RAW 2012
Collection, Transport, and Acclimation Abstracts
|
THEY'RE HERE! NOW WHAT?
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF RECEIVING A LONG-HAUL ANIMAL SHIPMENT Laura R. Simmons, Cairns Marine Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Receiving a shipment of live animals from the other side of the planet after a long haul flight can be a daunting process. As freight costs continue to escalate, fully utilizing aircraft pallets or attaining `freight breaks', is a necessity for cost effective transports. This can result in visually overwhelming numbers of containers and boxes on arrival all requiring attention. This is a stressful process for both animals and aquarists alike with stress directly proportionate to the size and complexity of the shipment. There is no way to completely alleviate the pressure that surrounds such a project, but there are many steps that can be taken to ensure a successful result. This presentation will focus on explaining what aquarists can expect when receiving a diverse pallet of containers filled with various sizes and species of animals. It will describe the process to prepare the animals for their journey. It will shed light on many of the physical and physiological stresses the animals go through during their extensive travel. Most importantly it will explain how to reduce stress through great preparation and a solidly performed acclimation. Acclimation and introduction into the animals' new habitats are key to their straight-forward quarantine and long term success. Understanding the background impacts on the animals that led up to the animals' arrival is imperative to being able to manage them up to 48 hours after they were loaded onto a plane. There can be a bit of creativity involved, but the science and tools required are often overlooked or not fully understood. For all concerned, a successful result is not only a large, long-haul animal shipment that arrives in good condition, but also ensuring that the animals are given the opportunity to thrive in their new homes through proper handling every step of the way. |
THE MOTHER OF ALL LONG-TERM TRANSPORTS: BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID João Correia, Flying Sharks Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
In March 2010 Flying Sharks received its largest order ever, consisting of 3.100 fish (and invertebrates) that were shipped to the new Istanbul Aquarium in December 2010. Mortality rate was less than 0,1% (i.e. 3 individuals) and the list of animals covered a long and diverse list of species, ranging from fast pelagics (e.g. Sarda sarda, Trachurus trachurus) to the smallest rocky-shore ornamentals (e.g. Parablennius gattorugine). Collections were therefore staged in four different locations: Olhão (South of Portugal), Peniche (West of Portugal), Funchal (Madeira Islands) and Horta (Azores Islands). Collections, however, were but a very small fraction of this mammoth 44 tanks operation, as holding needed to occur during the hottest months of the year and that pushed for multiple and innovative solutions to over-stocking. Furthermore, the weeks preceding the two fully loaded A300 aircrafts transport were filled with original barriers that the team had to overcome, often within minutes. Such unexpected barriers included, for example, the sudden addition of two tanks of (very) coldwater animals that required holding in a facility with no chilling capacity and fighting for space with cows (you read it right) on a ship. This paper reports on the myriad of “original” solutions adopted and also on the infinite details that need to be addressed when preparing for a large charter flight loaded with live marine animals. It also reports on the final preparations and the transports per se, including a maritime 5 days stretch done on a commercial container vessel, which required extremely colorful troubleshooting. |
CLOSED-SYSTEM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND SUPPLEMENTATION OF
PACIFIC SEA NETTLES Jennie Janssen, Georgia Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Maintaining dissolved oxygen (DO) levels while transporting jellies can be challenging because gaseous air in the shipping bags can be detrimental to their health. In April 2011, the Monterey Bay Aquarium requested that balloons containing O2 be packed with half of a shipment of Cannonball jellies (Stomolophus meleagris) being sent from the Georgia Aquarium. The idea originated from a guest visiting MBA. Preliminary results were encouraging, and spurred a pilot mock-transport experiment where 76 Pacific sea nettles (Chrysaora pacifica) were packed in plastic bags with RO seawater at 98.6% DO, some with a 12-inch latex balloon half-filled with O2, and some without balloons. After approximately 24 hrs, all bags with no balloons had decreased DO, and 87% of bags with balloons had increased DO. In October 2011, a larger-scale, controlled mock-transport experiment was conducted to examine 2 factors and their interactions: effects of O2 balloons on DO levels, and O2 consumption by Chrysaora pacifica. Eighty-eight bags received 1 of 4 treatments/controls: A) no jelly, no balloon; B) no jelly, with balloon; C) with jelly, no balloon; D) with jelly, with balloon. After an average 23 hrs, O2 consumption by a single jelly in 17 liters RO seawater averaged 1.83 mg/L at a mean temperature of 16.7°C. Jellies also had a small but significant negative impact on pH. Analysis by 2-way ANOVA demonstrated that jellies and balloons each had highly significant effects on DO, with balloons having a much larger effect than jellies. Interactions between jellies and balloons were also significant. These results not only supported the hypothesis that O2 balloons are an effective means of supplementing DO, but they also showed that O2 balloons compensate for the O2 consumed by jellies. Results from similar mock-transport experiments of jellies with and without balloons conducted at MBA will also be presented. |
|
Full Abstract
For many years we have viewed cyanide fisheries as the epitome of destructive fishing practices and the scourge of the international aquarium supply industry. It has certainly been a focus of concerted and dedicated effort from international NGOs to turn it around. But do any of us understand that the use of stupefactants has traditionally featured in the cultures of some countries that supply the international aquarium trade? And do we understand that the transition to the use of a sodium cyanide solution predates an international aquarium trade? In this presentation, Lyle Squire will outline the historical drivers of the transition to sodium cyanide as a means to stupefy fish for food, on a grander scale than had previously been practiced, after the Second World War. He will explain how the use of the compound was a natural fit for the commercial supply of ornamental fish from the 1950s and much later for the commercial supply of food fish for the live reef food fish trade into China. The substantial and valiant efforts of international NGOs to transition cyanide aquarium supply fisheries to low impact collection methods, together with efforts to affect consumer choice, have not been matched by ongoing financial support for their important work. The absence of news emanating from this work in recent years has led some to ask: Who uses cyanide anymore? Drawing on the collaborative international efforts to conserve biodiversity in the Coral Triangle, this presentation investigates the current status of cyanide use to supply the international aquarium trade. Is it still an issue? |
QUARANTINE STRATEGIES ADAPTED TO FISHES CAUGHT DIRECTLY OUT OF STRESSED CONDITIONS IN THE WILD
Forrest A. Young, Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
During the course of the last 30 years, the environment and water quality off the Florida Keys and south Florida has continued to diminish as the coral reef has declined to the very stressed and greatly reduced state as it currently exists. Where great and extensive stands of Acropora and many other coral species used to thrive in the 60's and 70's and the previous 4000-5000 years that south Florida enjoyed a sub-tropical climate, now exists either a barren hard-pan gorgonian bottom or algae covered rocks with a few live coral heads left among them. Florida Keys communities to this very day not fully treating human sewage effluent that continues to flow into the environment and nutrient loading is a widespread result. The Florida bay has suffered a similar or worse decline as freshwater flow through the Everglades has been either drained or diverted for housing and development needs and the remaining water flow is nutrient loaded with agricultural run-off and other human source point nutrient loading. High salinities well over 40 ppt are a common event during the warmer summer months. In January of 2009, an unusual cold weather event caused 10 days of shallow near shore sea temperatures below 9-10 C. This cold event of epic proportions killed over half of the large 2-3m diameter brain corals and other remaining coral colonies to as far out as 2-3 miles off shore. With the loss of diversity of habitat and stresses to the system, the degree of parasitism that has to be contended with has increased by nearly an order of magnitude. Various systems and procedures, specifically for freshly captive fishes and use of treated natural sea water have been developed to deal with these parasite pathogens and water quality issues and will be described in detail. |