An investigation by state-run China Central Television (CCTV) has revealed that fish are being anesthetized with unlicensed drugs before distribution at Chinese seafood markets.
CCTV reported on the 22nd that, after a reporter spent two months investigating multiple regions nationwide including Chongqing and Shandong province, it confirmed in many places a phenomenon of fish transported long distances falling into a "collective sleep" in markets.
CCTV explained that fish lying still as if dead in seafood markets began swimming again in less than an hour after merchants replaced the tank water and supplied oxygen. It was found that the reason the fish remained in a sleep state was drugs administered during transport.
The outlet captured a scene where a worker poured a liquid labeled "fish medicine" (魚護寶) into a tank and stirred it, and fish that had been moving actively suddenly went limp. The liquid is a sedative for fish, with eugenol—the main ingredient commonly used as a raw material for perfume and cosmetics or as an anesthetic—as its primary component. The product was identified as a "three-no" item with no production date, factory, or production license.
Merchants said they use anesthetics when transporting live fish to make loading and unloading more convenient and to prevent scales from falling off during movement.
CCTV said that after malachite green, a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance, was designated a banned drug in 2002 and removed from the market, drugs containing eugenol took its place. It further warned that long-term, large-scale use of eugenol can damage the liver and kidneys, and that particular caution is needed for pregnant women and children.
The outlet noted that while Chinese authorities, for consumer protection, have not yet included eugenol on the list of approved drugs for seafood and aquaculture, they have also not placed it on the banned list. CCTV pointed out, "Anesthetics with unclear side effects are being secretly used by some merchants during seafood transport."
Signs that industrial alcohols such as methanol are being used to anesthetize fish were also captured. At a seafood market in Linyi, Shandong province in the east, merchants were seen mixing industrial alcohol for use. Under Chinese law, the use of industrial alcohol in food processing is prohibited. In particular, methanol can cause blindness or fatal organ damage if absorbed by the human body.
CCTV said it immediately transferred the findings and evidence it obtained from investigations across multiple markets to the State Administration for Market Regulation. It reported that market authorities in the relevant regions, including Chongqing and Shandong province, have launched a joint investigation and enforcement actions.