Source: http://www.dmr.state.ms.us/index.php/news-a-events/public-notices/965-title-22-part-13-aquaculture-regulations-proposed-changes
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:59:36
Document Index: 561505834

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 13', '§ 49', '§ 49', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', '§ 49', '§ 49']

Home Communications Public Notices Title 22, Part 13 - Aquaculture regulations - Proposed Changes
100 The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources (MCMR) is vested with the jurisdiction and authority over all marine aquatic life and is authorized to enact all regulations necessary for the protection, conservation and propagation of all seafood in the waters under the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Mississippi, as provided for in Miss. Code Ann. § 49-15-15, as amended.
101 The MCMR is vested with the jurisdiction and authority over all coastal wetlands including the flora and fauna on and in the wetlands, and is charged with the protection of the coastal wetlands pursuant to the Coastal Wetlands Protection and Miss. Code Ann. § 49-27-1, et seq., as amended.
103 The MCMR provides these requirements for aquaculture activities in marine waters that require a permit under the provisions of the Coastal Wetlands Protection Act and the Mississippi Aquaculture Act of 1988, and said requirements are to be used in making permit decisions regarding regulated activities in marine waters and provide regulatory guidance for industry and resource agencies.
100 ISLANDS - All islands in the territorial waters of the State of Mississippi, which includes, but is not limited to, Petit Bois, Horn, East Ship, West Ship, Cat, Round and Deer Islands.
101 MILE - For the purposes of this Title and Part, a mile shall be interpreted to mean one nautical mile.
102 NET-PEN - A net-pen shall refer to any aquaculture system that uses nets or cages suspended in the water column to grow fish or invertebrates excluding molluscan shellfish.
103 OFF-BOTTOM AQUACULTURE means molluscan shellfish aquaculture operations in the marine waters that utilize the water column or do not otherwise fall within the definition of on-bottom aquaculture.
104 ON-BOTTOM AQUACULTURE means molluscan shellfish aquaculture operations in the marine waters that use natural shell, spat on shell, or other approved cultch material deployed on the water bottoms, without employing racks, cages, or other containers or support structures.
105 SHORELINE - That area where the water contacts the land including the mainland and all offshore and barrier islands.
Chapter 04 Requirements Applicable to all Aquaculture Operations
100 The following requirements shall apply to all types of aquaculture activities in the marine waters of the State of Mississippi.
100.01 Aquaculture operations must not discharge any waste materials into the surrounding waters. For purposes of this section, waste materials include solids, debris, sanitary and kitchen wastes, oil, and grease; but exclude fouling organisms, the excrement of the cultured species, and commercially prepared feeds fed to them.
100.02 All aquaculture operations’ structures must be properly marked and lighted in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. In order to minimize the impacts to sea turtles, the structure and any associated vessels moored adjacent to it shall use external lighting systems composed of low pressure sodium vapor lights with a maximum of 55 watts per bulb or any other light source proven and documented not to disturb sea turtles. Coast Guard required navigation lights are exempt from this guideline.
100.03 Generally, only non-lethal methods of predator control shall be allowed. However, invertebrates are exempt from this guideline. To insure that the applicant has taken measures to prevent the deaths or harm of potential predators, a predator control plan that details the type of predator controls being proposed (i.e. mesh size of netting, color of netting, height of netting, etc.) for each aquaculture operation shall be approved by the MDMR prior to the issuance of a permit.
100.04 Aquaculture activities in State waters must be performed in a manner that would not cause substantial negative impacts to tidal marsh or coastal or marine habitats such as seagrass beds, naturally occurring oyster and clam beds, or endangered species such as sea turtles and Gulf Sturgeon.
100.05 All applicants shall provide the MDMR with a plan for securing or moving, if necessary, the aquaculture facility in the event of a significant storm or hurricane. The permitted facility shall comply with the approved storm plan in the event of a significant storm or hurricane. The aquaculture operation must maintain nets and moorings in a whole and intact condition. No gear may be abandoned. Any net or gear accidentally dropped or lost during storm events that is not recovered immediately shall be tagged with a float, positioned using differential Global Positioning System, and reported to the MDMR within 24 hours. The lost net or gear must be recovered by the aquaculture operation within 30 days of the date lost. The aquaculture operation must notify the MDMR on the date the net or gear is recovered.
100.09 Transport, harvest, or sale of shellfish, other than seedstock from a grow-out facility (lease) which is closed for public health purposes to another grow-out facility, is prohibited without a valid special activity permit.
