Live fish transport for restocking, aquaculture, and the pet trade causes stress and mortality; optimal density, temperature, oxygenation, and sedation reduce welfare impacts substantially.
Live fish transport is a welfare challenge common to aquaculture, fisheries management, and the ornamental fish trade. Fish in transport containers experience oxygen depletion, waste accumulation, handling stress, and temperature variability. These stressors are multiplicative: oxygen-depleted fish are more susceptible to temperature stress and less able to recover from handling. Optimized transport protocols that match density to container volume and journey duration, maintain oxygen levels, manage temperature carefully, and use appropriate sedation where indicated can reduce transport mortality and stress indicators dramatically.