A Systematic Review on Transportation Approaches of Fish Larvae and Broods

Abstract

The precise transportation of fish seed and brood is important in order to reduce mortality and associated loss. There are two significant types of transportation: open and closed systems. These systems have been practiced on the basis of density, transportation distance, fish size, oxygen (O 2 ), ammonia, and temperature variations. Temperature should not rise more than 5 degrees Celsius per hour and best to maintain in between 12-15℃ during transportation of the tropical and subtropical species, as the fishes’ activity increase with escalating temperature which requires more oxygen for the metabolic activity. Higher metabolism resulting from higher temperature during transportation can produce toxic metabolites and causes severe mortality of fry and broods. At a moderate distance and duration, O 2 and water must be ensured at a 1:3 ratios at optimum temperature range. The most commonly used medium for larvae transportation is polyethylene bags. Different ranges of anesthesia, probiotics, nitrifying consortia, chemical and non-chemical agents along with conditioning before and after shipment are used to prevent fish (larvae and brood) stress, quality deterioration and mortality during transportation.

Keywords: Fish larvae, Transportation techniques, Anesthesia, Probiotics, Conditioning, mortality