Financial Investigation | Live Fish "Collectively Fall Asleep" During Transport: The Secret Behind Their Hibernation Is Surprisingly Anesthesia

“Financial Investigation” reporters spent over two months across multiple provinces and cities, delving into water product markets, production companies, and dining establishments. They conducted undercover investigations at every stage of live fish circulation, uncovering a secret that keeps live fish “dormant.”

Artificial Anesthesia Causes Live Fish to “Sleep”

“Three No’s” Anesthetic丁香酚 Poses Health Risks

In the relatively large Chongqing Lebang Aquatic Market in Southwest China, a large number of long-distance transported live fish arrive in a “dormant” state, lying quietly in the water like dead fish. After oxygenation, they quickly recover, and vendors collectively call this “sleeping.”

After several days of continuous observation, reporters found that the collective “sleeping” of live fish during long-distance transport is not an isolated case. It is common everywhere. Vendors say “just a little treatment and they come back to life,” confirming this is not natural hibernation but human intervention. Vendors change water and add oxygen, and within an hour, the “sleeping” fish immediately start swimming again.

During transportation, workers add a bottle of liquid into the live fish buckets, stirring, causing the lively fish to suddenly become quiet and limp.

These bottles are labeled “Fish Care Treasure,” an sedative for fish containing丁香酚, a “three no’s” product (no production date, no manufacturer, no license).

Vendors say adding anesthetics during live fish transportation makes loading and unloading easier and prevents fish scales from falling off. Although the highly toxic and carcinogenic Malachite Green was banned in 2002 and has largely disappeared from the market, “dizziness fish king” and “fish safety treasure,” products mainly containing丁香酚, have quietly appeared. Medical experts warn that long-term, large-scale use of丁香酚 can damage the liver and kidneys. Special groups such as pregnant women and children should use it cautiously and avoid combining it with anticoagulants or sedatives.

From a consumer protection perspective, China has not listed丁香酚 among approved drugs for aquaculture, nor has it banned it. However, this uncertain, side-effect-unclear anesthetic is secretly used by some merchants during water transport.

Industrial Alcohol Mixed with “Three No’s” Anesthetics

Market Management Turns a Blind Eye

On a northbound journey, reporters found that the Shandong Linyi Qiangsheng Seafood Wholesale Market also uses anesthetics during live fish transportation. They discovered that some vendors even directly use industrial alcohol.

Research shows industrial alcohol contains highly toxic methanol, which can cause blindness, organ damage, and death if ingested. The use of industrial alcohol in food processing is explicitly prohibited by national regulations. Mixing industrial alcohol with "three no’s"丁香酚 to produce anesthetics that are inhaled by live fish poses a serious food safety risk.

At the scene, vendors were seen casually adding anesthetic to live fish baskets and pools, with doses and concentrations based on feel—just a few bottle caps to anesthetize thousands of pounds of fish.

Market officials sternly told reporters that the market does not permit the use of anesthetics. Yet, they turn a blind eye to the open display of industrial alcohol and pre-mixed large barrels of anesthetics.

This is not limited to the Shandong Linyi market. In Chongqing Lebang Aquatic Market, officials said that routine live fish inspections cover 14 categories, but丁香酚 is not within the testing scope. The national standards do not regulate or include testing for fish anesthetics.

MS-222 Anesthetic Also Used to Sedate Live Fish

Regulatory Gaps Lead to “Drunk Fish” on the Table

“Financial Investigation” found a manufacturer in Ji’an, Jiangxi, that produces丁香酚. The manufacturer admitted that raw materials are imported from Indonesia and marketed as food additives but are used by fish vendors to anesthetize live fish. Some small workshops purchase raw materials and package them as “three no’s” anesthetics for market sale. The manufacturer told reporters that丁香酚 is fully metabolized in fish within at least 48 hours.

Another factory revealed that because丁香酚 is insoluble in water, vendors often mix it with industrial alcohol to facilitate rapid penetration and effectiveness.

At the Suzhou Bada Agricultural Products Logistics Center, vehicles transporting fish frequently use anesthetics as a routine. Reporters found that the MS-222 anesthetic used here is not approved for use on edible live fish in China.

On-site, industrial alcohol used for mixing anesthetics was found stored in a blue plastic barrel originally used for asphalt.

Vendors showed reporters MS-222, also known as “Methyl Salt,” chemically named Ethyl 4-aminobenzoate methylsulfonate, a white crystalline powder that anesthetizes fish.

Currently, China has not conducted safety evaluations on whether丁香酚 and MS-222 can be used on live aquatic products. Neither substance is on the approved list for aquaculture, and there are no regulations on usage doses or residue limits. Market testing options are also blank.

Some grass carp in Chongqing Lebang Aquatic Market, anesthetized with丁香酚, still did not wake up when transported to restaurants.

National Market Supervision and Administration Conducts Surprise Inspections

Strengthening Food Safety Defenses

After investigations across multiple markets, the “Financial Investigation” team promptly submitted detailed evidence to the State Market Supervision and Administration Bureau. Upon receiving this information, the bureau attached great importance, quickly analyzed, and coordinated deployment, jointly launching inspections with the Chongqing Market Supervision and Administration Bureau and the Shandong Linyi Market Supervision and Administration Bureau.

At 4 a.m. on March 17, Chongqing law enforcement teams assembled and conducted a surprise inspection of the Lebang Aquatic Market. From a consumer protection standpoint,丁香酚 is not listed among approved drugs for aquaculture, and the use of such anesthetics by some merchants clearly violates national regulations.

During enforcement, officers found 25 kilograms of丁香酚, indicating large-scale, routine illegal addition. Another team discovered a worn green beverage bottle containing an unknown transparent liquid in a fish logistics parking lot. These trucks regularly shuttle between nearby provinces and cities, transporting live fish for aquatic merchants. Authorities suspect that merchants use “sedation during transport + market sale preservation” to minimize fish loss and maintain appearance.

This comprehensive inspection covered all stalls and logistics, examining 35 vendors, seizing 14 items of additives including丁香酚, and collecting three samples of unknown liquids, 12 water samples, and 11 fish samples for laboratory testing.

In a special inspection of the Linyi Qiangsheng Seafood Wholesale Market, officials found 30-40 empty bottles of “丁香酚 raw solution” at stall 63, with a strong odor. The vendor admitted these were used as anesthetics for live fish.

Authorities also discovered industrial alcohol used for mixing anesthetics in the market.

A surprise raid on all 17 aquatic product vendors in the wholesale market involved detailed investigations into procurement and usage of suspected industrial alcohol,丁香酚, and other substances, with six fish samples and seven water samples collected for testing.

Source: CCTV Finance