Drunken Fish

image by laszlo-photo

We’ve seen various mentions of an Ohio law that makes it illegal to give alcohol to a fish. Really? What were they thinking? We did a little research to see if Ohio legislators are really concerned about drunken fish reeking havoc on the town. Turns out, at least one silly law is no longer on the Ohio books.

But, how did the law make it onto the books in the first place? My first thought was of the gold-fish swallowing fad. Maybe the fish were paralyzed or killed with booze to keep them from wriggling. Or, perhaps to add a little extra punch to the dare.

I also read an explanation that the law was enacted in response to a great depression era activity of pouring moonshine into small lakes full of fish to grab a quick meal. Frankly, I find this less likely than the first scenario. It seems more efficient to drink the hooch than try to get floating fish in a lake.