United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 1679

APHIS Services

for the Aquaculture

Industry
hrough its field force, the U.S. Department of

Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS) provides

agricultural producers with a broad range of

cooperative programs for protecting the health and

productivity of animals and plants. Aquaculture, the

managed production of aquatic plants and animals,

continues to grow as a major agribusiness enterprise.

T
APHIS programs currently serve important

aspects of both plant and animal aquaculture,

especially involving disease, pest prevention, and

wildlife damage management. APHIS has also

become involved in facilitating the import and export of

aquacultural products because of increased global

trade. The following paragraphs outline APHIS

services in each of these areas.

Services for Aquatic Plant Protection

• Preventing the importation and dissemination of plant

pests and diseases and undesirable aquatic weeds

into and throughout the United States

• Controlling undesirable aquatic plants in the United

States

• Helping to develop pest and disease control

methodology, including the use of biocontrol

organisms

For more information about aquatic plant control

programs, contact APHIS’ Plant Protection and

Quarantine program at (301) 734–5708.

Aquatic Animal Health Activities

• Providing certain diagnostic assistance to

aquaculture producers experiencing health problems

in their products

• Working with the U.S. Department of the Interior's

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S.

Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries

Service, and members the Joint Subcommittee on

Aquaculture (JSA) to disseminate information and

outline agency roles to best meet the aquaculture

industry's animal health needs

• Endorsing animal health certifications for the

exportation of live aquatic species and their products

• Developing aquatic animal health monitoring and

surveillance programs
For more information about aquatic animal health

services, contact APHIS’ Veterinary Services program

at (301) 734–7679.

Veterinary Biologics for Fish

• Licensing domestic manufacturers of veterinary

biologics to ensure that these products are pure, safe,

potent, and effective
• Testing fish biologics at APHIS’ National Veterinary

Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, IA

• Issuing import permits for veterinary biologics

produced in other countries

• Inspecting veterinary biologics production facilities,

methods, and records

• Developing test methods, as well as references and

reagents, and overseeing prelicensing field trials

• Establishing and enforcing regulations for interstate

movement of veterinary biologics

• Issuing documents to meet foreign countries’

requirements for accepting export shipments of

veterinary biologics produced by U.S. manufacturers

• Issuing permits for the importation of organisms and

vectors used for master seed and biologics research

• Licensing veterinary biologics for the prevention,

diagnosis, and/or treatment of diseases of aquatic

animals

• Investigating consumer complaints regarding

biologics used in aquaculture

For more information about veterinary biologics

programs or available products, contact APHIS’ NVSL

at (525) 232–5785. The Veterinary Biologics

Consumer Information Hotline number is

(800) 752–6255.

Wildlife Damage Management Assistance

and Activities

• Recommending and/or providing wildlife exclusion or

scaring devices

• Conducting winter cormorant population censuses

• Conducting surveys of fish-eating birds to determine

population distribution and movements

• Conducting wildlife food-habits studies

• Conducting ecological and behavioral studies on fisheating birds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

prohibits discrimination in all its programs and

activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs,

sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not

all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of program information

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice

and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA,

Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–W,

Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202)

720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.

Issued September 2000

• Working onsite with producers to set up integrated

control programs to reduce fish losses from birds and

other wildlife

• Assisting with migratory bird depredation permit

applications

• Conducting onsite workshops and seminars on bird

control

• Developing factsheets, videos, and other publications

on control and management of wildlife damage

• Working with members of the JSA to define agency

roles and industry needs for protection of aquaculture

products from wildlife damage

• Working with FWS and State wildlife agencies to

jointly develop bird damage-management plans to

protect aquaculture products while ensuring the

continued viability of bird populations

For more information about bird depredation

control, contact APHIS’ Wildlife Services program at

(301) 734–7921.