Transportation Of Live Fish Research Articles

Biogeography of the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida inferred by vapA genotyping.

ABSTRACTA recently described typing system based on sequence variation in the virulence array protein (vapA) gene, encoding the A-layer surface protein array, allows unambiguous subtyping of Aeromonas salmonicida. In the present study, we compile A-layer typing results from a total of 675 A. salmonicida isolates, recovered over a 59-year period from 50 different fish species in 26 countries. Nine novel A-layer types (15–23) are identified, several of which display a strong predilection towards certain fish hosts, including e.g. Cyprinidae and Pleuronectidae species. Moreover, we find indications that anthropogenic transport of live fish may have aided the near global dissemination of two cyprinid-associated A-layer types. Comparison of whole genome phylogeny and A-layer typing for a subset of strains further resulted in compatible tree topologies, indicating the utility of vapA as a phylogenetic as well as an epizootiological marker in A. salmonicida. A Microreact project (microreact.org/project/r1pcOAx9m) has been created, allowing public access to the vapA analyses and relevant metadata. In sum, the results generated provide valuable insights into the global population structure of A. salmonicida, particularly in relation to its piscine host spectrum and the geographic distribution of these hosts.

PG Flow Solutions expands in aquaculture/fisheries with Cflow acquisition

Norwegian pump supplier PG Flow Solutions AS has bought Cflow, a company that specialises in the handling, storage and transport of live fish.

Development and evaluation of an intelligent traceability system for waterless live fish transportation

Chinese consumers prefer to purchase fish that have only recently been killed. The supplying of live fish is routinely delivered by water. However, the traditional transportation of live fish with water results in small volume of transportation and may cost prohibitive. Therefore, cold anesthetized waterless live fish transport is considered an alternative and promising strategy, since this is likely to demand less energy with large freight volume. This paper aims to develop an intelligent traceability platform based on HACCP system that integrates wireless monitoring and quality control models to improve the quality control and safety transparency in waterless fish transportation. In this research Chinese sturgeon is taken as experiment subjects for long-distance transportation. Oxygen change model is established as a life-sustained key factor by hybrid prediction method can optimize fish survivability. Survival prediction model is also designed for improvement of live delivery quality with minimum stress accumulation under precise temperature condition. For tracing function evaluation, the QR Code combined with existing EPC traceability technology enables users to expediently query and quickly trace the safety transport information from aquaculture to markets. To demonstrate the automatic monitoring and intelligent traceable management in this platform, sturgeon delivery experiments have been evaluated and analyzed. The results illustrate this system can reduce the potential risks, implement quality control with high survival results, and improve the live fish transport volume at low-costly. In brief, application of this smart platform will provide an effective, suitable technical reference for aquatic enterprises to follow, and help them to adjust the waterless transport techniques for the other types of aquatic products.

<b>Water quality and survival rate of <i>Rhamdia quelen</i> fry subjected to simulated transportation at different stock densities and temperatures

ABSTRACT. Transportation of live fish is routinely done in aquaculture; therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the water quality and survival rate of Rhamdia quelen fry (2.55±0.44 g) following 4, 8 and 12h of simulated transportation, at stock densities of 30 and 60 fry 5 L-1 and temperatures 15, 20 and 25oC. Dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, total ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, turbidity, total alkalinity and survival were analyzed. Temperature and time had a significant influence on ammonia, pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen levels, and fish died after 12 hours of transportation simulation when kept at 20 and 25oC. The density directly affected the water quality parameters, such as the increase in electrical conductivity and turbidity, and decrease in dissolved oxygen and pH at the density of 60 fish 5 L-1. In conclusion, the transportation of R. quelen fry should be carried out at temperatures between 15 and 25°C, for periods of less than 12 hours, and at stock density of up to 6 fish per liter of water so as not to impair the homeostasis of the fry, and consequently, their survival.

