RJ
06-11-2007, 06:23 PM
TO ADDITIONAL NEW YORK WATERS
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the adoption of final regulations to help prevent the spread of the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) to additional waters in the state. The final regulations* which took effect on Wednesday* June 6* 2007* replace previously enacted emergency regulations. The new regulations reflect changes incorporated as a result of public comments regarding limits on the possession* sale* transfer* taking and release of certain bait fish and other live fish species to be placed in New York waters. VHS is a fish pathogen and does not pose any threat to public health.
VHS was first confirmed in New York waters in May 2006 in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. VHS has now also been confirmed in several fish species in Great Lakes basin waters in New York State and in Conesus Lake. There is no known cure for VHS* and the virus is nearly always fatal. Because of the virus's ability to spread* and potential impact to fisheries* recreation* and the economy* the World Organization of Animal Health has categorized VHS as a transmissible disease with the potential for profound socio-economic consequences.
VHS can be spread from water body to water body through a variety of means. One known pathway is through the movement of fish* including bait fish between water bodies. DEC* in cooperation with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University* has sampled fish from waters across the state* and* except for Conesus Lake* VHS has not been confirmed in fish from any New York water outside the Great Lakes
basin.
Due to the potential adverse effects of VHS on fish populations and the desire to prevent its spread to other states* the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal order on October 24* 2006* which was amended on November 14* 2006 and May 4* 2007. The final amended order prohibits the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and restricts the interstate movement of 37 fish species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes. Other than catch and release angling on international and interstate waterbodies* movement of fish from these states is limited to certified VHS-free fish or fish destined for a processing facility that meets specified standards.
Further information on the Federal Order can be found on the APHIS website at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/.
The Amended Federal Order does not address the movement of fish within New York State. In-state movement of fish for use as bait or for stocking could spread VHS in New York and cause significant adverse impacts to the state's fish resources. Therefore* in order to protect New York's valuable fishery resources* DEC has adopted regulations
that:
* Limit the personal use of bait fish to the same water body from
which they were collected. Overland transport of personally collected bait fish in a motorized vehicle is prohibited. Also* bait fish can be taken from a water body's tributaries upstream of the first impassable barrier for use on such water body. (This rule does not pertain to bait fish collected in the Marine District for use in the Marine District.)
* Limit the use of commercially collected and sold bait fish to
the same water body from which they were collected. Overland transport of commercially collected bait fish in a motorized vehicle is prohibited. (This rule does not pertain to bait fish collected in the Marine District for use in the Marine District.)
* Require that bait fish offered for sale by wholesalers* for use
on waterbodies other than the waterbody from which they were collected* are certified as free of specified fish pathogens and are accompanied by a fish health inspection report. Bait fish sold at retail* for use on waterbodies other than the waterbody from which they were collected* must also be certified as free of specified fish pathogens. In addition* the retail seller must provide the purchaser with a dated receipt of the transaction* which must be retained by the purchaser while in possession of the bait fish. Anglers will have 7 days from the date of purchase to use the bait fish. (This restriction does not apply to bait fish collected in the Marine and Coastal District for use in the Marine and Coastal District.)
* Clarify where marine bait fish may be transported. Bait fish
caught in the Marine District to be used in the Marine District or bait fish imported into New York for use in the Marine District may be transported overland only within the following counties: Queens* Kings* Richmond* New York* Suffolk* Nassau* Bronx* Rockland and Westchester.
* Allow dead bait fish packaged for commercial purposes* and
preserved by methods other than by freezing* only to be sold and used wherever it is legal to use bait fish. Specific package labeling requirements are included in the regulations.
* Require that all live fish* destined for release into the waters
of the state* or imported for release into the waters of the state* be inspected by certified professionals and be certified to be free of certain fish pathogens. The release of any live fish into the waters of the state is prohibited unless the fish have been determined to be free of the pathogens listed below* and documented by a fish health inspection report issued within the previous 12 months. For all species of freshwater fish* a fish health inspection report shall certify that the fish are free of VHS and Spring Viremia of Carp Virus* as well as certify the presence or absence of: Furunculosis* Enteric Red Mouth* and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPN). In addition* for salmon and trout (Salmonidae)* a fish health inspection report shall certify that they are free of Whirling Disease and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN)* as well as certify the presence or absence of Bacterial Kidney Disease. The fish health inspection reports must be on a standard form supplied by the DEC* must be issued by an independent qualified inspector* conform with specific testing methods and procedures* and be filed with DEC.
