Declarations

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) declarations of reportable disease status describe:

• where the reportable aquatic animal diseases are known to occur in Canada (infected area),
• where the reportable aquatic animal diseases may occur because of a link to an infected area (buffer area), or
• where they do not occur (free area or provisionally free area).

It should be noted that not all susceptible species of aquatic animals are infected with the reportable disease if they reside in an infected area.

Currently, only finfish and mollusc reportable diseases are known to occur in Canada. No reportable diseases that affect crustaceans are declared at this time.

• Finfish Reportable Diseases – Declarations by Province and Marine Area
• Mollusc Reportable Diseases – Declarations by Province and Marine Area

For finfish, the reportable diseases that occur in certain areas of Canada are:

• ceratomyxosis (infection with Ceratomyxa shasta);
• infectious haematopoietic necrosis;
• infectious pancreatic necrosis;
• infectious salmon anaemia;
• viral haemorrhagic septicaemia; and
• whirling disease (infection with Myxobolus cerebralis).

Specific strains of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) will be declared:

• VHSV IVa
• VHSV IVb
• VHSV IVc

For molluscs, the reportable diseases that occur in certain areas:

• infection with Bonamia ostreae;
• infection with Haplosporidium nelsoni (also known as MSX); and
• infection with Mikrocytos mackini (also known as Denman Island disease).

The description of the declared areas made under section 198 of the Health of Animals Regulations is solely for the purpose of determining whether a permit is required to move a declared species of finfish or mollusc for a declared end use within Canada. These descriptions cannot be used for any other federal, provincial or municipal legislative or regulatory requirement.

The declarations will be made for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, the Yukon Territory and parts of the territorial sea and contiguous zone of Canada.

For the purposes of issuing a permit, the internal waters that are marine in nature and landward of the internal boundary of the territorial sea of Canada (as described by the Oceans Act of Canada) are part of the declaration of the coastal provinces. Most, if not all, of the finfish and mollusc culture activities in marine waters are captured in the declarations of the coastal provinces, not the territorial sea and contiguous zone of Canada.

No declarations will be made at this time for Nunavut and the Northwest Territories as there is no identified trade of high risk aquatic animals or things from or to those areas.

Permits for finfish

A permit may be required to move the listed species of live or raw, fresh or frozen finfish including germplasm and fertilized eggs, for the following end uses:

• cryopreservation/storage,
• culture,
• diagnostic testing,
• feed for finfish,
• other testing,
• release into natural waterways, and
• research.

This table lists the finfish species that may require a permit. All hybrids of these species will also require a permit.

A CFIA permit is not required if the finfish species is not listed in the above table.

Permits for molluscs

A permit may be required to move the following species of live or raw, fresh or frozen molluscs for the following end uses:

• culture,
• diagnostic testing,
• other testing,
• processing commercial,
• release into natural waterways, and
• research.

This table lists the molluscan species that may require a permit. All hybrids of these species will also require a permit.

A CFIA permit is not required if the mollusc species is not listed in the above table.

Permits for things

A permit may be required to move any of the following:

• used finfish graders/sorters,
• used finfish pumps,
• used finfish net-pens,
• used underwater lights for finfish aquaculture,
• raw, fresh or frozen carcasses of the biological vector for ceratomyxosis and whirling disease,
• containers with the live declared reportable disease agents, including the biological vector for ceratomyxosis and whirling disease, and
• freshwater sediments.

for any of the following end uses:

• cleaning and/or repair,
• culture,
• diagnostic testing,
• other testing,
• repair, and
• research.

To determine if a permit is required to send aquatic animals or things:

1. Identify all the finfish or molluscs diseases that apply for the species to be moved. For a thing, identify all the finfish diseases.
2. Select the declaration Finfish Reportable Diseases or Mollusc Reportable Diseases where the aquatic animals or things are located and determine if they reside in an infected area, buffer area, provisionally free area or free area for each identified disease.
3. Select the declaration Finfish Reportable Diseases or Mollusc Reportable Diseases where the animal or thing will be moved to and determine if the destination is an infected area, buffer area, provisionally free area or free area for each identified disease. A permit is needed if the aquatic animals or things will be moved from a:
   • declared infected area to a declared buffer area, provisionally-free area or free area
   • declared buffer area to another declared buffer area, provisionally-free area or free area, or
   • declared provisionally-free area to a declared free area, for at least one disease.

For example, to move live rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) located in Collingwood, Ontario for the end use of culture to an aquaculture operation in Brandon, Manitoba, a permit is required because the Atlantic Ocean watershed of Ontario is an infected area for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) IVb and Manitoba is a free area for VHS IVb.

Important definitions

Biological Vector

refers to the intermediate host that is required to complete the life cycle of Ceratomyxa shasta (ceratomyxosis) and Myxobolus cerebralis (whirling disease). The intermediate host for ceratomyxosis is the freshwater worm Manayunkia speciosa and the intermediate host for whirling disease is the freshwater worm Tubifex tubifex.

Cryopreservation/Storage

refers to the end use of a commercial process for putting the germplasm or fertilized eggs of aquatic animals into storage in liquid nitrogen. The cryopreserved animals are not owned by the commercial facility.

Culture

refers to the end use of keeping or holding of live aquatic animals for sale, or 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 also includes the activities of salting up and relay. This definition excludes live aquatic animals kept in aquaria for the end use of education or display (private or public).

Diagnostic Testing

refers to the end use of aquatic animals (or parts derived from live or dead animals, such as blood), or other things for the purpose of testing for diseases of aquatic animals.

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 for the purpose of augmenting commercial fisheries.

Feed for Finfish

refers to the end use of feeding live or dead finfish, including finfish germplasm or fertilized eggs, directly to live finfish.

Other Testing

refers to the end use of aquatic animals or their carcasses, or parts derived from live or dead aquatic animals, for testing for other purposes than detection of diseases of aquatic animals, for example, for nutrients and toxins;

refers to the end use of freshwater sediments, or derivatives from freshwater sediments, for testing for other purposes than detection of diseases of aquatic animals, for example, for biological oxygen demand and toxins.

Processing Commercial

refers to the end use of processing of molluscs at a federally-registered establishment and intended for human consumption. This definition includes the activities of depuration, dry storage, short-term container relaying, and wet storage.

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 aquatic animals into the Canadian fisheries waters and the contiguous zone of Canada. 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).

Repair

includes maintenance.

Research

refers to the end use of aquatic animals, aquatic animal carcasses or things for scientific study or experimentation.

Restoration

means live aquatic animals that will be put directly into natural waterways for the purpose of bringing back a species into the ecosystem; the purpose may include restoration of recreational or commercial fishing opportunities.

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 aquatic animals that will be put directly into natural waterways for the purpose of augmenting recreational fishing.

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.