Annual Livestock / Fish and Plant Auction

[halcyondaysofillusion]

Our annual Livestock Auction will be on

24 November 2025

at JA Dulude Arena
941 Clyde Ave, Ottawa, ON K2C 4B2

Everyone is welcome! An OVAS club membership is not required to attend the auction as buyer or seller.

Auction schedule

Setup, item registration, and viewing start at 6:00pm.
All items to be auctioned off must be registered by 7:00pm.
No new items will be accepted after 7:00pm. See registration volunteers to register items on-site.
The auction will start at 7:00pm sharp.

The auction will close once the last item is auctioned off. The duration will depend on the number of items registered. In the past years we finished around 8:45pm.
Please allow 15min processing time after closing during which we will pay out the vendors.

General auction and registration information

Vendors must provide a vendor form and tag their items with item tags. These are available at this link. Both forms will also be available as paper forms at the October meeting and on site at the auction.

All items will be assigned a random table number during registration. Please write neatly if hand-writing on these documents and provide accurate, helpful item descriptions as well as a distinctive lot number as described on the forms. The standard lot number includes the vendor's initials and a number. Volunteers can assist vendors who do not arrive with complete vendor forms or item tags. The vendors will hand all labeled items to the OVAS staff to be placed on the proper table in the viewing area. The tables are then auctioned off in random order, which we will draw at the beginning of the auction.
 
The starting bid for each item is $2 unless a minimum starting bid is indicated on the label.

We encourage everyone to keep their arms raised if they intend to bid on an item in order to speed up the entire auction. The highest bidder will win the bid. Any won bid must be claimed and paid immediately by the bidder. We accept cash and card payments.

Item registration and auction rules

This is an all-aquatic auction for fresh- and saltwater livestock like fish, plants, and invertebrates (corals, shrimp, mollusks).

The following invasive aquatic plants are not permitted at the auction.  For more details, please refer to this link.

•    Brazilian elodea, Egeria densa. Also known as anacharis
•    Eurasian water-milfoil, Myriophyllum spicatum
•    Hydrilla, Hydrilla verticillata
•    Flowering rush, Butomus umbellatus
•    Floating primrose-willow, Ludwigia peploides (but not other varieties of Ludwigia)
•    Fanwort, Cabomba caroliniana
•    European water chestnut, Trapa natans
•    European frogbit, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
•    Oxygen weed, Lagarosiphon major
•    Parrot feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum
•    Water fern, genus Azolla
•    Water soldier, Stratiotes aloides
•    Watermoss, genus Salvinia
•    Yellow Floating-heart, Nymphoides peltata (but not other Nymphoides)

Any registered item listed above will be removed from the auction list.

If desired, vendors can mark an item as a donation to OVAS, in which case all proceeds from the item are donated to the club.

The maximum limit for identical items is 3. Please group your items accordingly. You can register more than 3 identical items if you choose to donate these items to the club. Please indicate this during registration, or we will automatically mark any item that exceeds the maximum limit as a donation.

OVAS reserves the right to combine similar lots from the same vendor in the interest of time and getting items sold.

Each single vendor is allowed to register a total maximum of 100 items.

Any un-sold item must be claimed by the owner at the end of the auction. Un-claimed items become property of OVAS.

All fish/livestock MUST be packaged appropriately. See below.

Once an item is registered and placed in the auction it may not be removed.

Additional information

Item Packaging and Presentation
Please package your items carefully! Pails can break; bags can break – just to mention a few possibilities. Keep in mind that clean items will be more desirable.

All fish and livestock placed in the auction MUST be packaged appropriately. Please refer to the bagging instructions on our website.

Fish bags are the preferred method.

Closed plastic buckets may be used for bigger fish.

Any bag/container must be sized appropriately.

Clearly diseased or deformed fish will not be accepted at the auction.

No native fish or protected species may be sold at the auction.

OVAS reserves the right to refuse any item that we consider not properly packaged.


So please: do not show up with open jars and fish in questionable condition. Keep in mind that these guidelines are in the best interest if the fish. Proper bagging is essential to avoid any further stress on the fish; improper bagging can lead to death even before the fish is auctioned off. Always ask yourself if you would be willing to buy the fish/item that you are bringing to the auction.

A bagging station will be available for you in case of emergency. The cost is $1 per bag, paid in advance to the bagger.

Vendor payment
Please see the auction chair 15 minutes after the auction to be cashed out.  You will be provided a receipt, which you will first check, then sign and take to the Treasurer for payment.

OVAS will take a commission of $1 per item ($2/item for vendors who are not OVAS members). The membership desk will be open for people seeking to become members on-site.

If you are unable to stay to the end of the auction please contact the auction chair. You will be mailed a check within 14 days at a cost of $1.

[Liana]

I'm interested in helping out for the auction if you need any hands.
-Liana

[ismael]

anyone lnow where i can register my item for the auction. We used to have a link provided with the list where we can add items.. id ont know if it still the case

[apistofrank]

https://www.ovas.ca/ovas/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/OVAS-Small-Auction-Lot-Sheet-and-Labels-fillable-PDF.pdf

[halcyondaysofillusion]

anyone lnow where i can register my item for the auction. We used to have a link provided with the list where we can add items.. id ont know if it still the case

Apistofrank's link in the comment above this one is to the process for this auction, which is a form and item labels you'll have to fill out and bring with you to the auction. It is a different process than for the big auction in March. More information is in the original post up top. Let me know if you have questions or concerns.

[halcyondaysofillusion]

I'm interested in helping out for the auction if you need any hands.
-Liana

We gladly accept your assistance Email me at and we'll figure out what role you can fill, or we can slot you in somewhere day-of, as you prefer.

[Liana]

  my email has been problematic.
I'll be there for 6pm
Looking forward