I like this old post and thought it could use a little more info that isnt common knowledge to everyone.

UPS, Purolator and Fedex
UPS, Purolator and Fedex do not ship anything that is alive. If you want to send live coral/fish through them do not tell them what is in the box and do not write anything on the sides of the box. If you do send by one of these couriers be sure to get them to either hold at their depot for pickup or require a signature when they deliver. Otherwise they may just leave the package on the persons doorstep without even checking to see if anyones home. This is especially bad if they accidentally deliver it to the wrong house or if it is in the winter.
http://purolator.com/
http://www.ups.com/
http://fedex.com/

Westjet
Westjet requires that you book and pay for your shipment in advance (before you get to the airport) by calling the number on their website. http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/trav...rs/cargo.shtml There is no other information about their Cargo service on their website. When you call they will need to know the dimensions of the box and how much it weighs in addition to who is sending it and where it is going. You will need a credit card number to pay. Just tell them that you are shipping 'live tropical fish' as they dont like saltwater. They still seem to take it willingly but leaking saltwater is damaging to their planes so I'm sure they would prefer not handle it. They will give you a waybill number over the phone that you will need when you bring your package to the airport. Please pass this number onto the person you are sending the package too as well as they will need it to claim the package once it arrives.

When you get to the airport you will need government issued photo identification in order for them to accept the package just like if you yourself were getting on the plane. The package needs to be in their possession at least 1.5 hours before the plane that it is destined for takes off so arrive very early. They will have several forms for you to fill out and will inspect the exterior of your package to see that it is packed well. Be sure to have taped all around the flaps on the cardboard box.

Greyhound
Greyhound seems to work alright in the summer for relatively short distances. They also tend to be the least expensive option for most livestock shipments. However they are probably the most violent with their packages so take that into consideration when putting everything together. Be sure to check your receipts too... they're also the ones who are mostly likely to make a mistake and send your package to the wrong city. Also find out roughly what time the package should arrive at its final destination so that you can pass that information on the the receiver in case Greyhound does not call them when it arrives. In most communities they offer a right to the door delivery service. Personally I wouldnt trust it and recommend that you just have the receiver pick up the package upon arrival. Other than that it is pretty simple to send by greyhound. Just have the receivers name, number and city with you and a piece of ID when you go to drop off the package.
http://greyhound.ca/home/

Great Article :thumb:


Most couriers will not ship live animals overnight, they don't want the responsibility of deaths.

UPS will (Our ORA shipments arrive by UPS), but under the conditions they are not responsible, ORA agrees to replace any fish that die. I spent many hours one the phone when UPS decides to delay the shipment.

Westjet/Air Canada are the fastest, but you WILL pay for this speed, unfortunately they have a minimum shipping rate, so if you are shipping only one box, it will be expensive.

As for greyhound, I wouldn't waste my time, unless you pay the $15 "next bus out" fee, your package could sit in their station for up to 24hours. I don't think anyone has recieved a package from us without the packaging damaged once yet.



One of the biggest problems for shipping is keeping a stable temperature, and ammonia buildup.

You can reduce that in fish, by not feeding then a day or 2 prior to shipping, or a few drops of any product for reducing ammonia will be effective for livestock survival, we like to use a product called AcclimMax, works quite well.

Also ship early in the week and keep track of weather forcasts. Early in the week so that if something does happen, the package isn't sitting in a warehouse over the weekend.

Always prepare for the worst, we try to pack livestock for a minimum 48 hour trip.

Ken - BWA

Thanks Myka for originally posting this.
And thanks Whatcaneyedo for bringing it back up.
Is it a sticky by now? If so, where would I find it in the future.

I sure wish that Ont. co would have read this before shipping corals to my daughter.

ORA exports fish into Canada using UPS? How does canadian fish and wild life inspect them?

I'm amazed that customs doesn't even look at them. Comes right to our door by 11am.

We get them in all the time via UPS overnight, brokered by UPS in Winnnipeg.

But UPS will ship it for ORA only as far as I know, the shrimp I am trying to bring in, no courior will touch it.

Must be a deal they have with ORA, I know the hassle I get at customs bringing fish from the US all the time in Edmonton.

Ken

Purolator (who handles UPS for us locally as well) did say that they will make exceptions for commercial clients who have their own insurance and produce enough volume to have some bargining power. But for a regular Joe like me just wanting to send a package or two they wont ship anything alive.

OK a couple of shipping questions.

1. How long can a coral frag last shipped with the above instructions? I have always assumed 24 hours, I have never exceeded 8 to 12 hours myself, it it possible that corals could last 2 to 3 days in shipping as long as they don't get too cold?

2. Has anyone tried dry shipping of corals or coral frags? This is for people like me who want to bring back corals on a plane flight, and they won't allow liquids past security. I was thinking of dry (damp) shipping the corals wrapped in a wet towel or newspaper.

Hey trilinear...

I read an article a while back that stated they shipped Acropora frags from a collection site in the Caribbean (or Gulf of Mexico, can't remember exactly) and had a 100% survival rate when packed damp (wrapped in damp newspaper and then bagged) after 48 hours (I believe). I'll try and track down the article, but it seems completely plausible as many corals spend hours exposed to the sun and wind at low tide and so should be fine as long as they don't dry out or get cold.

EDIT: Found the article, my mind twisted it a little :lol: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php

Hey thanks for posting up all that info whatcaneyedo!! :D

hillegom, in the future if you want to find this article click on "Written by Myka" in my signature, and you will be able to see all the different articles I have written.

You're welcome. I tried shipping for the first time these last two weeks and was caught off guard in a few cases. So I thought I'd share what I learned so that others could avoid the hassle I went through.