The use of electronarcosis as anaesthetic in the cichlid, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters). I. General experimental procedures and the role of fish length on the narcotizing effects of electric currents.

Procedures to narcotize fish by means of alternating or direct electrical currents are described and a method of evaluating the narcotic effects on fish of electrical currents is detailed. The role of fish length on the narcotizing potential of electrical currents was investigated. The results indicate that there is a positive correlation between fish length and the duration of narcosis.