Attachment 8-3: Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Live Fishes 
and Their Gametes and Fertilized Eggs 
 
(In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese text and the English translation thereof, 
the Chinese text shall govern.) 
 
Amended by the Council of Agriculture on August 11, 2022  
 
1. The quarantine requirements regulate the importation of live fishes and their 
gametes and fertilized eggs. The species subject to animal quarantine and the scope 
of designated infectious animal diseases are listed in the Annex. 
The gametes mentioned in the preceding paragraph refer to sperms and unfertilized 
eggs of fish. 
2. Sample collection, testing, and surveillance for species and pertinent infectious 
animal diseases as referred to in these Requirements shall be conducted in 
accordance with relevant provisions recommendations in the World Organisation for 
Animal Health (WOAH) Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals 
(hereinafter the Aquatic Manual). For infectious animal diseases with no sampling, 
testing or surveillance methods prescribed in the Aquatic Manual, methods that have 
been published in international scientific journals may be used. 
The quarantine requirements stipulate the incubation period using relevant 
provisions of the Aquatic Manual or the WOAH Aquatic Animal Health Code 
(hereinafter the Aquatic Code). Unless the incubation period is not specified by the 
WOAH Manual or the Aquatic Code, others that are published in international 
scientific journals may be used. If no such information can be found either in the 
Aquatic Manual, the Aquatic Code or international scientific journals, the 
incubation period will be 30 days. 
3. The importation of live fishes, their gametes and fertilized eggs in the Annex for 
aquaculture or rearing purposes shall comply with the following requirements: 
(1) The population of origin of live fishes or the brood stocks of gametes or 
fertilized eggs are kept for at least 14 days prior to export or the collection of 
gametes or fertilized eggs in waters or aquaculture facilities, which are 
supervised by the government of the exporting country, where no incidence of 
high mortality caused by infectious diseases or unknown etiology has occurred 
in indicated species in the past 3 months. 
(2) The infectious animal diseases listed in the Annex are notifiable diseases of the 
exporting countries, and basic biosecurity measures are applied on waters or 
aquaculture facilities of origin for at least 2 years; or samples collected from 
waters or aquaculture facilities are tested for listed diseases in the Annex by laboratories designated by the government of the exporting country with 
negative results within 30 days prior to export. 
(3) The live fishes prior to export from the waters or aquaculture facility of origin, 
or their gametes and fertilized eggs prior to collect from the population of origin 
of fishes, are found to be healthy without external parasite infestation or clinical 
signs of animal diseases within 7 days prior to export. 
The biosecurity measures mentioned in the second Subparagraph of the preceding 
Paragraph are as follows:  
(1) The surveillance of the listed diseases is conducted by laboratories designated by 
the government of the exporting country to verify there were no cases occurring for 
at least 2 years; 
(2) The introduction of new brood stock for aquaculture or rearing purposes shall 
originate from zones free from listed diseases in the Annex or waters or aquaculture 
facilities of origin adopting basic biosecurity measures. 
4. The importation of live fish in the Annex for human consumption shall comply with 
one of the following requirements: 
(1) The infectious animal diseases listed in the Annex are notifiable diseases in the 
exporting countries. The waters or aquaculture facility of origin has been subject 
to surveillance conducted by a laboratory designated by the exporting country’s 
government. According to the surveillance results, the pertinent diseases of 
concern listed in the Annex have not occurred for at least 2 years. 
(2) Samples collected from waters or aquaculture facilities of origin are tested for 
listed diseases in the Annex by laboratories designated by the government of the 
exporting country with negative results within 30 days prior to the export of live 
fishes. 
5. Each consignment shall be accompanied by an original veterinary certificate issued 
by a competent authority of the exporting country. The certificate shall state the 
following information in English or Chinese: 
(1) Type and origin of the animal: 
a. Scientific names; 
b. Total quantity or weight (quantities or weights of different species shall be 
noted respectively); 
c. Age or phase of growth; 
d. The exporting country; 
e. Name and address of waters or aquaculture facilities of origin; and 
f. Name and address of the exporter. 
