Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN) - Live Hauling of Fish

In certain markets, live fish can be sold for substantially higher prices than fresh dressed fish. A significant live-haul industry has developed in the U.S. and fish are commonly hauled 1,500-2,000 miles (25-30 hours) to market. The most common species hauled are tilapia, channel catfish, and rainbow trout; a smaller amount of marine rockfish, hybrid striped bass, and carp are also hauled. The most significant advancement in hauling technology in the last 20 years has been the use of bottled oxygen gas or liquid oxygen to maintain adequate dissolved oxygen levels. These types of systems can maintain significantly higher DO levels than systems using air. Some common stressors include harvest and loading procedures (pumping or out of water transfer), shaking as the transport vehicle is moving, low frequency sound from the vehicle and water treatment systems, crowding, and poor water quality (high ammonia and carbon dioxide levels, low dissolved oxygen), high light levels, or extreme water temperature. The physical shape and construction of the hauling unit may have an important impact on localized low DOs, physical damage to the fish, and survivability. Very little information has been published on the chemical and physical conditions in transport systems during long-distance transport and this limited data may not be representative of current commercial systems.

This research will be conducted with NWFSC staff in cooperation with private fish farmers in the Pacific Northwest. Specific sub-objectives will include the following:

(1) Documentation of water quality during transport and impact on mortality and product quality

(2) Design of efficient aeration systems for oxygen transfer and carbon dioxide stripping

(3) Determination of the impact of transport tank design and aerator type on the thermal balance during hauling.

The impact of this project will be increased survival and product quality of transported fish as a result of adopting the recommended protocols and utilization of the models. Project outputs will include peer-reviewed publications, popular publications, and conference presentations.

Total ammonia nitrogen will be measured using an Orion Ammonia electrode, calibrated daily with standard solutions (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg/Liter), and results expressed as mg/Liter TAN.

Laboratory data

Loaded by batch 4283, 01-31-2013 14:01

Subject to Public Access to Research Results (PARR): Yes

Technology Transfer: Impact of Aeration and Alkalinity on the Water Quality and Product Quality of Transported Tilapia - A Simulation Study. Aquacultural Engineering, 55, 46-58

email the author

N/A

Spreadsheet

Low

Instrument calibrated daily

Preparation of peer-reviewed article

Data tables created for publication; raw data not use to users.

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center facilitates backup and recovery of all data and IT components which are managed by IT Operations through the capture of static (point-in-time) backup data to physical media. Once data is captured to physical media (every 1-3 days), a duplicate is made and routinely (weekly) transported to an offsite archive facility where it is maintained throughout the data's applicable life-cycle.

Instrument operated using manufacturer's recommendations