Live fish artificially anesthetized flowing to dining tables, possibly "drank" industrial alcohol! Inside story exposed→

“Financial Investigation” reporters spent over two months across multiple provinces and cities, delving into water product markets, production enterprises, and dining establishments. In every link of live fish circulation, undercover investigations revealed a secret method to make live fish “hibernate.”

Artificial Anesthesia Causes Live Fish to “Sleep”

“Three No” Anesthetic丁香酚 Poses Health Risks

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

After several days of undercover observation, the reporters found that the phenomenon of long-distance transported live fish “collectively sleeping” is not an isolated case and can be seen everywhere. Vendors say “just a little treatment and they wake up,” confirming that 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, the reporters saw workers adding a bottle of liquid into buckets of live fish, stirring, after which the lively fish instantly become quiet and limp.

The bottles held by workers are labeled “Fish Care Treasure,” an sedative containing丁香酚 (丁香酚), a “three no” product (no production date, no manufacturer, no license).

Vendors say that adding anesthetics during live fish transportation makes handling easier and prevents fish scales from falling off. Although toxic and carcinogenic malachite green was banned in 2002 and has largely disappeared from the market, products like “Dizzy Fish King” and “Fish Peaceful” containing丁香酚 as the main ingredient have quietly appeared. Medical studies indicate that long-term, large-scale use of丁香酚 can damage the liver and kidneys. Special populations such as pregnant women and children should use it cautiously and avoid concurrent use with anticoagulants and sedatives.

From a consumer protection perspective, China has not included丁香酚 in the list of approved drugs for aquatic farming, but it is also not explicitly banned. This ambiguous status means some merchants are secretly using this anesthetic during water transport.

Industrial Alcohol Mixed with “Three No” Anesthetics

Market Regulators Turn a Blind Eye

The reporters tracked further north to Linyi, Shandong Province, where they found similar use of anesthetics in live fish transportation at the Qiangsheng Seafood Wholesale Market. Here, some merchants even directly use industrial alcohol.

Research revealed that 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 strictly prohibited by the state. Mixing industrial alcohol with "three no"丁香酚 to produce anesthetics that are then inhaled by live fish poses a significant food safety risk.

At the scene, vendors were seen casually adding anesthetics to baskets and pools of live fish, with doses and concentrations judged by feel—just a few bottle caps could anesthetize thousands of jin (a Chinese weight unit) of fish.

Market officials sternly told the reporters that the market does not permit the use of anesthetics. However, industrial alcohol and large barrels of mixed anesthetics were openly displayed, and officials turned a blind eye.

This is not limited to the Shandong market. In Chongqing Lebang Aquatic Market, officials said that routine inspections of 14 fish categories do not include丁香酚; China’s national standards do not regulate fish anesthetics, nor are they included in testing.

MS-222 Anesthetic Also Used for Fish Sedation

Regulatory Gaps Lead to “Drunk Fish” on the Table

The “Financial Investigation” team found a manufacturer in Ji’an, Jiangxi Province, that produces丁香酚. The manufacturer admitted that raw materials are imported from Indonesia and are 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” anesthetics for market sale. The manufacturer told the team that丁香酚 is fully metabolized within fish in at least 48 hours.

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

At the Baida Agricultural Products Logistics Center in Suzhou, vehicles transporting fish are a common sight, and the use of anesthetics has become routine. The team found that MS-222, an anesthetic not approved for use on edible live fish in China, is being used here.

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

The merchant showed the team 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 the use of丁香酚 and MS-222 on live aquatic products. Neither substance is on the list of approved aquaculture drugs, 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 appeared unresponsive when transported to restaurants.

National Market Supervision and Administration Conducts Surprise Inspections

Strengthening Food Safety Defenses

Following investigations across multiple markets, the “Financial Investigation” team promptly submitted detailed evidence to the State Administration for Market Regulation. Upon receiving this information, the agency attached great importance, quickly assessed the situation, and coordinated with Chongqing and Linyi market regulators to initiate joint investigations.

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

During enforcement, authorities found 25 kilograms of丁香酚, indicating large-scale, habitual illegal addition. Another team discovered a worn green beverage bottle containing an unknown transparent liquid in a fish transport truck at the market logistics parking lot. These trucks regularly shuttle between 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 special enforcement covered all stalls and logistics, inspecting 35 merchants, seizing 14 items of丁香酚 and other additives, collecting three samples of unknown liquids, 12 water samples, and 11 fish samples. During a special inspection of the Qiangsheng Seafood Wholesale Market in Linyi, officials found about 30 empty bottles of “丁香酚原液” (丁香酚 raw solution) at stall 63, with a strong smell. The merchant admitted they were used as anesthetics for live fish.

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

A surprise inspection was conducted on all 17 aquatic merchants operating in the wholesale market, investigating procurement and usage of suspected industrial alcohol,丁香酚, and other substances. Six fish samples and seven water samples were collected for laboratory testing.

Source: CCTV Finance

Editor: Shi Yu

Proofreader: Qin Lumin

Reviewer: Zhu Wentan