Cheng AC, Lee CF, Chen YY and Chen JC
Water quality parameters, survival rates, and nervous necrosis virus (NNV) loadings of Epinephelus coioides grouper fry packed in 50 L bags after 24 h of simulated transport were examined. All fry packed at 300/bag and with water/oxygen ratios of 10 L/40 L, 12.5 L/37.5 L, and 15 L/35 L at 20°C survived with NNV loads of 4.1~7.9×104 at 7 d post-release in seawater. All fish packed at 300/bag and a water/oxygen ratio of 12.5 L/37.5 L at 20°C survived with an NNV load of 4.1×103, but fish packed at 25°C and 30°C survived 100% and 67.4%, and had NNV loads of 1.6×105 and 1.8×106, respectively at 7 d post-release. All fish packed at 200, 300, and 400/bag with a water/oxygen ratio of 12.5 L/37.5 L at 20°C survived with DO >5.0 mg/L, CO2 <95 mg/L, pH >5.8, and ammonia-N <11 mg/L, after 24 h. All fish packed at 200 and 300/bag survived with an NNV load of 1.7×103, whereas fish packed at 400 and 500/bag survived only 60.8% and 42.6% with NNV loads of 2.4×107 and 3.7×107, respectively at 7 d post-release. We concluded that grouper fry packed at 300/bag and a water/oxygen ratio of 12.5 L/37.5 L at 20 and 25°C were optimal for maintaining high DO (>5.8 mg/L) and pH (>5.6) and low CO2 (<89 mg/L), ammonia-N (<10.2 mg/L), and NNV loads (<4.9×103) after 24 h of simulated transport. The addition of zeolite increased DO and pH while lowering carbon dioxide and ammonia-N as well as lower NNV loads (2.3×103) during simulated transport.