NFC: Fw: transporting wild fishes

Hi J.R. -- I'm trying to compile some recommendations for reducing stress during collecting & transport, and preventing disease outbreaks a few days later, in wild-caught fish. I'm leading a native fish collecting trip for the annual Raleigh Aquarium Society weekend conference (this Friday Feb 23), and want to give the attendees good advice for long-term survival. Eventually I'd like to put this on the NANFA and NFC websites. Have you seen any similar articles anywhere?

From my own observations and trial & error, my usual approach is as follows:

Use short seine hauls so fish aren't dragged in the net more than 30 sec or so

Keep bucket or cooler close by and transfer fish quickly

Hold small fish in hand not more than 10 sec to avoid overheating & skin abrasion

Or better yet, use small aquarium net to transfer from seine to bucket.

Use dark colored (green or black) buckets - generally keeps fish calmer

Fill bucket 1/3 to 1/2 full; too shallow frightens them, and if too deep they'll jump

Add about 1 teaspoon/gal kosher salt in the collecting bucket, & add more when changing water

Place bucket in shade whenever possible

Get new water & add salt just before leaving the site

Transport fish in containers with large surface area, especially in warm weather

Don't collect cool water species in hot weather; they're already close to their thermal limit and may not tolerate handling stress even with the best of care.

AT HOME:

Use an air-driven box filter taken from an established, preferably crowded tank, for bacterial nitrification. Don't use a filter with a water-cooled pump, which will add heat.

If collected in winter, acclimate slowly to room temperature.

I leave them outside one day (with filtration) in cool weather, then warm up slowly the next day.

Use a cooler rather than aquarium, they'll adjust to visible walls better than invisible glass walls.

Or, cover aquarium walls tightly with black trash bags, cardboard, etc

Get them eating ASAP; food seems to distract them from their fear, and replace lost energy.

Many minnows will take flake foods right away; most other wild fishes need live/frozen foods to start.

Also, they'll quickly learn you're a friend, not a predator.

If they're not eating, add a couple similar fish from an established tank to "train" them.

I'd like your ideas on my strategies above, and also on:

Commercial salt-based bait savers

Prophylactic treatments - formalin, dyes, antibiotics, etc

Special procedures for collecting in soft acidic waters?

Strategies for different seasons?

Tail/peduncle rot (probably Flexibacter/columnaris ??) and ich seem to be the most common disease outbreaks I get, usually a couple days to a week after collecting. Lythrurus and other mid-channel shiners seem to be the worst. With darters, I rarely get disease, but sometimes they just "freeze" and die in the collecting bucket with mouth agape and pectorals bent forward. Any idea why & how to prevent this.

Thanks! Gerald Pottern