Fish toxins
Encyclopedia
Fish toxins or fish stupifying plants have historically been used by many hunter gatherer cultures to stun fish, so that the fish become easy to collect by hand. Some of these toxin
s paralyse fish, others work by reducing oxygen content in water. The process of documenting many fish toxins and their use is ongoing, with interest in potential uses from medicine, agriculture, and industry. (Jeremy, 2002)
Tribal people historically used various plants for medicinal and food exploitation purposes extends the use notion for herbal fish stupefying plants. Use of the fish poisons is very old practice in the history of human kind. In 1212 AD King Frederick II
prohibited the use of certain plant piscicide
s, and by the fifteenth century similar laws had been decreed in other European countries as well (Wilhelm 1974). All over the globe, indigenous people use various fish poisons to kill the fishes, including America (Jeremy 2002) and among Tarahumara
Indians (Gajdusek 1954).
Herbal fish stupefying agents are proven means of fishing, which do not kill fish like chemical poisons. Many of the fish stupefying plants have been used for a long time by local people, and have been tested and found to have medicinal properties like Carreya arborea as a tested plant used as analgesic (Ahmed et al. 2002) and anti diarrheal (Rahman et al. 2003). Some of the plants like C. collinus are a traditional poison used in the different part of the country (Sarathchandra and Balakrishnamurthy 1997, Thomas et al. 1991). In earlier studies, bark extracts of Lannea coromandelica caused lyses of cell membrane followed by fragmentation of cellular materials. These studies scientifically confirmed the toxic property of these plants.
) is a widespread tree in western USA oak woodlands
and chaparral
. The large orange colored fruit is leached in warm water, with the resultant aesculin
mixture then applied to pools in slow moving streams to stun fish.
tribes traditionally used soaproot, (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) which contains saponin
, as a fish poison. They would pulverize the roots, mixing in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would kill or incapacitate the fish, which could be gathered easily from the surface of the water. Among the tribes using this technique were the Lassik, the Luiseño, the Yuki, the Yokut, the Chilula, the Wailaki, the Miwok, the Kato, the Mattole, the Nomlaki and the Nishinam
.
in the family Olacacae is a climber with compound, dark green leaves and white bark. This is the most extensively used fish poison among Gond
. Typically in summer the leaves of this plant are dried and powdered. About 1 kg powder is mixed in 5 X 5 feet (1.5 m) pond water. This is generally used in the summer when water is confined to small, shallow ponds. Due to its mixing in water fish becomes numb. Numb fish are then collected by hand. It was observed that if stunned fish were immediately introduced into water they would become active. In order to get good results from the Olax (or Korkat), environmental temperature should be high.
(or Kummod Hir) in the family Lecythidaceae
is a large deciduous tree with simple large obovate leaves, large fruit and dark gray bark. The root bark is crushed and mixed in water. Upon its admixture, water blackens.
(common name Odcha in Gondi) is a medium sized tree mainly found around villages. Young tender shoots of this species are used for fish stunning. The shoots are crushed in water on stone and paste is mixed in water. Apart from its use as fish stupefying agent, the stem of this plant is used for brushing teeth, leaves for storing grains and wood as fuel.
is a medium sized to large deciduous tree with spreading crown and stout branches. The leaves are compound, bark whitish or gray and small, yellowish or purplish flowers. Flowers and fruits appear between February and June. Fruits (Red, compressed, reniform and 1-seeded) of this plant are crushed and mixed in water. It is abundant in the Mendha forest.
in the family Costaceae
is an erect, succulent herb, up to 2.7 m tall and with a tuberous rootstock. Leaves are spirally arranged on stem, 15-30 cm long and 5.7 to 7.5 cm wide, oblong to oblanceolate, glabrous above and silky pubescent beneath, apex caudate-acuminate, base rounded. Flowers are large, white with a yellow center, borne in dense terminal spikes, bracts 2 to 3.2 cm long, ovate, bright red to reddish-brown. Fruit is (capsule) ovoid, 2 cm in diameter, 3-halved, red when ripe; seeds are black, with a white aril. Tuberous rootstock is crushed and mixed in water for fish stunning. Apart from its use as fish stunning agent in Mendha; tuber
s of Bese mati are consumed as nutritious delicacy after boiling.
