Livefish trade, especially the live ornamental fish and live seafood trade, is
emerging as a major business venture in most of the tropical countries. Production
of livefish through aquaculture has also undergone vast changes during the past
20 years. In aquaculture, transport of broodstock from the wild to the hatchery or
seed from the hatchery to the growouts forms one of the basic requirements. The
demandfor livefiriflsh and shellfish is rapidly increasir^g and in most of the developed
countries, more and more livefish traders and restaurants are offering live fishery
products to their customers. Air liftiry of live se<^ood has also increased during the
last few years. The mcgor constraint to the development of live seafood export is
the lack of information on handling the aquatic organisms after they are caught,
right through the transport and sale to the customers. Necessary precautions have
to be taken while catching, packing and transporting the aquatic organisms. Apart
from careful handling, a thorough knowledge of the behaviour and physiology of the
animal is necessary to minimise the stress during storage and transportation
