Fish Samples for Disease Diagnosis
- Fish Packaging and Shipping
How to package and ship live fish?
- Use sturdy plastic bags!
- Label each bag.
- Fill with one-third water, fish, and two-thirds compressed oxygen (Figure 2 and 3)
- Twist and fold top of bag
- Seal tightly with strong rubber band
- Double bag, sealed separately in same manner.
- Label each bag with the necessary information (Figure 4)
- Surround each bag with ice, as appropriate for species and weather.
- Contain fish samples and ice within another sealed plastic bag.
- Place in strong insulated cooler
- Fill the remaining empty space with packing material.
- Include submission forms and case history)
- Place in a cardboard box, if possible, for shipping
Precautions:
- Keep fish at low densities in bags.
- Do not feed fish for 24 hours prior to bagging.
- Pack fish immediately prior to transport
- Make sure there is enough gas in bag (twice as much O2 as water)
- Add an extra bag if fish have spines.
- Add extra ice during warm weather.
- Make sure bags are sealed tightly.
- Make sure ice is bagged to prevent leaking as it melts.
- Make sure the receiving laboratory knows the date and time of the expected shipment.
- Use tracking numbers immediately to locate fish if they do not arrive as expected.
How to package and ship freshly dead fish on ice?
- Use strong airtight plastic bags.
- Label each bag.
- Collected fish are placed in bags immediately following humane euthanasia.
- No water or air in bag
- ~5 fish per bag, dependent on size
- Surround each bag with ice.
- Contain samples & ice within another sealed plastic bag.
- Place in strong insulated cooler
- Include submission forms and case history.
- Place cooler in a cardboard box, if possible, for shipping
How to package and ship frozen fish?
- Freeze euthanized fish immediately after collection.
- Keep samples frozen until testing.
- Label each bag.
- Use strong airtight plastic bags.
- No water or air in bag
- Five fish per bag, dependent on size
- Seal bags tightly
- One layer of samples per bag
- Surround each bag with dry ice.
- Contain fish & dry ice within another sealed plastic bag.
- Place dry ice on top of fish, and newspaper or packing peanuts used to fill the air space above.
- Place in strong insulated cooler
- Include submission forms and case history.
- Place cooler in a cardboard box, if possible, for shipping
What information should be on the label on the outside of the box containing the samples?
- Date
- Location/source
- Species/lot ID
- Sample type
- Specimen number
- Type of preservative
- Submitted by
- Purpose of investigation
- Needed tests.
Photograph courtesy of Dr Mohamed Faisal, Michigan State University.
