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.