after watching hooked on Nat Geo...

[DJ-don]

after watching hooked the other day, the crew where looking for dogtooth tuna. as soon as they caught it, they took pictures and let it go but the fish was floating in the water because it swim bladder had burst (or something like that ) and the only way to make sure it swims back to its natural swimming level was to puncture its swim bladder to release the gas and they said the minor puncture will be healed because its a small minor injury

so if our fish does get a problem in its bladder (its called dropsy right???) couldnt we just get a sterile needle and say puncture the fish to cure its swim bladder disease?? then put the fish in a quarantine tank?

if so im guessing it could only be done on goldfish and bigger fish not like cories-they would need a very smalle needle

thanks in advance!!

[MatsP]

I don't think so...

First of all, "droopsy" or "bloat" is internal infections causing buildup of fluid in the body, not too much gas in the swimbladder. It may also be considered an osmotic balance problem.

Catching fish with a hook is unlikely to IMMEDIATELY cause swim-bladder problems of the infection type, but I doubt very much that puncturing the swimbladder is really a good way to solve the problem. But I'm not a fish-knowledgeable vet, so I can't say for sure.

--
Mats

[DJ-don]

I don't think so...

First of all, "droopsy" or "bloat" is internal infections causing buildup of fluid in the body, not too much gas in the swimbladder. It may also be considered an osmotic balance problem.

Catching fish with a hook is unlikely to IMMEDIATELY cause swim-bladder problems of the infection type, but I doubt very much that puncturing the swimbladder is really a good way to solve the problem. But I'm not a fish-knowledgeable vet, so I can't say for sure.

--
Mats

oh ok i thought dropsy had to do with gas or something like that not fluids!!
i think that dogtooth tuna are fish that like to stay arpound the bottom area but because the fish rised to the surface at a quickrate, that might have caused some problems

[MatsP]

Yes, deepwater fish pulled to the surface using fishing equipment will cause swimbladder problems - but not the same problem as droopsy or bloat.

--
Mats

[Shane]

Yes, deepwater fish pulled to the surface using fishing equipment will cause swimbladder problems

Not as deep as I once thought. It appears from recent studies that even Bass caught at a level of 20 feet can suffer swollen swimbladder. Puncturing the swim bladder to release the gas (when a fisherman is practicing catch and release) is the standard practice. The small wound should easily heal.

-Shane

[apistomaster]

The practice of deflating swim bladders of Micropterus species, the Small and Large mouth Bass,caught in deep water(~20-30 feet)
is unheard of in my part of the world. The regulations that are in effect are "slot limits". Fish under or over a certain size must be released but the regulations say nothing about the proper way of catching and releasing fish that includes deflating swim bladders with a hypodermic needle. Not too many Bass are caught in water deeper than 20 feet around here and the survival rates of released fish handled gently is as high as 99's% according to the Idaho and Washington States fisheries biologists if single barbless hooks are used on flies or lures.
The typical fisher person is likely to do more harm than good if they were to practice deflation.
Some hard core Trout fishermen use stomach pumps to see what the fish are eating which I find preposterous. If I have caught a nice fish on a fly I already know they are at least feeding on the organism that my fly imitated.

This practice is more applicable to deep water marine species.

[Shane]

The procedure is known as "fizzing" among anglers.

http://fishing.about.com/b/2008/10/11/fizzing-bass.htm

It has both opponants and detractors and is not a recommended practice in all US States. WA State has no law with regard to the matter.
-Shane