100.10 All holding, transport, and culture systems of the aquaculture operation must be designed, operated and maintained to prevent the escape of cultured aquatic species into waters of the state.
100.11 All shellfish from aquaculture leases, hatchery, nursery, farm or facilities being transported or shipped must be in distinct containers identified by the producer’s Department of Agriculture and Commerce cultivation permit number.
100 Net-pen or other containment systems for culturing finfish, crustaceans or other non-molluscan marine organisms shall be located in waters of sufficient depth. A minimum clearance of ten (10) feet below the bottom of the net-pen system shall be maintained at all times. The distance shall be measured at mean low water. If monitoring indicates a serious problem with water quality or other environmental conditions at the site (i.e., when certain limits for specific parameters established in the monitoring program or by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality are exceeded), the operation must be adjusted to reduce impacts. Adjustments shall include, but are not limited to, modifying the feeding rate or feeding schedule, reducing the amount of fish in the net-pen system, or increasing or decreasing the clearance under the nets to allow for increased water circulation.
101 Net-pen aquaculture operations shall not be located within two (2) miles of the shoreline.
102 Variations to the requirements in this Chapter are allowed for cultivation of filter-feeder species without commercial feeds, with approval by the MCMR.
103 All purchases of live fish, regardless of life stage, must be accompanied by a USDA accredited veterinarian signed "Certificate of Veterinary Inspection” attesting to the good health of the species.
Chapter 06 Requirements Specific to Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture
100 All operations must comply with regulations governing shellfish, including Title 22, Part 1 and ISSC regulations. All harvested oysters, whether from aquaculture farms, leases, or facilities, must be landed and tagged according to Title 22, Part 1, Chapter 04.
101 Molluscan shellfish aquaculture operations must only culture species native to the Gulf of Mexico. Polyploid native species are permitted. Imported shellfish seed stock to be used for grow-out in Mississippi waters must be first generation descendants of broodstock who originated in the Gulf of Mexico. The hatchery where the shellfish seed stock was produced must provide documentation of broodstock origin.
103.01 On-shore culture of molluscan shellfish includes any aquaculture operation of molluscan shellfish that involves either the production or grow-out of spat, seed stock, spawning, and larval culture; and not intended for direct consumption, whether or not they are located on or off shore.
103.02 All on-shore molluscan shellfish aquaculture facilities must certify that all stock cultured and originating from sources outside of Mississippi are free of any diseases or parasites harmful to marine organisms, excluding Dermo (Perkinsus marinus). Certification must be submitted to the MDMR prior to the operation of the aquaculture facility.
103.03 Facilities based on land must be designed and operated in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts to the receiving waters, adjacent wetlands, and uplands.
100.03 On shore culture operators must maintain records of any transfers of brood stock, seed, gametes, or larvae.
100.04 All records must be maintained for a minimum of two years, and must be available to the MDMR for inspection.
100.01 Each proposed lease area must be located in waters classified as APPROVED, CONDITIONALLY APPROVED, or RESTRICTED. Harvests in lease areas must comply with the regulations in Title 22, Part 1.
100.02 Each application for a bottom lease must be for five acres or more, but shall not exceed 500 acres.
101.01 Any person wanting to lease bottoms must complete an on-bottom shellfish lease application form and submit it to the MDMR Director of Marine Fisheries. Application forms are available from the MDMR in Biloxi, Mississippi.
101.02 Applicants must be a resident of the State of Mississippi, or be organized under the laws of the State and registered with the Secretary of State's Office.
103.01.01 Term. Such leases shall be for a term of five years, with the right of the lessee to renew the lease for an additional five years, and continue to renew at five-year intervals, at the same ground rental rate so long as lessee actively cultivates and gathers shellfish, complies with all provisions of this Part, and has all applicable permits and licenses.
103.01.02 If the lessee is prevented from gathering shellfish from the area leased by storm, or other natural phenomenon, he nevertheless may renew the lease if the bottoms are actively worked by lessee during the remaining term or renewal term of the lease.
103.01.04 All leases expire on July 1 of the year in which five year lease term or renewal term expires.
103.01.05 All leases leased prior to July 1, 2015 shall expire on the date indicated in the current lease agreement.
104.06 All terms and conditions, including term limitations, from the lease transfer to the transferee.
105 Political subdivisions of the State of Mississippi may lease up to one thousand (1,000) acres of bottoms for oyster reef development and such political subdivisions are authorized to permit residents of the State of Mississippi to harvest shellfish from such reefs and charge and receive a fee for each sack of shellfish harvested.