The use of feed and water additives for live fish transport

AbstractThe transport of live fish for aquaculture, either for food or as companion animals, presents a major issue for animal welfare. The stressors associated with live transportation are well documented with a focus on maintaining water quality during transport to reduce stress. Far less considered is our ability to enhance health and welfare during transport through the use of dietary and water additives prior to and during transport. With increasing interest in the use of plant essential oils as feed additives in food fish aquaculture and the increased availability of products claiming to alleviate stress in ornamental species, there is a need for scientific investigation into these potential welfare‐promoting methods. Here, we summarise current knowledge on the use of food additives, water conditioners, antibiotics, antimicrobials and probiotics to promote fish health during transport. This review aims to highlight the gaps in our knowledge surrounding promising ways of promoting fish health during transport and to stimulate new research in this area.

Live table fish transportation - a means of innovative value addition in the fish retail markets of Ludhiana, Punjab

In the present study, different means of transportation of live table fish in Sherpur Fish Market, Ludhiana District in Punjab were investigated. Two methods, one for short distance (travel time <2h) and the other for long distance transportation (travel time 2-6 h), were studied. The transportation method for short distance was with tricycle-rickshaw either pulled by humans or by a moped, wherein, a wooden cuboid (1.5x1.0x1.0 m) with internal polythene lining was used with a carrying capacity of 50-100 kg fish. In the long distance transportation method, polythene lined truck-pool of 3.1x1.83x0.75 m was used and about 600-700 kg fish per truck-pool was transported. About 50 to 100% fish mortality was observed in the long-distancecarriage or truck-pool method, whereas, only 10- 20% mortality was recorded in short-distance-carriage or cart method. The fish transported were primarily carps weighing 300-1500 g each and comprised catla (catla catla ), rohu (Labeo rohita), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), big-head carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). The live fish packaging and transportation were used as a means of value addition to ensure fresh quality and added market price per unit fish. The retail price of live table carps ranged from `120-200 kg-1 based on species of fish and its size, whereas, the dead and iced fish was priced below `100 kg-1. The major problems faced in live fish transportation were lack of aeration of water during transportation, inconvenient and cumbersome nature of existing method and accident proneness. The study suggested the need for scientific intervention in mainly two aspects such as: 1) to develop a handy method of live table fish transportation compatible to truck-pools and 2) to develop an aerator appropriate for the live-fish transportation containers in order to overcome the existing problems.

Survival prediction system for waterless live Chinese Sturgeon transportation based on temperature related glucose changes

AbstractChinese consumers prefer to consume fish that have only in the vigorously live state. Therefore, it is not easily and imprecisely for aquatic enterprises to implement effective aquatic survival prediction and maintain a reasonable high survival rate after live transportation. For another, traditional live fish transportation is in water, and it is cost‐prohibitive and managing‐complex. Nevertheless, waterless live fish delivery under cooling condition is considered as an alternative and promising strategy with less complexity and large traffic volume. Chinese Sturgeon had been taken as experimental subjects in our study and worked out the correlation between temperature range and survival rate with minimum stress changes. Moreover, dynamic probing for fish stress changes in term of glucose‐sensor that is a significant survey to get optimum shipment temperature and design survival computing model by over 30 hr delivering experiments, and use the deviation from reasonable temperature variation to accurately predict the final survival result. The result clearly shows the forecasting accuracy of the system is quite enough to content the requirements of aquatic enterprises. As a result, it is meaningful to provide a new management approach to improve transportation efficiency, reduce the losses, and also ensure consumers to eat high‐quality of live aquatic products.Practical applicationsConsumers have recently become more favorite with the live Chinese Sturgeon with respect to its good flavor and nutrition. In the process of live fish delivering, the logistic temperature controlling with minimum stress is the advisable way to improve the survival result for waterless live Sturgeon storage and transportation. Moreover, to fit the optimum temperature series of the real changes, the final survival rate can be estimated in a relatively high level that is quite enough to satisfy the requirement of waterless live aquatic logistics under controlled temperature range 1–3 °C.

