During a generalized acidosis in rainbow trout, catecholamines are released into the blood, activating red blood cell (RBC) Na(+)/H(+) exchange (βNHE), thus protecting RBC intracellular pH (pH(i)) and subsequent O(2) binding at the gill. Because of the presence of a Root effect (a reduction in oxygen carrying capacity of the blood with a reduction in pH), the latter could otherwise be impaired. However, plasma-accessible carbonic anhydrase (CA) at the tissues (and absence at the gills) may result in selective short-circuiting of RBC βNHE pH regulation. This would acidify the RBCs and greatly enhance O(2) delivery by exploitation of the combined Bohr-Root effect, a mechanism not previously proposed. As proof-of-principle, an in vitro closed system was developed to continuously monitor extracellular pH (pH(e)) and O(2) tension (P(O(2))) of rainbow trout blood. In this closed system, adding CA to acidified, adrenergically stimulated RBCs short-circuited βNHE pH regulation, resulting in an increase in P(O(2)) by >30 mmHg, depending on the starting Hb-O(2) saturation and degree of initial acidification. Interestingly, in the absence of adrenergic stimulation, addition of CA still elevated P(O(2)), albeit to a lesser extent, a response that was absent during general NHE inhibition. If plasma-accessible CA-mediated short-circuiting is operational in vivo, the combined Bohr-Root effect system unique to teleost fishes could markedly enhance tissue O(2) delivery far in excess of that in vertebrates possessing a Bohr effect alone and may lead to insights about the early evolution of the Root effect.