Stress amelioration during live transport of fish.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the stress ameliorative effects of temperature reduction, pre-packing anaesthesia and packing with supplementary oxygen on long duration live transport of groupers. Survival, water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen, ammonia and pH as well as serum parameters like glucose, alkaline phosphatase and total protein were studied as indicative response of the transportation stress. Elevated levels of ammonia and all the serum parameters and lower levels of dissolved oxygen and pH leading to mortality observed in the control group indicate that the treatments succeeded in ameliorating the stress caused by the transportation procedures. Packing water temperature of 15°C to 20 ®C, anaesthesia with lOOppm clove oil and oxygen packing are found essential for transporting live grouper of biomass 700g for period extending up to 24h.