One of the places where I've purchased fish, also ships fish. I don't know exactly what they do. But, I know they put the fish in a heavy plastic bag and I believe they give it a shot of oxygen (?? -- they have a big tank with a hose). The water in the bag is bright blue, so they obviously put some kind of chemical in it. Somebody also told me that they put some kind of "relaxant" in so the fish don't get stressed.

After sealing the plastic bag, they put it in a styrofoam cooler that they band with packing tape. It then goes in a cardboard box.

I'm not sure why the spines don't puncture the bag. I bought some 4-5 catfish from them recently, and they made it home OK in one of their plastic bags, placed in a cardboard box.

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