* Allow live fish* other than bait fish* caught from the non-New
York portion of an interstate or international water body to be transported on the water and released into the New York portion of the water body. This provision allows for catch and release tournaments to occur on those bodies of water. In addition to the above* there are existing regulations that continue to be in place that identify waters where anglers are allowed to use bait fish and waters where the commercial collection of bait fish is permitted. Following these regulations will help maintain the quality of New York*s world class fisheries** stated Commissioner Grannis. For more information on VHS* visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/25328.html.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the adoption of final regulations to help prevent the spread of the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) to additional waters in the state. The final regulations* which took effect on Wednesday* June 6* 2007* replace previously enacted emergency regulations. The new regulations reflect changes incorporated as a result of public comments regarding limits on the possession* sale* transfer* taking and release of certain bait fish and other live fish species to be placed in New York waters. VHS is a fish pathogen and does not pose any threat to public health.
VHS was first confirmed in New York waters in May 2006 in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. VHS has now also been confirmed in several fish species in Great Lakes basin waters in New York State and in Conesus Lake. There is no known cure for VHS* and the virus is nearly always fatal. Because of the virus's ability to spread* and potential impact to fisheries* recreation* and the economy* the World Organization of Animal Health has categorized VHS as a transmissible disease with the potential for profound socio-economic consequences.
VHS can be spread from water body to water body through a variety of means. One known pathway is through the movement of fish* including bait fish between water bodies. DEC* in cooperation with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University* has sampled fish from waters across the state* and* except for Conesus Lake* VHS has not been confirmed in fish from any New York water outside the Great Lakes
basin.
Due to the potential adverse effects of VHS on fish populations and the desire to prevent its spread to other states* the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal order on October 24* 2006* which was amended on November 14* 2006 and May 4* 2007. The final amended order prohibits the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and restricts the interstate movement of 37 fish species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes. Other than catch and release angling on international and interstate waterbodies* movement of fish from these states is limited to certified VHS-free fish or fish destined for a processing facility that meets specified standards.
Further information on the Federal Order can be found on the APHIS website at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/.
The Amended Federal Order does not address the movement of fish within New York State. In-state movement of fish for use as bait or for stocking could spread VHS in New York and cause significant adverse impacts to the state's fish resources. Therefore* in order to protect New York's valuable fishery resources* DEC has adopted regulations
that:
* Limit the personal use of bait fish to the same water body from
which they were collected. Overland transport of personally collected bait fish in a motorized vehicle is prohibited. Also* bait fish can be taken from a water body's tributaries upstream of the first impassable barrier for use on such water body. (This rule does not pertain to bait fish collected in the Marine District for use in the Marine District.)
* Limit the use of commercially collected and sold bait fish to
the same water body from which they were collected. Overland transport of commercially collected bait fish in a motorized vehicle is prohibited. (This rule does not pertain to bait fish collected in the Marine District for use in the Marine District.)
* Require that bait fish offered for sale by wholesalers* for use
on waterbodies other than the waterbody from which they were collected* are certified as free of specified fish pathogens and are accompanied by a fish health inspection report. Bait fish sold at retail* for use on waterbodies other than the waterbody from which they were collected* must also be certified as free of specified fish pathogens. In addition* the retail seller must provide the purchaser with a dated receipt of the transaction* which must be retained by the purchaser while in possession of the bait fish. Anglers will have 7 days from the date of purchase to use the bait fish. (This restriction does not apply to bait fish collected in the Marine and Coastal District for use in the Marine and Coastal District.)
* Clarify where marine bait fish may be transported. Bait fish
caught in the Marine District to be used in the Marine District or bait fish imported into New York for use in the Marine District may be transported overland only within the following counties: Queens* Kings* Richmond* New York* Suffolk* Nassau* Bronx* Rockland and Westchester.
* Allow dead bait fish packaged for commercial purposes* and
preserved by methods other than by freezing* only to be sold and used wherever it is legal to use bait fish. Specific package labeling requirements are included in the regulations.
* Require that all live fish* destined for release into the waters
of the state* or imported for release into the waters of the state* be inspected by certified professionals and be certified to be free of certain fish pathogens. The release of any live fish into the waters of the state is prohibited unless the fish have been determined to be free of the pathogens listed below* and documented by a fish health inspection report issued within the previous 12 months. For all species of freshwater fish* a fish health inspection report shall certify that the fish are free of VHS and Spring Viremia of Carp Virus* as well as certify the presence or absence of: Furunculosis* Enteric Red Mouth* and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPN). In addition* for salmon and trout (Salmonidae)* a fish health inspection report shall certify that they are free of Whirling Disease and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN)* as well as certify the presence or absence of Bacterial Kidney Disease. The fish health inspection reports must be on a standard form supplied by the DEC* must be issued by an independent qualified inspector* conform with specific testing methods and procedures* and be filed with DEC.
* Allow live fish* other than bait fish* caught from the non-New
York portion of an interstate or international water body to be transported on the water and released into the New York portion of the water body. This provision allows for catch and release tournaments to occur on those bodies of water. In addition to the above* there are existing regulations that continue to be in place that identify waters where anglers are allowed to use bait fish and waters where the commercial collection of bait fish is permitted. Following these regulations will help maintain the quality of New York*s world class fisheries** stated Commissioner Grannis. For more information on VHS* visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/25328.html.