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<br />evaluation of growth affects was limited by the small number of recaptured fish. <br />Immediate mortality was not observed in any fish captured but it is likely that the one <br />fish that experienced respiratory arrest was injured severely enough to cause mortality if <br />it had not been resuscitated. <br />Physiological response of fish to the electrical field did not follow established <br />theory that fish become increasingly incapacitated as they move closer to the anode. <br />Proximity is considered important because there is evidence that the closer a fish is to <br />an electrode, the greater its potential for injury (Snyder 1992). Fish in this study were <br />captured at a range of distances from the anodes and their physiological state was not <br />related to the distance; but, the relationship was potentially confounded by the inability <br />to accurately observe fish location at all times prior to capture. Observations of fish <br />location in this study may not accurately portray how close some fish were to an <br />electrode before capture because their trajectory and location prior to netting was often <br />obscured by turbidity and influenced by the moving boat, flowing water, and fish depth. <br />This might explain why some tetanized fish were captured more than 2 m from an <br />anode. However, this explanation does not account for fish observed swimming all the <br />way to and touching an anode without experiencing tetany. Because the area <br />immediately adjacent to the anode has the highest voltage gradient, fish that are <br />extremely close or touch the anode should experience tetany (Snyder 1995). <br />Fish that touched an anode in this study (whether tetanized or not) were not <br />injured at a greater rate than fish that did not touch an anode. However, the harmful <br />effects of extreme tetany were observed in the fish that was in respiratory arrest after <br />prolonged contact with a live anode. Without resuscitation this fish would have <br /> <br />15 <br />