Industry guidance for growers of molluscs

You will need to start preparing at least 2 months ahead of the planned movement (with the exception of movement for retail or wholesale for human consumption)

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Background

This guidance document is for people who will send or receive susceptible species of wild or cultured molluscs for the purpose of culture, processing, release into natural waterways, research and retail or wholesale for human consumption. A susceptible species of mollusc is one which is known to be susceptible to a regulated disease.

A permit from us may be required to send or receive wild or cultured molluscs if the origin of the molluscs has a lower reportable aquatic animal disease status than the destination or the origin and destination occur in different buffer areas. For example, movement from an infected or buffer area to a free area would be movement from a lower health status area to a higher health status area and would require a permit.

For more information, please review the reportable disease status declarations.

To learn more about how to determine if a permit is needed or to apply for a movement permit, please contact your CFIA Area Office.

When sending a susceptible species of mollusc within Canada from an area of lower health status to higher for the end use of direct for retail or wholesale for human consumption, the permission will be valid for one year and can include multiple destinations.

There are options when sending or receiving a susceptible species of mollusc within Canada from an area of lower health status to higher for the end use other than direct for retail or wholesale for human consumption:

  • receive animals with a known disease or unknown disease status into a closed (biocontained) facility or processing plant; or
  • send or receive healthy animals as long as:
    1. they come from a facility that:
      • has a CFIA-approved preventive control plan that prevents the introduction of the diseases; and
      • the segregated animals have been inspected and tested by us; and
      • the test results are negative; and
      • they are shipped in containers and water (including ice) that is free of the diseases

Apply for a Movement Permit to a Closed (Biocontained) Facility(CFIA/ACIA 5749) to receive wild molluscs that are harvested directly from the natural waterways of Canada, or to receive cultured molluscs with an unknown disease status to a closed (biocontained) facility. The receiver must apply for the permit. No permit will be issued to the sender. To subsequently move the animals out of the closed (biocontained) facility, permission from us will be required.

Apply for a Movement Permit for Molluscs and Things (CFIA/ACIA 5758) if moving molluscs or things from a lower health status to a higher health status area, including for the end use of direct for retail or wholesale for human consumption. The sender of the molluscs must apply for the permit.

In addition to a permit from us, you may also require authorization from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and/or the province or territory to which the molluscs will be moved. For more information, visit Introductions and Transfers.

Please note that all molluscs harvested for human consumption are also subject to the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program.

The period of time that the permit is valid is flexible, depending on the needs of the planned movement. Please indicate your movement needs on the application and discuss them with the CFIA inspector.

Culturists should follow the appropriate permit conditions for their specific needs

Additional information:

Permit Conditions to Receive Molluscs into a Closed (Biocontained) Facility

  • The permit holder controls and handles the movement of the animal or thing in a manner that prevents the spread of diseases, toxic substances and vectors
  • The permit holder keeps, for 2 years after the movement of the animal or thing, a copy of the permit, a record of the date of movement, the name and address of the place from which the animal or thing is moved, as well as the quantity or volume of the animals or things
  • The permit holder makes that copy and those records available for inspection by a CFIA inspector on request
  • The animal or thing to be covered by this permit is not under any other movement restriction imposed under a federal or provincial law and is not intended for destruction for disease control purposes
  • The reportable disease status of the animal and thing remains the same as declared for the area of origin of the animal or thing
    permit holder must notify us of any change in the reportable disease status of the animal or thing.
  • The destination premises has physical, operational and decontamination measures documented in a preventive control planFootnote 1 to prevent the spread of any of the reportable diseases from the destination premises and these measures are implemented
  • The permit holder must notify us of any breach in implementation of the preventive control plan that may result in spread of any of the reportable diseases from the destination premises
  • The permit holder must notify us of any loss of integrity of packaging during transport of the animal or thing to the destination premises
  • No transfer or shipping from the destination premises of the animal or thing or anything derived from that aquatic animal or thing that is still infectious, can occur without the prior written consent of or a permit issued by us

Permit Conditions if you Send Molluscs for Retail or Wholesale for Human Consumption

  • Molluscs and their carcasses moving under this permit are transported from the place of business to a wholesaler or retailer for the sole purpose of human consumption without being put to any other use, including culture, release into natural water ways, depuration, relay (including salting up and short-term container relaying), wet storage, processing or diagnostic and other testing or research, in the intervening time
  • Anything necessary for the transport, including equipment and water that comes into direct contact with the molluscs is disinfected or treated in a manner that prevents the spread of disease
  • Any other thing within a declared infected area that comes into direct contact with the molluscs is disinfected or treated in a manner that prevents the spread of disease before entering a declared free area, buffer area or provisionally free area
  • Records of the destination of all molluscs moved under this permit for retail or wholesale for human consumption are maintained for 2 years after the movement occurs
  • Any person transporting an affected mollusc or thing on behalf of a permit recipient:
    • must carry the permit at all times during the permitted movement; and
    • produce a copy of the permit and allow a copy to be taken if requested by an inspector, police officer or other official

Permit Conditions if you Send Molluscs from a Culture Facility that Requires Segregation, Inspection and Testing

Please note that not all the permit conditions will apply, as some depend on the type of animal that is being sent.

