Why Does The Dnr Shock Fish? Uncovering The Electrofishing Technique

A fish shocker operates by utilizing a specialized control box that releases controlled electrical current into the water. This current serves to attract and momentarily incapacitate the fish. This process is known as electrofishing and is commonly used in fisheries management and research to safely collect fish for various purposes such as population assessment and studies on aquatic ecosystems. The control box regulates the intensity and duration of the electrical pulses, ensuring that the shock is non-lethal and only temporarily stuns the fish, allowing them to be easily captured for examination before they recover and swim away unharmed.

The immobilization of fish through the use of electrical currents involves specific voltage gradients. When employing direct current (DC), fish can be immobilized effectively at voltage gradients as low as 1.0 volt per centimeter. However, when using pulsed direct current (PDC), a more efficient immobilization can be achieved at even lower voltage gradients, as low as 0.6 volts per centimeter. This variation in voltage requirements highlights the different techniques and effects of these electrical currents in immobilizing fish.