What is "livewell"

A livewell is a tank found on many fishing boats that is used to keep bait and caught fish alive. They work by pumping fresh water from the surrounding body into the tank, as well as keeping the water aerated. A rule of thumb for determining the necessitated size of a livewell is that every one inch of fish needs a gallon of water, if it is desired to keep the fish alive for a prolonged period of time.

Besides size and water circulation, two other key factors of the functionality of a livewell are maintaining proper temperature and removing metabolic waste. Water temperatures should be below ; ice can be used as a coolant.