Stress Response to Long Distance Transportation of Common Carp (<em>Cyprinus carpio</em> L.)

Dobšíková, R.; Svobodová, Z.; Blahová, J.; Modrá, H.; Velíšek, J.

doi:10.2754/avb200675030437

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2006, Vol. 75 > Issue 3 > Stress Response to Long Distance…

Acta Vet. Brno 2006, 75: 437-448

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb200675030437

Stress Response to Long Distance Transportation of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

R. Dobšíková¹, Z. Svobodová^1,2, J. Blahová¹, H. Modrá¹, J. Velíšek²

¹University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
²University of South Bohemia České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Received October 27, 2005
Accepted April 13, 2006

The stress responses and changes in biochemical and haematological indices were investigated in three-year-old common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) during a long-distance transportation in special truck tanks. Twelve-hour transportation caused a significant increase in ammonia (p < 0.01), mean corpuscular volume MCV (p < 0.01), metamyelocytes ( p < 0.05) and band neutrophils (p < 0.01), and a significant decrease in Cl^- (p < 0.05), lactate (p < 0.05), ALT (p < 0.05) and ALP (p < 0.01) levels. The values of LDH (p < 0.01), AST (p < 0.05), CK (p < 0.01) and haematocrit PCV (p < 0.05) were also significantly influenced by the transportation, but no time-dependent relation was found. On the contrary, the levels of cortisol, glucose and total protein in the biochemical profile, and the values of erythrocyte count (RBC), haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), leukocyte counts (WBC) and leukogram (except for metamyelocytes and band neutrophils) in the haematological profile were not significantly influenced by the transportation. Results showed that pre-transport fish manipulation (hauling, netting, handling, loading) was found to be an important stressor for fish. Long-distance transportation itself was relatively considerate for the common carp tested.