  • The disease status of the area of origin that is named in this permit does not change between the time of issuance of this permit and the time of the movement
  • The permit holder controls and handles the movement of the animal in a manner that prevents the spread of diseases, toxic substances and vectors
  • The permit holder keeps, for 2 years after the movement of the animal, a copy of the permit, a record of the date of movement, the name and address of the place to which the animal is moved, as well as the quantity or volume of the animals
  • The permit holder makes that copy and those records available for inspection by a CFIA inspector on request
  • The animal to be covered by this permit is not under any other movement restriction imposed under a federal or provincial law and is not intended for destruction for disease control purposes
  • The animal that is a mollusc has been reared since fertilization under a documented preventive control planFootnote 2 with measures that prevent the introduction of any of the reportable diseases to that animal and the measures are implemented
  • The animal is not vaccinated for any of the reportable diseases if the vaccine will interfere with the determination of the reportable disease status of the vaccinated animal by a CFIA inspector
  • The animal that moves under this permit must not come into direct or indirect contact with any animal that is not part of the population for which the reportable disease status has been established from the time of inspection by us until the animal is moved
  • A representative sample from the population of animals that is to be moved under this permit was taken by us, submitted for testing by the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory System (NAAHLS)Footnote 3 and determined by us to be negative for any of the reportable diseases
  • The population of animals that is to be moved under this permit was inspected by us at the time of sampling for clinical signs and/or lesions of any of the reportable diseases and none were observed
  • The permit holder must notify us of any morbidity shown by or mortality of the animal noticed after the inspection by us but prior to the movement of the animal that can be attributed to a reportable disease
  • The shipping container, animal holding unit, shipping material, equipment and conveyance used during the movement are new or are decontaminated in a manner that removes or inactivates any of the reportable diseases and vectors
  • The new or decontaminated shipping container, animal holding unit, shipping material, equipment and conveyance must not come into direct or indirect contact with an animal or thing that will not be moved to the location of the destination
  • The water, including ice, used during the shipment is free of any of the reportable diseases and vectors or is treated in a manner that removes or inactivates any of the reportable diseases and vectors

How to comply with the permit conditions

Before we issue a permit, a CFIA inspector will work with the applicant to verify that the facility can meet the permit conditions and to verify ongoing compliance with the permit conditions during the time that the permit is valid. We may inspect documents and records, the physical layout of the facility and how it operates in order to assess their ability to meet and their ongoing compliance with the permit conditions.

The following are examples of ways to comply with permit conditions:

Preventive control plan for a closed (biocontained) facility

  • You are required to demonstrate to us that disease will not spread if you are bringing potentially infected molluscs into a facility designed for biocontainment
  • Written documentation is required to show the physical, operational and decontamination measures employed that will mitigate the risk of disease spreading
    You must address this risk for any animal, water, feed, fomites or vectors that will leave the facility, including the people that work or visit the facility.
  • If disinfectant footbaths are employed, we will verify that measures are in place so that they do not contribute to spread of disease

Inspection and sampling of molluscs

  • Make an appointment with the CFIA veterinary inspector and provide inventory and location information of all the animals to be inspected and sampled
  • Assist during the sampling process and provide all equipment required to gain access to the animals for selection of samples by us
    Expect that molluscs will be sampled from each holding unit (or a selection of them if there are many).

For more information on how to comply with these or other permit conditions, contact your CFIA Area Office.

Once a permit is issued, check if the declarations have changed for the origin and destination prior to each movement to ensure that the permit still applies to the planned movement. Please consider bookmarking the declarations page for easy access.

General information related to movements

The permit and its conditions may be amended only by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food or by an inspector who is designated for the purposes of the Health of Animals Act. The permit and its conditions may not be amended with respect to a specific movement after it has already occurred. If an amendment is required to a valid movement permit that has already been issued under this program or if a change to permit conditions is desired, submit a new application and check the Amendment or Derogation box in section A of the permit application.

The permit holder must meet all the conditions specified in documents attached to the permit or else the movement of the animal or thing is not permitted. The permit holder is also required to notify us when they suspect or detect any reportable disease in an animal.

