Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › Division 7 - FISH MANAGEMENT AND HATCHERY OPERATION › Section 635-007-0995 - Containment and Treatment of Fish Disease Agents

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) The Department may approve the transfer
			 or release of fish or issue a Fish Transport Permit with special conditions,
			 depending on the disease history of the shipping station or watershed, the
			 current disease inspection report, or the susceptibility of fish to disease
			 agents endemic in the watershed to which the fish would be shipped.
(2) The Oregon exporter and importer
			 (recipient) are responsible for getting the required permits and complying with
			 all regulations concerning transporting fish within Oregon and importing fish
			 to Oregon from any other state, province, or country.
(3) The examination (station check) of
			 salmonids sampled at a particular hatchery for M. cerebralis must meet Oregon's
			 requirements for M. cerebralis import or transfer of fish from that facility to
			 or within Oregon.
(4) If the
			 Department determines that live fish have a disease agent that may affect fish
			 in Oregon, the fish may not be transported from one watershed to another within
			 this state or exported from this state without the Department's written
			 consent. The Department may restrict or prohibit a person from transporting
			 infected fish or fish suspected of being infected to or from certain watersheds
			 or areas within watersheds of the state.
(5) The Department may authorize a person to
			 transfer salmonids from any waters of the state or other states without a
			 health inspection to a facility approved by the Department for scientific study
			 pursuant to the objectives of projects acceptable to the Department.
(6) Fish at all Department facilities must be
			 treated so as to reduce the amplification of disease agents. Protocols listed
			 in sub-paragraphs (a)-(c) are required for all Department facilities and are
			 recommended for privately operated fish facilities to minimize the
			 amplification of disease agents within their facilities.
(a) When fish disease agents are detected,
			 preventative and therapeutic strategies must be implemented to reduce the
			 impact of such disease agents on both hatchery-reared and naturally-reared
			 native fish populations.
(b)
			 Sanitation protocols:
(A) Eggs must be
			 disinfected or water-hardened in buffered iodophor. Eggs must be disinfected
			 after collection and, if transferred to a new facility, they must also be
			 disinfected upon arrival. Imported eggs and their shipping containers must be
			 disinfected at the approved destination using methods acceptable to the
			 Department's fish health specialists. (A list of acceptable disinfecting agents
			 and methods is available from the Department).
(B) Disinfection footbaths or other means of
			 disinfection must be provided at the incubation facility's entrance and exit
			 areas for sanitizing footwear, raingear, and equipment while embryos are
			 incubating in the facility.
(C)
			 Equipment and rain gear used in broodstock handling or spawning must be
			 sanitized after leaving the adult area and before being used in other rearing
			 units or the hatch-house building.
(D) Equipment used to collect dead fish must
			 be sanitized before being used in another pond, or equipment must be designated
			 for each specific pond.
(E) Dead
			 fish must be disposed of promptly and in a manner that will prevent the
			 introduction of disease agents to waters of the State.
(F) Rearing units must be cleaned on a
			 regular basis by vacuuming, brushing, or flushing. All equipment used for this
			 purpose must be disinfected before being moved to a different pond.
(G) Equipment used to transfer eggs or fish
			 among facilities, including fish liberation tankers, must be sanitized before
			 being used with any other fish lot or at any other location. Disinfecting and
			 disinfected water must be disposed of in an approved manner.
(H) Rearing units must be sanitized after
			 removing fish and before introducing a new fish stock either by thoroughly
			 cleaning the unit and using a disinfectant or by cleaning it and leaving it to
			 dry for a minimum of three days.
(I) Use of pathogen-free water is preferable,
			 especially for egg incubation and early fish rearing.
(c) Preventative and therapeutic fish health
			 strategies must be implemented at all facilities in consultation with the
			 Department's personnel to avoid or reduce disease agents and fish losses. Fish
			 health strategies may include the following:
(A) Modifying hatchery practices such as
			 water temperature, feeding or cleaning regimes, egg culling operations,
			 isolating containers of infected fish, and using a different water
			 supply;
(B) Changing release
			 strategies, if approved by the Department's Fish Division;
(C) Destroying fish if the disease agent is
			 untreatable and an epizootic event is likely, or where an exotic or non-endemic
			 disease agent is detected, if approved by Fish Division;
(D) Increasing water releases from reservoirs
			 when possible to increase flows and reduce water temperature.
(E) Treating fish with federally approved
			 chemicals or drugs from one of the following categories:
(i) FDA-labeled and approved for use on food
			 fish;
(ii) Allowed by the FDA as an
			 Investigational New Animal Drug;
(iii) Obtained by extra-label prescriptions
			 from veterinarians;
(iv) Allowed by
			 the FDA as low regulatory priority or deferred regulatory status;
(v) Chemicals not allowed on food fish but
			 approved by the FDA through the US Fish and Wildlife Service for fish listed
			 under the federal Endangered Species Act.