An On-Line Oxygen Forecasting System for Waterless Live Transportation of Flatfish Based on Feature Clustering

Accurate prediction of forthcoming oxygen concentration during waterless live fish transportation plays a key role in reducing the abnormal occurrence, increasing the survival rate in delivery operations, and optimizing manufacturing costs. The most effective ambient monitoring techniques that are based on the analysis of historical process data when performing forecasting operations do not fully consider current ambient influence. This is likely lead to a greater deviation in on-line oxygen level forecasting in real situations. Therefore, it is not advisable for the system to perform early warning and on-line air adjustment in delivery. In this paper, we propose a hybrid method and its implementation system that combines a gray model (GM (1, 1)) with least squares support vector machines (LSSVM) that can be used effectively as a forecasting model to perform early warning effectively according to the dynamic changes of oxygen in a closed system. For accurately forecasting of the oxygen level, the fuzzy C-means clustering (FCM) algorithm was utilized for classification according to the flatfish’s physical features—i.e., length and weight—for more pertinent training. The performance of the gray model-particle swarm optimization-least squares support vector machines (GM-PSO-LSSVM) model was compared with the traditional modeling approaches of GM (1, 1) and LSSVM by applying it to predict on-line oxygen level, and the results showed that its predictions were more accurate than those of the LSSVM and grey model. Therefore, it is a suitable and effective method for abnormal condition forecasting and timely control in the waterless live transportation of flatfish.

Correction to 'A hypervariable mitochondrial protein coding sequence associated with geographical origin in a cosmopolitan bloom-forming alga, Heterosigma akashiwo'.

Geographical distributions of phytoplankton species can be defined by events on both evolutionary time and shorter scales, e.g. recent climate changes. Additionally, modern industrial activity, including the transport of live fish and spat for aquaculture and aquatic microorganisms in ship ballast water, may aid the spread of phytoplankton. Obtaining a reliable marker is key to gaining insight into the phylogeographic history of a species. Here, we report a hypervariable mitochondrial gene in the cosmopolitan bloom-forming alga, Heterosigma akashiwo . We compared the entire mitochondrial genome sequences of seven H. akashiwo strains from Japanese and North American coastal waters and identified a hypervariable segment. The region codes for a hypothetical protein with no defined function, and its variations between Japanese and North American isolates were prominent, while the sequences were more conserved among Japanese strains and North American isolates. Comparison of the sequence in isolates obtained from different geographical points in the Northern Hemisphere revealed that the sequence variations largely correlated with latitude and longitude (i.e. Pacific/Atlantic oceans). Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the sequence in determining the phylogeographic history of H. akashiwo .

Biochemical parameters of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) after transport with eugenol or essential oil of Lippia alba added to the water.

The transport of live fish is a routine practice in aquaculture and constitutes a considerable source of stress to the animals. The addition of anesthetic to the water used for fish transport can prevent or mitigate the deleterious effects of transport stress. This study investigated the effects of the addition of eugenol (EUG) (1.5 or 3.0 µL L-1) and essential oil of Lippia alba (EOL) (10 or 20 µL L-1) on metabolic parameters (glycogen, lactate and total protein levels) in liver and muscle, acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) in muscle and brain, and the levels of protein carbonyl (PC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nonprotein thiol groups (NPSH) and activity of glutathione-S-transferase in the liver of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen; Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) transported for four hours in plastic bags (loading density of 169.2 g L-1). The addition of various concentrations of EUG (1.5 or 3.0 µL L-1) and EOL (10 or 20 µL L-1) to the transport water is advisable for the transportation of silver catfish, since both concentrations of these substances increased the levels of NPSH antioxidant and decreased the TBARS levels in the liver. In addition, the lower liver levels of glycogen and lactate in these groups and lower AChE activity in the brain (EOL 10 or 20 µL L-1) compared to the control group indicate that the energetic metabolism and neurotransmission were lower after administration of anesthetics, contributing to the maintenance of homeostasis and sedation status.

