Transshipped corals endure exceptionally long transit times when shipped from Asia and other parts of the world. After 24 to 48 hours in transit, they typically arrive first at a forward operating base (FOB) located nearest to the departure airports — most commonly on the West Coast, East Coast, or in the Southern United States.
Upon arrival at the FOB, the animals may wait at the airport for hours — sometimes days — while undergoing inspection by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with CITES regulations. By this point, the water they have been sitting in is often severely fouled, making time an absolutely critical factor.
Once cleared, reputable transshipping companies will re-bag the corals with fresh water and oxygen before shipping them onward. Depending on the final destination and available connecting flights, the animals may remain bagged for many additional hours — or even longer if delays or connection issues arise.
As you can imagine, this entire process subjects the animals to an extraordinary number of transitions, each one compounding the stress on creatures that are already in a deeply vulnerable state.
Unfortunately, not all transshipping companies follow responsible practices. Re-bagging and re-oxygenating costs both money and time, and some companies choose to skip this step entirely, shipping the animals directly to the next leg of their journey without any intervention. This is at the heart of the ethical debate surrounding the sale of transshipped animals directly out of the bag.
When hobbyists purchase livestock under these conditions, some argue they are prioritizing cost savings over animal welfare — a trade-off that many in the hobby find unacceptable. For others, it remains a deeply personal and difficult judgment call.
It is also worth clarifying what the term transshipped actually means within the aquarium trade. It refers specifically to animals that have been shipped via international channels and cleared through U.S. Fish and Wildlife — not to animals that have been held and rested in a local wholesaler’s system for more than 24 hours. That distinction matters, because 24 hours of proper rest can significantly improve an animal’s chances of survival. That recovery window is not a luxury — it is a critical part of responsible husbandry.
Having been personally involved in transshipping for over 20 years, I may not have formal studies to point to — but experience carries its own form of evidence. What I can say with certainty is that selling animals straight out of the bag, without allowing them adequate time to recover and stabilize, is a poor practice with real consequences. I have seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t when it comes to shipping and selling live animals, and those lessons are not ones I take lightly.
I hope that by sharing my experience, I can contribute meaningfully to this discussion and help each of you arrive at a well-informed decision. This is a wonderful club, and one that has evolved tremendously over the years. Perhaps the membership is ready to do things differently — and I respect that completely.
What I do hope is that this decision is made collectively, through open discussion and a proper vote, so that every member has a voice in the outcome. Whatever direction the club chooses to go, I will support it wholeheartedly — as long as it remains something I can align with from a business standpoint.
Cheers
-Robert