We may dispose of an animal or thing or order that it be disposed of, when it:

  • is suspected of being affected or contaminated by a disease or toxic substance
  • has been in contact with an animal or thing that is or is suspected of being affected or contaminated by a disease or toxic substance; or
  • is suspected of being a vector or the causative agent of a disease or a toxic substance

The CFIA inspector may also order that an animal or thing be treated if the treatment will effectively eliminate the disease or prevent it from spreading. Although compensation may be awarded in respect of disposal or treatment costs, the Government of Canada is not liable for any costs incurred by a person required to do anything under the legislation respecting the health of animals.

If a designated animal is moved into an area that either violates the conditions of the permit or contravenes the Health of Animals Act or Health of Animals Regulations, we may order the animal returned without delay to the area from which it was moved or to an area of equal or lesser health status.

Those who transport live aquatic animals by air should comply with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animals Regulations, approved by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). For all forms of transport, suitable arrangements must be made for water quality, ambient temperature, oxygenation and general care of the animal during transportation. An animal must be fit to be transported and should not suffer stress that renders them infirm, ill, injured or fatigued during the journey.

The permit and its conditions cover all persons who are moving the animal or thing on behalf of the permit holder. The permit holder remains responsible for the shipment's continued compliance with the conditions of the permit.

Important definitions

Buffer area
means a declared area for a reportable aquatic animal disease where the disease has not been detected but it is at risk of becoming infected because of a relationship to an Infected Area (section 198 (3) of the Health of Animals Regulations).
Closed (biocontained) facility
is a biocontained premises where documented physical, operational and decontamination measures are implemented to prevent the spread of 1 or more of the reportable diseases from the premises.
Culture
Refers to the end use of keeping or holding live aquatic animals for sale, enhancement, restoration or stocking that may or may not employ some method of intervention in the process, such as feeding or collection of germplasm. This definition excludes live aquatic animals kept in aquaria for the end use of education, display or retail (private or public).
Decontamination
Refers to the process of cleaning and/or disinfection of a fomite or the surface of eggs of aquatic animals to remove or inactivate the declared diseases.
Depuration
Means the process of using a controlled aquatic environment to reduce the level of bacteria and viruses in live molluscs.
Dry storage
Means the storage of live molluscs out of water.
Enhancement
Means live aquatic animals that will be put directly into natural waterways, including the territorial seas and contiguous zones for the purpose of augmenting commercial fisheries.
Free area
means a declared area for a reportable aquatic animal disease where the disease cannot occur or has not been detected and is unlikely to occur or has been eradicated and is unlikely to recur and ongoing disease detection activities are maintained (section 198 (2) of the Health of Animals Regulations).
Fomite
Refers to an inanimate object capable of transmitting a disease.
Infected area
means a declared area for a reportable aquatic animal disease where the disease has been identified (section 198 (1) of the Health of Animals Regulations).
Processing
refers to the end use of processing of live molluscs intended for human consumption. This definition includes the activities of depuration, dry storage, short-term container relaying and wet storage.
Provisionally free area
means an area which cannot be declared an Infected, Buffer or Free Area (section 198 (4) of the Health of Animals Regulations).
Relay
Means the transfer of molluscs from marginally contaminated areas to approved areas for natural biological cleansing, using the ambient environment as a treatment system for periods of 14 days or greater. Areas are approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Release into Natural Waterways
Means the end use of release of live aquatic animals into the Canadian fisheries waters and its contiguous zone. This definition does not include aquatic animals that are kept or held in the natural waterways. Canadian fisheries waters means all waters in the fishing zones of Canada, all waters in the territorial sea of Canada and all internal waters of Canada (section 2 of the Fisheries Act).
Research
Refers to the end use of aquatic animals, aquatic animal carcasses or things for scientific research or experimentation.
Restoration
Means live finfish that will be put directly into natural waterways, including the territorial seas and contiguous zones, for the purpose of bringing back a species into the ecosystem. the purpose may include restoration of recreational or commercial fishing opportunities.
Retail or wholesale for human consumption
Refers to the end use of selling aquatic animals or parts derived from aquatic animals direct to retail or wholesale for the sole purpose of human consumption.
Salting Up
Means the transfer of molluscs from low-salinity growing areas to high-salinity growing areas to improve the growth and marketability of the mollusc for human consumption. Synonym: high-salinity relay.
Short-term Container Relaying
Means the transfer of live molluscs from marginally contaminated areas to approved areas for natural biological cleansing in a container using the ambient environment as a treatment system for periods of less than 14 days.
Stocking
Means live finfish that will be put directly into natural waterways, including the territorial seas and contiguous zones or ponds with access to natural waterways, for the purpose of augmenting recreational fishing.
Vector
Refers to a living animal that has the potential to transmit a disease, directly or indirectly, from 1 animal or its excreta to another animal.
Wet storage
Means the temporary storage (less than 60 days) of live molluscs from approved sources (harvest sites are approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada [DFO]), intended for marketing, in containers or floats in natural bodies of seawater or in tanks containing natural or synthetic seawater.
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