Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Fish Delivery

Hello,

I'm looking for a company that can deliver 50 LMB from Waco to the Houston area.

The current quote is $750.00 which I think is outrageous.

I have a 1/2 acre pond and would be willing to buy some additional fathead minnows or Bluegills from a company if I could piggy back onto the delivery.

Thanks

Check with Overton's

Redfish,

First, welcome to Pond Boss. You posted a very valid question that many pond owners must confront.

In a case like yours, the fish probably cost less than 10% of that price. It is everything else is darned expensive for that kind of delivery.

Figure that a round trip from Waco to Houston in a big truck, that requires a driver with CDL/air brake/HAZMAT certifications, is about 7-8 hours. That doesn't include loading and unloading time. It also doesn't include the oxygen tanks needed to keep the fish alive during the trip, and that has gotten a lot more expensive in recent years. So, figure a 10 hour day for the driver and the truck. Then add fuel and maintenance/overhead to the vehicle.

We have a lot of Texas pond (tank) owners here on the site. Maybe somebody can recommend a dealer who is much closer. If so, the other possibility is personally picking up the fish. That is how I get about 90% of my stock. Many dealers/hatcheries provide small fish (fingerlings) in large and very sturdy plastic bags that have highly oxygenated water. Many of us have aerated transportation tanks, but time and temperature affect them also. Temperature and time (oxygen level -- which is directly related temperature) also determines how far fish can be transported.

Regards,
Ken

Redfish, if I understand you correctly, you want 50 of your own fish delivered Houston. Any fish farm will have their own delivery trucks and if travelling that far, would "add" you to a multi stop run to reduce individual costs for transportation.

Delivering fish is my main job. The average going rate for any live hauler now is $3.50-$4.50 per loaded mile. Some charge by the haul tank, but those are based on fully loaded tucks.

Catmandoo mentions many of the myriad expenses, and another is the expertise of the driver caring for the fish. There are an infinite number of ways for fish to go belly up fast when hauling...more in the Texas heat this time of year. $750 for the run, regardless of how many fish hauled because travel costs are near static, sounds cheap to me.

With the heat and correspondingly hot water, I wouldn't stock anything until Fall or maybe even Spring.

Another thing that wasn't mentioned is the size of the fish. 50 fingerlings is a lot different than 50 adult fish.....

Also, if the fish hauler isn't getting the fish from their own or another reputable hatchery they will probably want to sterilize their hauling tank to prevent any unknowns from being transported during the next time the tank is filled.