RECENT ADVANCES IN MARINE ANIMALS’ TRANSPORT

Abstract

The opening of the Oceanário de Lisboa, where Flying Sharks’ founding staff originated from, involved the collection and transport of animals from literally every corner of the planet to Lisbon, which was a monumental exercise in the development of long-term transport techniques. These techniques were then refined over two decades, allowing for the collection and transport of species once considered ‘impossible’, such as Scomber sp., Sarda sarda, Mola mola, Naucrates ductor, and an assortment of jellyfish, among multiple others. Such advancements include the replacement of 12 V systems for 220 V, while ammonia and pH are no longer a concern, thanks to recent developments in quenching and buffering agents. Additionally, a new paradigm in marine animal transport is presented, whereas buffering agents are used preventively and not correctively, while life support systems designed for long-term maintenance and not just transport conditions. This turned our ‘transport unit’ into a ‘mobile holding station’.

This mobile station ‘s objective is to allow for long-term maintenance of live marine animals and consists of a 40 foot shipping container, which allows for movement by sea or road. Some of the more relevant technical aspects include:

• Operational volume of 17 m3;
• Temperature controlled environment;
• Remote monitoring of water quality parameters, such as oxygen, pH, temperature and ammonia
• Remote monitoring through video of systems and animals as well;
• Multiple power inputs, such as 12V, 24V, 110V, 240V, and 380V, to allow for easy adaptation to different geographical;
• Amongst many other aspects which will be presented.