(2) Destination: 
a. Country of destination; and b. Name and address of the importer. 
(3) Result of the quarantine: For the importation of live fish, their gametes and 
fertilized eggs in the Annex for aquaculture or rearing or human consumption 
purposes, statements attesting that they fulfill the requirements stipulated in 
Article 3 or 4 and noting the monitoring diseases; or noting names of testing 
diseases, dates of sampling, amounts of samples, name of the laboratory, 
methods and results of the tests within 30 days prior to export. The name of the 
journals, the publication date, and title of the associated articles are required 
when using methods published in international scientific journals. 
(4) Date of issuance, name and official stamp of the issuing authority, and name and 
signature of the issuing officer. 
6. Imported live fishes, and their gametes and fertilized eggs in the Annex approved by 
the competent authority of fishery according to projects of breeding importation or 
research purposes that do not comply with the Article 5 requiring the original 
veterinary health certificates must be detained in the quarantine premises designated 
by the import/export animal quarantine authority of the importing country and 
comply with the following requirements: 
(1) The quarantine period for live fishes is at least triple of the longest incubation 
period of the infectious animal diseases in the Annex; and the quarantine period 
for gametes and fertilized eggs is the same as that for live fishes starting on the 
hatching day. 
(2) During the quarantine period, the consecutive samplings of testing infectious 
animal diseases in the Annex shall be conducted twice with negative results. 
(3) During the quarantine period, individual identifications are labeled following the 
instruction of the import/export animal quarantine authority of the importing 
country. 
(4) During the quarantine period, the quarantine areas are used for raising the 
consignment, their offspring, and sentinel fishes permitted by the import/export 
animal quarantine authority of the importing country. Personnel without 
permission of the import/export animal quarantine authority of the importing 
country are not allowed to enter into the quarantine premises. 
The quarantine premises mentioned in preceding Paragraph shall comply with the 
following requirements and be confirmed by the import/export animal quarantine 
authority of the importing country that the facilities and equipment are in 
accordance with the biosecurity requirements: 
(1) Prevent invasion of vertebral animals from outside and spillover of live fish, 
their gametes and fertilized eggs. 
(2) Set up the closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the entry and exit points, which can be locked by personnel, and dependent inlet systems with filters and culvert 
systems with disinfected equipment. 
(3) To raise live fishes, and their gametes and fertilized eggs in a separate body of 
water, each body of water shall be separate effectively, without mutual 
circulation or contamination, and they shall not share related equipment. Those 
conditions of mutual circulation, contamination or sharing related equipment are 
viewed as being raised in the same body of water. 
The sampling and testing mentioned in the second Subparagraph of the first 
Paragraph of Article 6 shall comply with the requirements stipulated in Article 2 and 
the following requirements:  
(1) The time period of sampling is not less than the longest incubation period, and 
sample amounts are at least 30 for each consignment. For total quantity of 
consignment that are less than 30, all shall be sampled, and gametes and 
fertilized eggs shall be sampled after hatching. 
(2) Sentinel fishes shall be raised in the same body of water with live fishes, 
gametes and fertilized eggs after hatching for the longest incubation period. 
After the aforementioned quarantine period, sampling of sentinel fishes are 
conducted with the sampling amount that are no less than numbers which were 
sampled in the consignment. 
If the results of the tests requested in the second Subparagraph of the first Paragraph 
of Article 6 are positive, the consignment must be reshipped or destroyed with all 
the fishes in the same body of water. 
7. The package, transportation and disinfection of imported live fishes, gametes and 
fertilized eggs shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Aquatic Code. 
8. Except for those described in Article 6, no post-entry quarantine is required for live 
fishes, their gametes and fertilized eggs that comply with the quarantine 
requirements. 
