Import and Export legislation - Ornamental Fish International

Legislation
Container requirements
Fish are regulated by Container
Requirements 51 for goldfish and
tropical fish, and 52 for koi carp, fish
up-to 100 cm, sharks 40-100 cm and
sturgeon.
Most important characteristics of
proper packing:
Fish are packed in an inner container
consisting of a plastic bag, preferably
packed into a second plastic bag to
prevent leaking. For spiny fishes,
several layers of paper can be used
between the two layers of plastic.
Plastic bags are packed in an
insulating styrofoam outer container.
Fish are packed in the plastic bag filled
with 1/3 water and 2/3 oxygen. For
larger fish it is also required that the
water covers the fish completely.
Additions to the water for maintaining
the quality of the packing water are the
shipper's responsibility, as are the
packing quantities and any individual
packing. The packing must be good
enough to keep the fish alive for at
least 48 hours after acceptance by the
airline for fish covered by Container
Requirement 51 and for 18 hours after
acceptance by the airline for fish
covered by Container Requirement 52.
The outer container has a label indicating
that the contents are live fish, the time
of packing, which side of the box is
the top, and the temperature range in
which the container must be kept.
For full details, please check the IATA
Lar. book which can be ordered from
http://www.iata.org.
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Ornamental Fish International
The outer container has a label indicating
that the contents are live fish, the time of
packing, which side of the box is the top,
and the temperature range in which the
container must be kept.
Photos: Alex Ploeg