Common DOA causes during transport are temperature shock, ammonia buildup, low oxygen, overcrowding, and shared AWB delay. AquaBridge Thailand in Bangkok prevents DOA with 48-hour fasting and conditioning, IATA LAR packing, low packing density, and real house AWB for low mortality. Service only.
Common DOA Causes During Transport - Real Cases from Thailand
DOA or Dead on Arrival is the biggest risk in live ornamental fish export from Thailand to USA, EU, and Middle East. At AquaBridge Thailand, Bangkok, we see 5 main causes from real operations.
1. Temperature Shock - The Number One Cause
Cargo hold temperature can drop to 5°C or rise to 35°C during transit and layover. Betta, Guppy, and Cichlid are sensitive to temperature change. Without premium high-density foam box and heat pack or cold pack, fish die from temperature shock.
How to Avoid: Use high-density foam box with thick wall. Add heat pack for winter to USA/EU. Add cold pack for summer to Middle East. Check transit temperature before packing.
2. Ammonia Buildup - From No Conditioning
Fish excrete ammonia during flight. Without 48-hour fasting and conditioning in clean water, ammonia in bag rises to toxic level in 10 hours. This is why many exporters have high DOA.
How to Avoid: All fish must be fasted and conditioned for 48 hours. We condition at our facility in Bangkok. No feeding before export. This reduces ammonia to zero.
3. Low Oxygen and Overcrowding
Many exporters overcrowd to save volumetric weight and freight cost. Example: Betta 3 per bag, Guppy 40 per bag. This causes low oxygen and fighting.
How to Avoid: Use low packing density. Betta 1/bag, Guppy 20/bag, Cichlid 2-5/bag with oxygen:water ratio 2:1. For long flights over 20 hours, use ratio 3:1.
4. Shared AWB and Handling Delay
Shared AWB mixes your boxes with 10 other exporters on one AWB. When one box has problem, all boxes are held by airline. Your boxes are not priority. This causes delay and DOA.
How to Avoid: Use real house AWB. At AquaBridge Thailand, we use real house AWB only. Your shipment has its own AWB number for faster handling and low mortality.
5. Bad Packing - Single Bag and Cheap Foam
Single thin PE bag can burst. Cheap thin foam box breaks. Newspaper inside box causes ammonia. No Live Animals label causes airline to store box in wrong place.
How to Avoid: Use double thick PE bags with rubber band, no metal clip. Use premium foam box. Use IATA LAR labeling: Live Animals, This Side Up, Shipper, Consignee, AWB.
At AquaBridge Thailand, we are a consolidation and export service. We combine multi-farm orders into one fully documented shipment with video packing, health certificate, and real house AWB. Service only.