 Annex: The species subject to animal quarantine and the scope of the designated infectious 
animal diseases regarding live fishes, gametes and fertilized eggs 
No. Scientific name of species Designated infectious animal diseases 
1 Acanthopagrus australis Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
2 Acanthopagrus latus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
3 Acanthopagrus schlegeli Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
4 Anabas testudineus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
5 Anguilla Anguilla 
(Young eel and adult eel)  Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
6 Anguilla spp. 
(Young eel and adult eel)  Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
7 Aristichthys nobilis Spring viraemia of carp 
8 Arius spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
9 Bagridae Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
10 Belodontichthys spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
11 Bidyanus bidyanus Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis 
Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
12 Caranx delicatissimus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
13 Caranx spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
14 Carassius auratus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Spring viraemia of carp  
15 Catla catla Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
16 Ceratoglanis spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
17 Chanos chanos Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
18 Cirrhinus mrigala Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
19 Clarias spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
20 Cromileptes altivelis Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
21 Ctenopharyngodon idellus Spring viraemia of carp 
22 Cyprinus carpio Koi herpesvirus disease 
Spring viraemia of carp 23 Epinephelus  spp. Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus and infectious spleen and 
kidney necrosis virus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
24 Esomus spp.    Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
25 Glossogobius giuris Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
26 Hemisilurus spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
27 Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Spring viraemia of carp 
28 Kryptopterus spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
29 Labeo spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
30 Lateolabrax japonicas Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
31 Lateolabrax  spp. Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
32 Lates calcarifer Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
33 Lethrinus haematopterus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
34 Lethrinus nebulosus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
35 Lutjanus argentimaculatus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
36 Lutjanus erythropterus Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
37 Marcusenius macrolepidotus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
38 Micronema  spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
39 Mugil cephalus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome  
Red sea bream iridoviral disease (infectious 
spleen and kidney necrosis virus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
40 Mugil spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
41 Ompok spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
42 Oncorhynchus mykiss Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis  Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Gyrodactylosis  
Infection with salmonid alphavirus 
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis 
Infectious salmon anaemia  
Viral hemorrhagic septicaemia 
43 Oncorhynchus  spp. Infectious haematopoietic necrosis  
Viral hemorrhagic septicaemia 
44 Oplegnathus fasciatus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
45 Oreochromis aureus Tilapia Lake Virus 
46 Oreochromis niloticus Tilapia Lake Virus 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
47 Oreochromis sp. (red tilapia)  Tilapia Lake Virus 
48 Osphronemus goramy Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
49 Oxyeleotris marmorata Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
50 Pagrus major Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
51 Paralichthys olivaceus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia 
52 Parasilurus asotus Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
53 Perca fluviatilis Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis 
54 Phalacronotus spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
55 Platycephalus fuscus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
56 Plecoglossus altivelis Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis 
57 Plectorhinchus cinctus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
58 Pterocryptis spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
59 Puntius gonionotus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
60 Puntius sophore Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
61 Rachycentron canadum Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
62 Rhodeus ocellatus  Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
63 Rohtee spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
64 Salmo salar Gyrodactylosis 
Infection with salmonid alphavirus 
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis 
Infectious salmon anaemia 
Viral hemorrhagic septicaemia 
65 Scaridinius erythrophthalmus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
66 Sciaenops ocellatus Red sea bream iridoviral disease (infectious 
spleen and kidney necrosis virus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
67 Seriola dumerili Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
68 Seriola lalandi Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
69 Seriola quinqueradiata Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus and infectious spleen and 
kidney necrosis virus) 
70 Sillago ciliata Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
71 Silurichthys spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
72 Silurus spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
73 Siniperca chuatsi Red sea bream iridoviral disease (infectious 
spleen and kidney necrosis virus) 
74 Terapon spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
75 Theragra chalcogramma Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia 
76 Toxotes chatareus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
77 Trachinotus blochii Red sea bream iridoviral disease (red sea 
bream iridovirus) 
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy 
78 Trichogaster pectoralis Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
79 Trichogaster trichopterus Epizootic ulcerative syndrome 
80 Wallago spp. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome