Electric Fish Handling Gloves

Smith-Root Electric Fish Handling Gloves are a lightweight, water-proof, and portable system designed to temporarily immobilize live fish for easier handling without the use of chemicals.

Special purpose gloves are electrified to pass levels of manually adjustable electric current through the body of a fish. Recovery of motion occurs for the fish upon release.

Electric Fish Handling Gloves

What is the Electric Fish Handling Glove system?

The Electric Fish Handling Glove system consists of specially designed conductive gloves that slip over insulating rubber gloves worn by the fish handler. Wires then connect with each fish handling glove to a lightweight, waterproof, and rechargeable control box that slips comfortably into a provided chest harness.

How does the system work?

Whenever a fish is touched with both hands, the fish completes the electrical circuit and is immobilized. Five amperage settings provide user adjustability for fish of different sizes and fish with different electrical sensitivities. Because fish are handled outside of the water, the maximum current for the glove system is only 0.025 amps, which is multiple orders of magnitude less than our other electrofishing equipment.

How quickly do fish become immobilized and how quickly do they recover?

A fish is immobilized upon simultaneous contact with both gloves. Removing one hand from the fish breaks the current, allowing the fish to instantly recover (assuming proper current setting and fish has not been removed from water for extended periods of time).

What are the benefits?

Using chemicals to immobilize fish is timely and often requires a 21 day holding period before release. Not only does the Electric Fish Handling Gloves allow for lawful immediate release of fish, it is also the most rapid immobilization and recovery option.

What fish have the gloves been used with?

The list continues to grow. To date, we have records of white sturgeon, lake trout, cutthroat trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, rainbow trout, steelhead, Atlantic salmon, lingcod, black rockfish, walleye, yellow perch, common carp, muskie, channel catfish, bluegill sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, American eel, brook lamprey, and Pacific lamprey.

Electric Fish Handling Gloves Specifications

Power Source 9V Rechargeable NiMH, 175mAh x 4
Battery Voltage, normal operation 32V min to 39V max
Battery Shutdown Voltage 30V typical, ±2% range
Estimated Battery Life 25mA range: 5 hours
16mA range: 9 hours
10mA range: 13 hours
6.3mA range: 18 hours
4mA range: 25 hours
Output Voltage 39V maximum
Output Current 25mA maximum
Environmental Requirements Storage temperature: -20° to 30° C
Size and Weight Height: 8.25 in (20.9 cm)
Width: 4.75 in (12 cm)
Depth: 2.5 in (6.3 cm)
Weight: 1.55 lb. (703 g)

Specifications subject to change without notice.