Shipping fish in Canada

[Toirtis]

If you are going to ship ground you might as well kill you fish now...I routinely ship fish and snails all over Canada and have never had a problem with CP... I have never been asked for any kind of certificate or document...

You should have....directly from Canada Post:

"Live animals cannot be mailed unless the mailer has entered a related agreement with Canada Post prior to mailing. Bees, day-old chicks, parasites and leeches can be mailed under certain conditions."

" If permitted to be mailed, the package must meet the following requirements:
1. the contents must not leak or emit offensive odors
2. the cover of the package must bear a full, accurate description of the contents
3. the name and address of the shipper must be identified
4. the number of any permit under which the contents were taken must be specified. "

 

[Toirtis]

One thing I have found handy is a product called ammo lock 2 It dechlorinates water and renders ammonia harmless.. Very handy for shipping.

Actually ammo-lock simply keeps ammonia from rising above certain levels by binding with it. A better, and cheaper alternative is to put some zeolite (amrid) in the bottom of the bag.

A couple of tips from a very experienced fish shipper:

1. Fast all fish 24-36 hours prior to shipping....no food in the gut means no poop in the bag to foul the water.

2. Bag only with pristine water (doing daily 50% water changes for the three days prior to shipping will help with this).

3. Breather bags work, but must be fully filled (no air inside), and must not be touching each other or the sides of the shipping box (crumpled newspaper or packing 'peanuts' can work well as a buffer).

4. Ship only in a sturdy styrofoam box or cooler inside a sturdy cardboard box. Mark the outer box 'fragile', 'this side up', and 'keep between 10ºC-20ºC)'.

5. Pack fish in shipping-quality fish bags, and use pure oxygen whenever possible (many fish shops pack with pure oxygen).

6. Bags should be packed about slightly more than 1/3 water and slightly less than 2/3 oxygen, and never putt too many fish in a bag, especially large fish.

7. Pack with heat packs in cold (not cool) weather, and cold packs in hot (not warm) weather...in weather temps ranging from 8ºC-25ºC, hot and cold packs should not be required, if the fish are packed in a properly insulated box.

8. Ship in the morning or late at night on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid any delays caused by weekends.

9. Always ship the most direct, expeditious route.....under ideal conditions, fish can last 36 hours in regular bags (4-6 days in breather bags), but faster is always best.

 

[fballguy]

If you ship fish by air they will probably be fine as long as the bag is filled and no air left in it.

 

[Toirtis]

If you ship fish by air they will probably be fine as long as the bag is filled and no air left in it.

Only if it is a breather bag....no air in a regular fish bag will equal dead fish within 90 minutes.

 

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

Yep, im aware of the passage...Guess I am just lucky... I have put about 100 shipments through my postal outlet and nobody raises an eye...Gonna give the zeolite a whirl... I have never been overly concerned with ammonia as I fast everything and bag right before I ship them... Most times they are at their destination in 16 hours or less.

 

[Paccula]

zeolite... is that found as small white solid peices? I have a box of carbon with white peices which, it says, absorb ammonia. Same thing? can I just put a few peices of the white bits in the bags?

"Actually ammo-lock simply keeps ammonia from rising above certain levels by binding with it. A better, and cheaper alternative is to put some zeolite (amrid) in the bottom of the bag. "

if zeolite isn't what I described, I doubt any stores I know of sell it (they all have limited stock, it seems) Would ammo-lock be useful, if its the only available option?

the ammonia is what mostly worries me. that, or the post office opening the box on some random check! grrr

I have breather bags and a box lined with good styrofome (from the fish store, in fact)

I'm not sure how one is to become a "known shipper" with westjet if they are "lying" to me. They told my mum that some guy had his fish with him on the plane and they exploded (organs internaly, I guess) and the water was a big red mess and they suffered a lot.
...not sure what he did to his fish or how he packed them to make /that/ happen!

I tried to take a few on the plane with me in a water bottle, but they wanted me to put it through the xray machine... eep! I knew they'd see little fishy skelatons in there and not let me take them, so I handed it back to some family members who put them back in the tank. but, I got a few plants through in a margerine container in my carry on, though!

 

[Paccula]

"If you ship fish by air they will probably be fine as long as the bag is filled and no air left in it."

Only if it is a breather bag....no air in a regular fish bag will equal dead fish within 90 minutes.

concerning pressure harming the fish, I thought putting them in a glass container would protect them, because it can't collapse on them. or, in the water bottle with me on the plane, I could unscrew the cap as soon as I get on and keep it that way until we touch down.
I have no way of making sure there is absolutely ZERO air in the bags, though. or making sure they are compleately air tight (will probly just seal with rubber bands and double bag)

 

[Toirtis]

zeolite... is that found as small white solid peices? I have a box of carbon with white peices which, it says, absorb ammonia. Same thing? can I just put a few peices of the white bits in the bags?

Thats the stuff, also sold by itself.

the ammonia is what mostly worries me. that, or the post office opening the box on some random check! grrr

The post office does not do that...the only way your mail can be opened is by court-order, or with reasonable reason to believe it contains a dangerous substance or explosive device.

I have breather bags and a box lined with good styrofome (from the fish store, in fact)

Put crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts between the bags and the walls of the box...if the breather bags are touching the box walls, they cannot 'breathe'.

I'm not sure how one is to become a "known shipper" with westjet if they are "lying" to me. They told my mum that some guy had his fish with him on the plane and they exploded (organs internaly, I guess) and the water was a big red mess and they suffered a lot.

Thats rubbish...how does this person believe fish are shipped world-wide? Fish do quite well in carry-on, too (as has been mentioned earlier).

I tried to take a few on the plane with me in a water bottle, but they wanted me to put it through the xray machine... eep! I knew they'd see little fishy skelatons in there and not let me take them, so I handed it back to some family members who put them back in the tank. but, I got a few plants through in a margerine container in my carry on, though!

If you claim them in your carry-on, there should be no issues. Last time I flew to Halifax, one of my checked baggage pieces was a large shipping box full of bags of fish, and I had no issues at all.

 

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

You really shouldnt have an issue if you put them on your carry on. The biggest problem may be if you "stow" them in your regular luggage... Unless the hold is pressurized and heated they will be goners.

 

[Paccula]

what airlines do you guys fly on/with? because Westjet would not even consider letting me take fish abord. They kept giving me flat out no's and their various reasons behind it (as I mentioned)

Did you need to have a permit with you for the fish, as well? something like what the post office requires?