Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG)
As fish welfare becomes a growing concern, it is important to ensure humane treatment during slaughter. This study aimed to assess the onset of unconsciousness in Atlantic halibut immersed in CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated seawater through electroencephalography (EEG). Of the 29 fish studied,...
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/12/1993 |
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| author | Daniel Santiago Rucinque Hans van de Vis Henny Reimert Bjørn Roth Atle Foss Cesar Augusto Taconeli Marien Gerritzen |
| author_facet | Daniel Santiago Rucinque Hans van de Vis Henny Reimert Bjørn Roth Atle Foss Cesar Augusto Taconeli Marien Gerritzen |
| author_sort | Daniel Santiago Rucinque |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As fish welfare becomes a growing concern, it is important to ensure humane treatment during slaughter. This study aimed to assess the onset of unconsciousness in Atlantic halibut immersed in CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated seawater through electroencephalography (EEG). Of the 29 fish studied, 10 exhibited escape attempts, indicating aversion to CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated water despite its oxygenation. EEG signals showed four distinct phases: transitional, excitation (high amplitude–high frequency), suppressed, and iso-electric phases. The onset of the suppressed phase, indicative of unconsciousness, occurred on average 258.8 ± 46.2 s after immersion. The spectral analysis of the EEG signals showed a progressive decrease in median frequency, spectral edge frequency, and high frequency contribution, which corresponded to the gradual loss of consciousness. The study concludes that CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated water is not recommended for pre-slaughter handling of halibut due to the extended time required for the onset of unconsciousness and the observed aversive behaviour. Ensuring humane treatment during slaughter is important for addressing public concern and safeguarding fish welfare in all stages of production. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1607e2cbaac342b4b904fd7ec5c2ac03 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:50:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-1607e2cbaac342b4b904fd7ec5c2ac032023-11-18T08:59:05ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-06-011312199310.3390/ani13121993Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG)Daniel Santiago Rucinque0Hans van de Vis1Henny Reimert2Bjørn Roth3Atle Foss4Cesar Augusto Taconeli5Marien Gerritzen6Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Laboratório de Aquicultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte 222, São Paulo 13635-900, BrazilWageningen Livestock Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The NetherlandsWageningen Livestock Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Processing Technology, Nofima, 4068 Stavanger, NorwayAkvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, NorwayDepartment of Statistics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, BrazilWageningen Livestock Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The NetherlandsAs fish welfare becomes a growing concern, it is important to ensure humane treatment during slaughter. This study aimed to assess the onset of unconsciousness in Atlantic halibut immersed in CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated seawater through electroencephalography (EEG). Of the 29 fish studied, 10 exhibited escape attempts, indicating aversion to CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated water despite its oxygenation. EEG signals showed four distinct phases: transitional, excitation (high amplitude–high frequency), suppressed, and iso-electric phases. The onset of the suppressed phase, indicative of unconsciousness, occurred on average 258.8 ± 46.2 s after immersion. The spectral analysis of the EEG signals showed a progressive decrease in median frequency, spectral edge frequency, and high frequency contribution, which corresponded to the gradual loss of consciousness. The study concludes that CO<sub>2</sub>-saturated water is not recommended for pre-slaughter handling of halibut due to the extended time required for the onset of unconsciousness and the observed aversive behaviour. Ensuring humane treatment during slaughter is important for addressing public concern and safeguarding fish welfare in all stages of production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/12/1993fish welfarehumane slaughterunconsciousnessEEG |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Santiago Rucinque Hans van de Vis Henny Reimert Bjørn Roth Atle Foss Cesar Augusto Taconeli Marien Gerritzen Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) Animals fish welfare humane slaughter unconsciousness EEG |
| title | Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) |
| title_full | Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) |
| title_fullStr | Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) |
| title_short | Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Farmed Atlantic Halibut in CO<sub>2</sub>-Saturated Seawater: Assessment of Unconsciousness by Electroencephalography (EEG) |
| title_sort | pre slaughter stunning of farmed atlantic halibut in co sub 2 sub saturated seawater assessment of unconsciousness by electroencephalography eeg |
| topic | fish welfare humane slaughter unconsciousness EEG |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/12/1993 |
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