Abstract

This study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between fish distributor shipment bag water quality and the number of dead fish upon arrival at the wholesaler. Categories such as the source and departure city of the distributor and the estimated time the fish spent packed in the boxes were examined. Water quality was assessed through measurements of pH, ammonia, nitrite, and dissolved oxygen.

The data for this study was collected on a weekly basis using random water samples taken from the bags of fish as they were unpacked. The number of fish found dead was also recorded. Source of fish, ammonia levels, nitrite levels, and amount of dissolved oxygen were all found to have a significant impact on the percentage of fish found dead on arrival. Using nonparametric correlations, deaths were found to correlate positively with ammonia and nitrite, and negatively with dissolved oxygen. Stepwise regression demonstrated that nitrite levels accounted for most of the variation in the mortality percentage.