Anesthetic efficacy and physiological responses of clove oil on juvenile and adult red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akarra

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to provide anesthetic criteria of clove oil for an effective manipulation and transportation of red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara. When anesthesia temperature (20, 24, and 28°C) and concentration of clove oil (25, 50, and 75ppm) were increased, the anesthesia and recovery time decreased and tended to be similar to each other between juvenile and adult. Also, as the temperature and concentration increased, the ratio of exposure time and recovery time between juvenile and adult were decreased. When plasma cortisol concentrations were compared for 48h after anesthesia with 50ppm of clove oil, both the juvenile and adult fish grew up to 12h; however, thereafter decreased and there was no significant difference from control at 48h.