Both live fish and dressed fish were shipped via train. Havana's five fish markets shipped forty train cars of fish to big cities every month in their heyday.
Dressed fish were packed in "New York" boxes, which held layers of ice and fish. The boxes had built-in handles for ease of lifting, and they were stacked in train cars. Depending on the weather, dressed fish could be shipped to Chicago, St. Louis, and other midwestern cities.
Live fish were shipped in water tanks that took of the place of the seating sections of a converted passenger car. Each car was packed on both ends with block ice to cool the water in which the live fish were shipped. Air compressors aerated the tanks. This method of shipping allowed sales to cities in the eastern United States.