Additional equipment such as dipnets, scales and plastic baskets is also required. Holding Fish in Haulers One potential market outlet for small-scale catfish producers is to take fish to the customer, whether it is a farmers' market or a busy street corner. With proper stocking rates and handling, fish can be sold live from a hauling tank and unsold fish returned to the farm unharmed. A variety of hauling tanks can be purchased or constructed. Most are rectangular in shape for ease of mounting on a truck or trailer.
Most haulers are a box with a hinged lid, drain opening, and openings for agitators or air hoses.
Commercially manufactured tanks usually are made of aluminum or fiberglass. Internal dividers or baffles are used in larger tanks to reduce sloshing of the water. Insulated tanks are useful for reducing temperature changes in the hauling water when fish are held for several hours, and will help keep fish in better condition. In constructing a hauling rig, the opening needs to be made large enough so that it is convenient to dip fish from the tank and that all areas of the tank can be reached with a dipnet. This reduces time spent chasing fish around the tank.