This project will improve the market value of U.S. aquaculture products through the development of an improved system for transporting, holding and distributing live finfish. In Phase I, we will develop a new anesthetic Aqui-S that holds tremendous promise for mitigating handling stress. We will also develop and evaluate key components of a low-cost, modular transport system that promises to significantly increase transport densities and improve survival. The modular container will provide partial life support and will be designed to easily interface with an external life support system for longer term holding prior to final product distribution. This capability will eliminate the need to sequentially transfer and handle live product and will stabilize and improve environmental water quality conditions. Innovative features include: (i) methods of reducing sloshing to minimize stress an physical damage to the fish, (ii) systems to control dissolved gasses to avoid exposure to hyperoxic conditions and elevated C02, and (iii) the ability to extend the use of the transport container for storage and final product distribution. These elements will form the core of a more efficient distribution system, facilitating expansion of high-value, live seafood markets and increase producer profitability. ANTICIPATED RESULTS & POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH Improvements to live product handling and shipping technology are expected to reduce product transportation costs by 50% while extending the available time for marketing by as much as 60%. Because transportation of live finfish represents such a large portion of the producers operating budget, advances are expected to have a very significant impact on producer profitability. For a hypothetical producer, increased efficiency and better outcome after transport are projected to increase gross profit by 38%. The modular system being developed will also facilitate direct marketing efforts and help establish a more efficient, flexible and robust system of distribution.
