior. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 5 concentration treatments with 3 repetitions. Fish were put into the aquarium and then sprayed with several different concentrations of clove oil (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 ppm) until the fish passed out. Furthermore, it is analyzed based on the criteria recommended by Marking & Myer (1985). The ANOVA test results with an error rate of 5% (α = 0.05) indicated that the time to reach the affected stage in the coral trout did not differ significantly with different clove oil concentrations (P> 0.05). The same results were also obtained when the equilibrium was disturbed, when it reached the fainting stage and the recovery time of the coral trout, which showed that there was no significant difference in the different clove oil concentrations (P> 0.05). Based on the recommendation of Marking and Meyer (1985), all concentrations of clove oil used (20–60 ppm) have met the requirements as an ideal anesthetic, where the induction time is <15 minutes and the recovery time is <5 minutes. This shows that clove oil at a concentration of 20 - 60 ppm is effectively used in anesthetics for coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus).