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A thiocyanate detector was reported in 2017 as a promising way to identify fish exposed to cyanide, but it has not been shown to end illegal cyanide fishing or become a dependable field test. The proposed signal in aquarium holding water failed to reproduce in a 2018 study, and later blood-plasma research did not validate a practical test across fish species.
What was the thiocyanate detector supposed to do?
Cyanide exposure can cause an animal to form thiocyanate as it processes cyanide. The proposed test looked for that chemical in water where fish had been held, potentially allowing investigators to screen fish without killing them.
In 2017, Chemistry World reported that a team led by Clifford Murphy at Roger Williams University had developed an electrochemical sensor using metalloporphyrins attached to a substrate. The report attributed a detection level of 1–2 parts per billion to the experimental sensor and said the researchers had conducted blind identification of fish-exposure samples. Those figures describe the reported research, not a commercial product specification or independently established screening performance. No model, vendor, or retail availability was identified.
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A sensor’s ability to register thiocyanate is not the same as a validated way to establish how a fish was caught. That requires reliable sampling and performance across species and conditions, as well as a workable process for using results in trade or enforcement.
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Did the water-based test work when other researchers tried it?
In a 2018 replication study, Breen and colleagues conducted four cyanide-exposure experiments on common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) over three years and analyzed more than 100 water samples. They found no thiocyanate in water from exposed fish using either HPLC-UV or LC-MS/MS, although standards and positive controls confirmed that the analytical methods could detect thiocyanate. The authors concluded that the water-based method was not viable on their evidence; if thiocyanate was present in the tested aquarium water, its concentration was below 0.6 μg/L. Their study is published in PLOS ONE.
The result does not prove that fish never produce thiocyanate after cyanide exposure. It shows that the expected signal was not detectable in the holding water under the study’s conditions. A 2019 evidence review likewise reported that the holding-water approach had not been successfully reproduced by other laboratories. The review discusses the unresolved evidence and test-development questions.
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What did later plasma research establish?
A 2019 study measured thiocyanate in blood plasma after controlled cyanide exposure in A. ocellaris. Plasma concentrations peaked 12–20 hours after exposure. The reported elimination half-lives were 1.01 ± 0.26 days after a 45-second exposure and 0.44 ± 0.15 days after a 20-second exposure. These results help describe thiocyanate handling in the tested fish and exposure conditions; they do not establish a field-ready screening test.
The authors said the findings needed to be extended to other species and that baseline thiocyanate levels in wild fish needed to be established before plasma thiocyanate could be used as a marker. Plasma sampling also differs from the original proposal to test holding water. The 2019 study is available in PeerJ.
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Why is detecting cyanide-caught fish difficult?
Cyanide fishing uses sodium or potassium cyanide solution to stun reef fish for collection, including for the marine aquarium and live reef food trades. The practice can expose non-target fish and corals, and many exposed fish die during capture or transport. A screening method must therefore work despite differences in species, exposure and the time between capture and testing.
Earlier methods have traded off factors such as whether they require sacrificing a fish, detection limits, ease of use and robustness. A historical account in the 2018 study describes the Cyanide Detection Test developed by the International Marinelife Alliance at the request of the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The paper reports that it was historically used in eight Philippine laboratories and that concerns included false positives, sample-size constraints, fish sacrifice and a laborious 2–3 hour analysis. These are historical details reported by the study, not a description of current laboratory operations.
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The same paper reports that 48,000 fish were tested over eight years, with 25% testing positive. Those figures describe the historical testing account in that paper; they should not be read as a current estimate of prevalence among traded fish. Breen and colleagues discuss the test’s history and limitations in their study.
Would a detector alone stop illegal cyanide fishing?
No. A test can contribute evidence, but it needs validated collection and handling procedures, clear interpretation of results, and a way to connect findings to trade practices and enforcement. NOAA’s 2008 International Cyanide Detection Testing Workshop brought together forensic chemists and government and nongovernment representatives, including participants from the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. Its agenda addressed testing options alongside management and enforcement. NOAA’s workshop report documents that broader focus.
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The practical question is not only whether an instrument detects a chemical. It is whether a result can reliably distinguish exposed fish from unexposed fish across relevant species and conditions, using a sampling method that authorities or supply chains can apply consistently. The evidence described here does not establish that the 2017 sensor achieved that standard or that it could by itself end the practice.
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