# Best way to kill fish?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-kill-fish/589419>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 18, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-kill-fish/589419 "2011-07-18T07:16:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-kill-fish/589419/61 "2011-07-26T15:30:22Z")

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Back when I used to fish, and I mostly fished medium-sized fish like carp, taking their head off with a hand axe seemed like the best solution. It’s quick and to the point. If the fish has a bigger head than your axe does, aim for the spinal cord.

I was always too squeamish to do it myself however, which is why I stopped fishing.

My fishing buddy was a bit more hardcore/asshole about it, he’d just grab the fish by their tail and whack their head on the pavement a couple times until they stopped moving. I guess it works too but…way too Neanderthal for my tastes.  
Works fine for octopi & calamari though - for some reason I can’t really picture those suffering much and, well, what head are you going to cut off from them anyhow ?! Where does decapitation starts and hacking off their limbs stop ?

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