is a large tree, with seeds yielding edible oil. After the removal of the oil from seeds, the remaining cake is used for fish stunning. This cake is locally known as Gara-Dhep. The cake is boiled in water and mixture mixed in water. 0.5 kg cake is sufficient for a 100 sqft pond. It is an effective agent, but fish usually die due to its application.
is a large tree in the Rubiaceae
family. It is commonly known as the Leichhardt tree. The bark is used in creating fish poison.
is a large tree with simple leaves. Gray color bark is used for fish poisoning. Bark is crushed and mixed in water.
is a medium sized tree with compound leaves.
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s paralyse fish, others work by reducing oxygen content in water. The process of documenting many fish toxins and their use is ongoing, with interest in potential uses from medicine, agriculture, and industry. (Jeremy, 2002)
Theory
Use of the herbal fish poisons has been documented in a number of sources involving catching fish from fresh and sea water.Tribal people historically used various plants for medicinal and food exploitation purposes extends the use notion for herbal fish stupefying plants. Use of the fish poisons is very old practice in the history of human kind. In 1212 AD King Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
prohibited the use of certain plant piscicide
Piscicide
A piscicide is a chemical substance which is poisonous to fish. The primary use for piscicides is to eliminate a dominant species of fish in a body of water, as the first step in attempting to populate the body of water with a different fish...
s, and by the fifteenth century similar laws had been decreed in other European countries as well (Wilhelm 1974). All over the globe, indigenous people use various fish poisons to kill the fishes, including America (Jeremy 2002) and among Tarahumara
Tarahumara
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability...
Indians (Gajdusek 1954).
Herbal fish stupefying agents are proven means of fishing, which do not kill fish like chemical poisons. Many of the fish stupefying plants have been used for a long time by local people, and have been tested and found to have medicinal properties like Carreya arborea as a tested plant used as analgesic (Ahmed et al. 2002) and anti diarrheal (Rahman et al. 2003). Some of the plants like C. collinus are a traditional poison used in the different part of the country (Sarathchandra and Balakrishnamurthy 1997, Thomas et al. 1991). In earlier studies, bark extracts of Lannea coromandelica caused lyses of cell membrane followed by fragmentation of cellular materials. These studies scientifically confirmed the toxic property of these plants.
Aesculus californica
California buckeye (Aesculus californicaAesculus californica
Aesculus californica is a species of buckeye that is native [ |] to California and southwest Oregon [Jackson, County], and the only buckeye native to these states.-Description:...
) is a widespread tree in western USA oak woodlands
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
. The large orange colored fruit is leached in warm water, with the resultant aesculin
Aesculin
Aesculin, also rendered Æsculin or Esculin, is a glucoside that naturally occurs in the horse chestnut , California Buckeye and in daphnin ....
mixture then applied to pools in slow moving streams to stun fish.
Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Many of California's Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes traditionally used soaproot, (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) which contains saponin
Saponin
Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species...
, as a fish poison. They would pulverize the roots, mixing in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would kill or incapacitate the fish, which could be gathered easily from the surface of the water. Among the tribes using this technique were the Lassik, the Luiseño, the Yuki, the Yokut, the Chilula, the Wailaki, the Miwok, the Kato, the Mattole, the Nomlaki and the Nishinam
Nisenan
The Nisenan, also known as the Southern Maidu and Valley Maidu, are one of many native groups of the Central Valley. The name Nisenan, derives from the ablative plural pronoun nisena·n, "from among us"...
.
Olax
OlaxOlax
Olax is a genus of plant in family Olacaceae. It contains the following species :* Olax austrosinensis* Olax aphylla* Olax dissitiflora* Olax emirnensis* Olax imbricata, Roxb.* Olax lanceolata...
in the family Olacacae is a climber with compound, dark green leaves and white bark. This is the most extensively used fish poison among Gond
Gondi people
The Gondi, Goindi or Gond people are people in central India, spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra , Chhattisgarh, northern Andhra Pradesh, and Western Orissa. With over four million people, they are the largest tribe in Central India.The Gondi language is related to...
