Abstract
Marine transportation serves as a critical component of archipelagic supply chains; however, the biological impact of sea-based transit on broiler chickens is poorly quantified compared to that of terrestrial logistics. This study investigated the comparative effects of two maritime transport modes, speedboat (characterized by high-frequency vibration) and ferry (characterized by prolonged duration), on the physical, physiological, and biochemical status of broilers, as well as the subsequent impact on meat quality. Broilers were assigned to three treatment groups: control, speedboat transport, and ferry transport. Assessments included live-weight shrinkage, physiological indices (respiration rate, heart rate, and rectal temperature), hematological profiles (heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and fibrinogen), blood biochemistry (creatine kinase [CK], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], and glucose), and meat physicochemical properties (shear force, pH, and proximate analysis). Both maritime treatments resulted in a live-weight shrinkage of approximately 11%—significantly exceeding terrestrial benchmarks. A dramatic 37–39% surge in respiration rates was observed across both transport modes, indicating severe thermal and metabolic strain. Distinct stress profiles emerged based on the vessel type: speedboat transport induced acute mechanical trauma, as evidenced by a three-fold increase in CK and elevated AST levels. In contrast, ferry transport triggered a robust systemic inflammatory and metabolic response, marked by significantly higher leukocyte counts, fibrinogen, and uric acid levels. Postmortem analysis revealed that both maritime transport modes significantly degraded meat quality, characterized by increased shear force (reduced tenderness) and depleted crude fat content compared to that of controls. In conclusion, maritime transport functioned as a severe multi-stressor that disrupted broiler homeostasis and altered muscle bioenergetics. Although vessel design dictated whether the predominant stress was mechanical (speedboat) or logistical (ferry), both modes resulted in equivalent degradation of welfare and product quality. These findings underscore the necessity of maritime-specific welfare interventions and mitigation strategies to reduce the biological costs of archipelagic distribution.