Anaesthetic efficacy of eugenol on various size classes of angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare Schultze, 1823)

Anaesthetic efficacy of eugenol was investigated on Pterophyllum scalare. A total of 130 fish with average weights of 1.0 ± 0.5, 5.0 ± 1.0 and 10.0 ± 1.0 g were subjected to 1.25, 2.5, 4.0, 5.5 and 7.0 mg/L eugenol, and behavioural responses were observed. Induction and recovery times were significantly affected by the interactive effect of eugenol concentration and fish weight (p < .05). Generally, 49.9–128 s after exposure to 1.25–7 mg/L eugenol, fish reached stage 3. Fish entered stage 4 over 55–135 s post exposure to such concentrations. Recovery time was 393.5–597.7 s in all sizes. Any increase in eugenol concentration led to a significant decrease in the induction time with a subsequent increment of the recovery time. Concentrations of eugenol and fish size along with their interactive effects have significantly contributed to the regression models, with concentration recording the highest beta values for stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 (−0.903, −0.898, −0.976 and −0.864 respectively) and the product of size and anaesthetic concentration for full recovery in smaller fish (0.647) and eugenol concentration in larger ones (0.967). Recovery time was fitted to induction time to stage 4 via quadratic and linear regression models in smaller and larger fish respectively. Results revealed the minimal eugenol concentration to induce anaesthesia in various size classes of angelfish in less than 3 min was 1.25 mg/L. Our results showed eugenol as an effective and safe anaesthetic; however, it is not advisable for live fish transportation.

A hypervariable mitochondrial protein coding sequence associated with geographical origin in a cosmopolitan bloom-forming alga, Heterosigma akashiwo.

Geographical distributions of phytoplankton species can be defined by events on both evolutionary time and shorter scales, e.g. recent climate changes. Additionally, modern industrial activity, including the transport of live fish and spat for aquaculture and aquatic microorganisms in ship ballast water, may aid the spread of phytoplankton. Obtaining a reliable marker is key to gaining insight into the phylogeographic history of a species. Here, we report a hypervariable mitochondrial gene in the cosmopolitan bloom-forming alga, Heterosigma akashiwo We compared the entire mitochondrial genome sequences of seven H. akashiwo strains from Japanese and North American coastal waters and identified a hypervariable segment. The region codes for a hypothetical protein with no defined function, and its variations between Japanese and North American isolates were prominent, while the sequences were more conserved among Japanese strains and North American isolates. Comparison of the sequence in isolates obtained from different geographical points in the Northern Hemisphere revealed that the sequence variations largely correlated with latitude and longitude (i.e. Pacific/Atlantic oceans). Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the sequence in determining the phylogeographic history of H. akashiwo.

Methodological issues affecting the study of fish parasites. III. Effect of fish preservation method.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of preservation method on the results of parasite community studies. Two host species, European perch Perca fluviatilis and European bitterling Rhodeus amarus, were examined for parasites after having been subjected to 4 different storage treatments: freezing, preservation in 4% formaldehyde or 70% ethanol and transportation of live (fresh) fish as a control. Preservation prior to dissection resulted in a loss of information, leading to incomplete quantitative data (all preservation treatments), qualitative data (ethanol and formaldehyde preservation) and a lowered ability to determine parasites to species level based on morphology compared to dissecting fresh fish. Of the more abundant taxa, only crustaceans and acanthocephalans provided relatively even results between treatments. We conclude that preservation media, such as ethanol or formaldehyde, significantly affects the ability to obtain precise parasite community data; hence, we recommend the use of freshly sacrificed fish for parasite community studies whenever possible. Alternatively, freezing may prove acceptable for evaluating parasite community taxonomic composition.

MW‐MTM: A mobile wireless monitoring and traceability management system for water‐free live transport of aquatic products

AbstractLow temperature water‐free keep live transport is a new method for transportation of aquatic products. The fish or other aquatic products will be suspended animation of the dormant state, by the appropriate gradient cooling of in their corresponding ecological ice temperature zone, to reduce respiration and metabolism to improve the survival rates. The article developed a mobile wireless monitoring and traceability management system to acquire micro‐ambient gas, humidity, and temperature intelligently in logistics and control them automatically to release transport stress, guarantee the keep alive rates and meat quality of aquatic products. Finally, through test of live Chinese sturgeon water‐free keep live transport under the management of MW‐MTM system, the survival rate was increased by 5% to reach 99.5% after using this system, reduced the labor force 10% and visualized the traceability of transportation based on Baidu map system.Practical applicationsAquatic products water‐free live transport in ecological ice temperature zone by the appropriate gradient cooling, to make aquatic products in suspended animation in the dormant state, reduce respiration, and metabolism to improve the survival rate. Through the implementation of the monitoring online metabolic gas and controlling of temperature, humidity of cold chain so as to control and trace the quality of the live transport. Those applications of live fish transport provided the theoretical basis for the tracing and optimization of cold chain logistics for live aquatic products.