. Typically in summer the leaves of this plant are dried and powdered. About 1 kg powder is mixed in 5 X 5 feet (1.5 m) pond water. This is generally used in the summer when water is confined to small, shallow ponds. Due to its mixing in water fish becomes numb. Numb fish are then collected by hand. It was observed that if stunned fish were immediately introduced into water they would become active. In order to get good results from the Olax (or Korkat), environmental temperature should be high.
Careya coccinea
Careya arboreaCareya arborea
Careya arborea is a species of tree in the Lecythidaceae family, in India. It is known as Kumbhi in Hindi, and Slow Match Tree in English....
(or Kummod Hir) in the family Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250-300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America and Madagascar.According to the most recent molecular analysis of Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250-300 species of woody plants...
is a large deciduous tree with simple large obovate leaves, large fruit and dark gray bark. The root bark is crushed and mixed in water. Upon its admixture, water blackens.
Cleistanthus collinus
Cleistanthus collinus in the family EuphorbiaceaeEuphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
(common name Odcha in Gondi) is a medium sized tree mainly found around villages. Young tender shoots of this species are used for fish stunning. The shoots are crushed in water on stone and paste is mixed in water. Apart from its use as fish stupefying agent, the stem of this plant is used for brushing teeth, leaves for storing grains and wood as fuel.
Lannea coromandelica
Lannea coromandelica in the family AnacardiaceaeAnacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
is a medium sized to large deciduous tree with spreading crown and stout branches. The leaves are compound, bark whitish or gray and small, yellowish or purplish flowers. Flowers and fruits appear between February and June. Fruits (Red, compressed, reniform and 1-seeded) of this plant are crushed and mixed in water. It is abundant in the Mendha forest.
Banksia speciosa
Banksia speciosaBanksia speciosa
The Showy Banksia is a species of large shrub or small tree in the plant genus Banksia. It reaches up to 8 m in height...
in the family Costaceae
Costaceae
Costaceae or the Costus Family is a family of pantropical monocots. They belong to the order Zingiberales, which contains other horticulturally and economically important plants such as the banana , bird-of-paradise , and edible ginger...
is an erect, succulent herb, up to 2.7 m tall and with a tuberous rootstock. Leaves are spirally arranged on stem, 15-30 cm long and 5.7 to 7.5 cm wide, oblong to oblanceolate, glabrous above and silky pubescent beneath, apex caudate-acuminate, base rounded. Flowers are large, white with a yellow center, borne in dense terminal spikes, bracts 2 to 3.2 cm long, ovate, bright red to reddish-brown. Fruit is (capsule) ovoid, 2 cm in diameter, 3-halved, red when ripe; seeds are black, with a white aril. Tuberous rootstock is crushed and mixed in water for fish stunning. Apart from its use as fish stunning agent in Mendha; tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s of Bese mati are consumed as nutritious delicacy after boiling.
Madhuca indica
Madhuca indica in the family SapotaceaeSapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....
is a large tree, with seeds yielding edible oil. After the removal of the oil from seeds, the remaining cake is used for fish stunning. This cake is locally known as Gara-Dhep. The cake is boiled in water and mixture mixed in water. 0.5 kg cake is sufficient for a 100 sqft pond. It is an effective agent, but fish usually die due to its application.
Nauclea orientalis
Nauclea orientalisNauclea orientalis
Nauclea orientalis is a species of tree in the Rubiaceae family. It is commonly known as the Leichhardt tree and yellow cheesewood, among other names. It grows to a maximum of around in height and has large glossy leaves. It bears spherical clusters of fragrant flowers that develop into golf...
is a large tree in the Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
family. It is commonly known as the Leichhardt tree. The bark is used in creating fish poison.
Pterocarpus marsupium
Pterocarpus marsupium in the family FabaceaeFabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
is a large tree with simple leaves. Gray color bark is used for fish poisoning. Bark is crushed and mixed in water.
Chloroxylon swietenia
Chloroxylon swietenia in the family RutaceaeRutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
is a medium sized tree with compound leaves.