b'18American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comto help. Passengershavenoideathatboxesfullof angelfish, tiger barbs, tetras, African cichlids and gouramis swim below them as they buckle in for a flight. The belly is full of fish and the main deck is full of people, Rawlins said. As far as livestock goes, Giles Instone, president of Instone USA, said the export cattle market via air has softened over the past decade because several oceancargolinershaveimprovedtheirhandling methods for heifers and bulls. But pigs, which tend to be fragile and sensitive to time, temperature, and ventilation, still constitute a key market for air cargo transport, he said.Three weeks versus a few days travel time is worth the upcharge, Instone said.Horses prepare to fly with Equitrans. W henP igsf ly(TEEMINGcontinued from page 16) businessgrewsignificantlyduringtheCOVIDDurango,CO-basedInstoneUSAprovides includingflatracing,polo,jumping,endurancecrisiswhenpeoplewerelookingforcompanionschartered aircraft for livestock.racing and show Arabians.thatdidntbarkormeow,saidDavidRawlins South America and China provide solid markets RobsonsaidthegrowthoftheindustryisJr.ofRawlinsTropicalFishinLithia,FL.Plus,forU.S.andCanadianswineexporters,Instone pushing technology. He said tech companies are nowwholesalerscouldntsourceproductfromIndo- said. Exporters utilize spacious wide-bodied 747s conductingtrialstomonitorhorsestemperaturesPacific fish farms.to transport the livestock to their destination. The and heart rates whilst travelling that is non-invasiveRawlins said the sale and shipping of tropicalplanes then return with general cargo. Each load is and will be a great resource for competing horses.fish is still strong post COVID. around 1,000 pigs arranged in crates of 15-20 each. Robson acknowledged the continued expansionSouthwestCargohasafirmholdontheInstone said most of the boars and sows are for of basic pet transport.majority of tropical fish shipping business due to itsbreeding purposes as farmers look to propagate and Thesmallanimalbusinesshasgrownpostunderstanding of the Florida aquaculture industry,establish herds for long-term use and eventually the COVID with many people having acquired a four- cargo capacity and vast networkmore than 4,000production of pork products. leggedfurryfriend,Robsonsaid.Alotofthisflights a day to one hundred destinations. This bodesSean Harding, president of the Animal Transpor-business has moved to air freight due to the currentwell for fish producers who need to get the timetation Association (ATA), told attendees at the ATAs safety issues with sea freight in the Middle East.sensitive orders to wholesalers and retailers within50th Annual Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia that f lyingf ishB igB usiness 48 hours.animal transport is a growing, dynamic industry.To prepare for travel, producers place the fishTechnologyanddigitizationaretransforming Butfurrypetsarenttheonlypetsfillingupin two-gallon bags filled with saltwater and weldinganimal transportation. GPS tracking systems, climate-lower decks.grade oxygen. They are then put into a cardboardcontrolled transport units and real-time health moni-The $172 million Florida tropical fish industrybox lined with Styrofoam. The goal is to keep thetoring are a few examples of advancements making a ships colorful aquarium fish via 737 MAX all overwater between 65 and 85 degrees and sometimessignificant impact, Harding said.theUnitedStatesfromTampaandOrlando.Theshippers need to use frozen gel packs or heat packs(TEEMINGcontinued on page 22)'