Analysis of transaction records of live freshwater finfish in China: A case study of customers’ claims of fish mortality using cross-classified modeling

Customers of finfish in China place a high priority on healthy fish at the point of sale but factors that increase the risk of morbidity and mortality during transportation have had limited study. We designed a case study to investigate variation of mortalities claimed by customers receiving fish at markets with above-normal mortalities. We used daily transaction records of the 3 species transported from a company located in Guangdong province to its destination markets in Beijing between April and July 2013: largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi), and longsnout catfish (Leiocassis longirostris). We quantified magnitudes and patterns of weekly mortalities of transported fish, and used cross-classified random-effect modeling to explore variation and clustering of fish mortality claims at wholesale destinations. Random effects for customer and market-week were interpreted by variance partition coefficients (VPC) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). A significant fixed effect of market was found in the model of mortality claims for longsnout catfish (p<0.05), and changing patterns of VPC and ICC suggested that customers ordering longsnout catfish had more variation in claims than those ordering the other 2 species. Our findings indicate a need for better customer communication for live fish transportation and a need for detailed measurements during the process including physiological factors and transportation conditions, to better understand their role in reported mortalities.

&lt;b&gt;Physiological and hematological responses of Nile tilapia (&lt;i&gt;Oreochromis Niloticus&lt;/i&gt;) to different anesthetics during simulated transport conditions

Minimization of stress during the transportation of live fish is essential in maintaining the welfare and performance of the animals. In order to test the hypothesis that stress during transport of fingerlings of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) can be reduced with the aid of the anesthetics menthol, eugenol or benzocaine, we have assessed the effects of these agents at various concentrations on the physiological parameters and survival rates of fish subjected to conditions simulating those normally used in transportation. Fingerlings (N = 1200) were fasted for 24 hours and distributed in 20 L polyethylene bags (N = 50 per bag) containing 5 L of water and an anesthetic at the appropriate concentration. Fingerlings treated with menthol at 75 mg L-1, or eugenol or benzocaine at 20 mg L-1, maintained levels of plasma cortisol and glucose that were lower than those of the stressed but untreated controls and within the physiological limits of the baseline values for this species. Under these conditions, the survival rate was 100%, suggesting that stress was substantially reduced despite dense consignment. Treatments involving higher doses of the studied agents induced significant anesthetic toxicity.

An overview of stress physiology of fish transport: changes in water quality as a function of transport duration

AbstractThis study brings an integrated analysis about the relationship between water deterioration and its physiological consequences in live fish transport. The analysis was focused on the transport water and its deterioration, and physiological challenges imposed on the fish. Usual commercial handling procedures employed to mitigate fish stress during transport were discussed. Future topics of research for the establishment of safer fish transport protocols were proposed. Transport was classified into short (≤8 h) or long transport (&gt;8 h). The main issue in short transports should be the prevention of water pH reduction, while in long transports it is the increase in ammonia. Plasma cortisol is the most employed marker for stress and is acutely elevated upon short episodes of transport, but remains elevated even in long‐transport events. Plasma glucose is perhaps a better marker for handling stress. Plasma lactate, pH, osmolality CO2 and ions should be more often evaluated. Plasma Na+ and Cl‐ are very useful markers of acidosis, due to their respective exchange for H+ and , for acid–base regulation. The establishment of species‐specific transport protocols should be preceded by such combined analyses of water and physiological parameters.

