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More about SAEs from AZ Gardens Today

Emmett had written :
"Looking
at the packaging more carefully, I noticed that the Styrofoam in the
cardboard box consists of "panels" which are not 100% sealed along the
edges. With the heat able to get in through the seams, it seems
logical to me that these boxes could become an oven in higher temps -
and perhaps that is why some people are experiencing the high losses
with this latest shipment from AZ Gardens?"

I agree that heat is a likely factor.  But I think sealing the edges
might not have helped much.  The packaging, at least on my carton,
consisted of one panel on the top and one on the bottom of the box. 
Since there was no insulation on the other four sides, it seems
unlikely that the edges between the foam panels and the box were not a
major cause of temperature-insulation failure.  I'm guessing that a
more significant condition is the fact that about half of the surface
area of the box had no insulation.  However, AZ ships overnight for
delivery by 10:30 a.m.  So heat is not so likely to be a problem unless
the ambient temperatures are very high at night and early morning, or
the fish spend extra time in the carton during the hotter part of the
day which won't happen if Fedex is on time.  Of course the Fedex truck,
spending long times in the sun, could become excessively hot in places
and the live fish box could be in one of those places in the truck.

Personally, I think having insulation foam on all sides, like
refrigerators, igloo coolers, etc. is a much more effective way to
insulate than doing only two of six sides of a box.  A plastic bag in a
a Styrofoam container is closer to the ideal shipping carton.  The LFSs
in my are receive their shipments this way, although in larger
containers.  I would have paid extra for such packaging.  Still, it
seems to me that, if Fedex behaves as advertised, high ambient
temperatures would have less, perhaps very little, chance to harm the
fish.

BTW, the boxes are clearly marked as
Contains Live Cargo
Do Not Expose to HOT or COLD
Do Not Deliver Unattended
Protect from Heat
Perishable (with a picture indicating no direct sunlight)

All those alerts ought to tip off Fedex to the sensitivity of the
contents and its handling requirements.

Scott

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