100 Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this Part shall be, in addition to civil liability provided for in Miss. Code Ann. § 49-27-55, as amended, guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, shall be penalized in accordance with Miss. Code Ann. § 49-27-57, as amended. Violations of more than one chapter or subchapter of this Part, or part thereof, shall be considered separate offenses and punished as such. In the case of continuing violations, each day shall constitute a separate offense.
Adopted this the 16th day of August 2016.
Jamie M. Miller, Executive Director
101 100 MILE - For the purposes of this Title and Part, a mile shall be interpreted to mean one nautical mile.
102 101 NET-PEN - A net-pen shall refer to any aquaculture system that uses nets or cages suspended in the water column to grow fish or invertebrates excluding molluscan shellfish.
102 ISLANDS- All islands in theterritorial waters oftheStateofMississippi,which includes, but is not limited to, Petit Bois, Horn, East Ship, WestShip, Cat,Round and DeerIslands.
105 103 SHORELINE - That area where the water contacts the land including the mainland and all offshore and barrier islands.
100.01 All aquaculturepermit applicants shall providetheMDMR with asite-specific environmental assessment that describes thesitecharacteristics and thepotential impacts associated with theproject. This assessment shall includebut not necessarilybelimited to information on bottom characteristics, hydrological characteristics (current speed and direction, temperature range, dissolved oxygen content range,etc.), proximityto habitats ofspecial significanceand endangered species that utilizethegeneral area.Datafrom pre-existingstudies maybeused if it is applicableto thespecificsite.
100.02 100.05 All aquaculture operations’ structures must be properly marked and lighted in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. In order to minimize the impacts to sea turtles, the structure and any associated vessels moored adjacent to it shall use external lighting systems composed of low pressure sodium vapor lights with a maximum of 55 watts per bulb or any other light source proven and documented not to disturb sea turtles. Coast Guard required navigation lights are exempt from this guideline.
100.03 100.06 Generally, only non-lethal methods of predator control shall be allowed. However, theoysterdrill(Thais haemastoma sp.)shall be invertebrates are exempt from this guideline. To insure that the applicant has taken measures to prevent the deaths or harm of potential predators, a predator control plan that details the type of predator controls being proposed (i.e. mesh size of netting, color of netting, height of netting, etc.) for each aquaculture operation shall be approved by the MDMR prior to the issuance of a permit.
100.07 Careshall betaken to avoid locating aquacultureoperations in closeproximityto federal navigation channels and dredged materialdisposal areas.Aquaculture operations, otherthanapproved on-shoremolluscan shellfish facilities, shall not besited within one-half(1/2)mileofthe centerlineofafederal navigation channel norshall theybesited within asafetyfairway, an anchoragearea,or within theboundaryofadredged material disposal siteunless specifically authorized bythe U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineersand/orthe U.S. Coast Guard.
100.05 100.10 All applicants shall provide the MDMR with a plan for securing or moving, if necessary, the aquaculture facility in the event of a significant storm or hurricane. The permitted facility shall comply with the approved storm plan in the event of a significant storm or hurricane.The aquaculture operation must maintain nets and moorings in a whole and intact condition. No gear may be abandoned. Any net or gear accidentally dropped or lost during storm events that is not recovered immediately shall be tagged with a float, positioned using differential Global Positioning System, and reported to the MDMR within 24 hours. The lost net or gear must be recovered by the aquaculture operation within 30 days of the date lost. The aquaculture operation must notify the MDMR on the date the net or gear is recovered.
102 Variations to the requirements in this Chapter05 are allowed for cultivation of filter-feeder species without commercial feeds, with approval by the MCMR.
100 Off-Bottom Culture.
102 On-bottom and off-bottom Culture On-Bottom Culture in Nearshore waters.
103.01 On-shore culture of molluscan shellfish includes any aquaculture operation of molluscan shellfish on themainland and all offshoreorbarrierislands that involves either the production or grow-out of spat or, seed stock, spawning, and larval culture; and not intended for direct consumption., whether or not they are located on or off shore.
103.02 All on-shore molluscan shellfish aquaculture facilities arerequired to must certify that all stock cultured and originating from sources outside of theStateofMississippi are free of any diseases or parasites harmful to marine organisms, . Such certification shall excluding Dermo (Perkinsus marinus). Certification must be submitted to the MDMR prior to the operation of the aquaculture facility.
Chapter 10 09 Penalties