Effects of clove oil, essential oil of Lippia alba and 2-phe anaesthesia on juvenile meagre, Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801)

Summary The objectives of this experiment were to (i) determine the efficacy of essential oils of clove (CO) and Lippia alba (EOLA) to induce deep anaesthesia in juvenile specimens (49.0 ± 6.2 g body mass, 16.6 ± 0.8 cm; n = 8 per treatment) of meagre (Argyrosomus regius); and (ii) study the feasibility of these substances, together with 2-phenoxyethanol (2-PHE), as potential sedatives [low concentration: (i) EOLA: 12 mg L−1; (ii) CO: 1 mg L−1; and (iii) 2-PHE: 33 mg·L −1; n = 8 per treatment] for live fish transport of this species. All test were performed at a constant temperature (18°C). Thus, the main primary stress indicator (plasma cortisol) and secondary factors (plasma metabolites) were evaluated. In addition, growth hormone (GH) mRNA expression was also evaluated in the pituitary gland. The results indicated that EOLA is considered to be effective for deep anaesthesia when the concentration is close to 160 mg L−1, while CO produces the same effect when lower concentrations are added (40–50 mg L−1). Regarding sedative concentrations, a significant ~3-fold increase in plasma cortisol levels was detected in the EOLA group when compared to control specimens. In addition, glucose levels were not reduced and significantly increased (~1.6-fold) for 2-PHE in relation to the control fish. None of the anaesthetics promoted a significant difference for GH expression with respect to the control group, but a significant ~2-fold increase for 2-PHE treatment with respect to the EOLA exposition was found in this gene expression. Results show that none of the anaesthetics analysed, at least in the ranges of concentrations used in this study (EOLA 12 mg L−1, CO 1 mg L−1, 2-PHE 33 mg L−1), are recommended for live fish transport, as shown by the absence of inhibition on the stress parameters assessed.

Small-scale capture, transport and tank adaptation of live, medium-sized Scombrids using "Tuna Tubes".

The transport of live fish is a crucial step to establish fish culture in captivity, and is especially challenging for species that have not been commonly cultured before, therefore transport and handling methods need to be optimized and tailored. This study describes the use of tuna tubes for small-scale transport of medium-sized pelagic fish from the Scombridae family. Tuna tubes are an array of vertical tubes that hold the fish, while fresh seawater is pumped up the tubes and through the fish mouth and gills, providing oxygen and removing wastes. In this study, 19 fish were captured using rod and line and 42 % of the captured fish were transported alive in the custom-designed tuna tubes to an on-shore holding tank: five mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis) and three leaping bonito (Cybiosarda elegans). Out of these, just three (15.8 % of total fish) acclimatized to the tank’s condition. Based on these results, we discuss an improved design of the tuna tubes that has the potential to increase survival rates and enable a simple and low cost method of transporting of live pelagic fish.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1391-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Histological and antioxidant responses inRhamdia quelensedated with propofol

Morphometry of gills and antioxidant/oxidant status in gills, brain, liver and blood of Rhamdia quelen sedated with propofol were studied. The purpose was to investigate structural and functional responses upon administration of the drug in order to validate its use for the species. The fish were exposed to 0, 0.4 or 0.8 mg L−1 propofol for 1, 6 or 12 h, which are times normally used in live fish transport. Propofol induced an increase in chloride cell in the non-respiratory epithelium of the gill. Standard biochemical assays (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lipid hydroperoxides) indicated that the lowest concentration of propofol did not induce lipoperoxidation in gills, brain, liver or blood. The oxidative status of enzymatic (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase) and non-enzymatic (non-protein thiols) antioxidants differed among the tested sites. Apart from the blood, superoxide dismutase was the enzyme to show the highest activity in the presence of propofol, which is known to possess antioxidant properties that resemble those of vitamin E. The absence of chloride cells in the respiratory epithelium (lamella) in association with the stability of the lamellar structure (i.e. lamellar area, total height of lamella and width of lamella) indicate that ion and oxygen uptake were preserved under propofol sedation. Thus, 0.4 mg L−1 propofol should be considered to sedate R. quelen during lengthy procedures, such as transport, for it was able to maintain ionic and respiratory homeostasis as well as prevent peroxidative damage in vital organs.