Sorting wild-caught animals for high quality and live market

Many fishers are becoming aware of the value added to catch by controlling and accounting for animal vitality and food quality.  Fish and crabs that are stressed by capture and then transported to markets, either as live animals or freshly killed, have lesser value for discriminating consumers.  Vendors and educators for sea- and fresh-water food are developing programs to account for the methods and sustainability of food capture and handling.

Accounting for animal vitality and quality requires information about capture methods and associated impacts on ecosystem structure and function.  Sorting of catch is important for maintaining high market quality.  Rapid transport of catch to market can insure fresh product.  All of these aspects of fishing can benefit from the information that RAMP supplies.

Changes in the design of fishing gear and fishing methods that improve catch vitality and decrease bycatch can be tested and validated using RAMP to measure animal stress responses to the stressors of capture and handling.

Turtle escaping trawl

Fish or crabs can be captured and then transported to net pens for holding and later release onto markets.  Planned supplies of fresh product stabilize markets and increase the value of the catch.  These methods of capture and marketing require the availability of animals with best vitality and quality to reduce transport and holding costs associated with poor quality catch.  RAMP has been proposed for use in an Atlantic cod capture-based aquaculture system.

Capture-based tuna

Increasing use of combinations of wild fishing and aquaculture rearing requires information on animal quality, vitality, and fitness.  RAMP can supply this information used to test and validate the design and use of new aquatic food supply systems and sources.  Because RAMP is a cheap, easy, and immediate source of critical data on animal vitality and fitness, it can be an important component for efficient economies of operation in aquatic food production.

Capture-based aquaculture

The ornamental fish trade has a big impact on wild fish populations and is in critical need of information on fish vitality and fitness in capture, holding, transport, and marketing aspects of the industry.  RAMP can easily, effectively, and economically supply this needed information to improve the sustainability and ethics of this growing industry.

Ornamental fish trade

Handling, transporting, and processing animals often involves the use of anesthesia. Reflex impairment and RAMP can be used to assess the induction and recovery from anesthesia. 

Induction of anesthesia in fishes is described by loss of activity and responsiveness (Neiffer and Stamper 2009); “With proper dosing, induction with immersion drugs usually occurs within 5 to 10 minutes, but may take longer via other routes. Induction is marked by decreases in caudal fin strokes, swimming, respiratory rate, and reaction to stimuli; the drop in caudal fin stroke activity is usually the first sign, followed by loss of equilibrium and response to stimuli. At surgical anesthesia there is total loss of muscle tone and a further decrease in respiratory rate. A firm squeeze at the base of the tail can be an effective way to determine response to stimuli: if the animal does not respond, general anesthesia has taken effect (Harms 2003; Stetter 2001).”

Figure shows loss and recovery of swimming and equilibrium (behaviours), startle response to probe stimulation (responses), and vestibular-ocular response and rhythmic breathing (reflexes) associated with anesthesia induced in rainbow trout by MS-222 (Kestin et al. 2002).