Title 5 . Fish and Game

Chapter 41 . Transportation, Possession and Release of Live Fish; Aquatic Farming

Section 80. Reporting and control of fish diseases at egg-take sites, hatcheries, and rearing facilities

5 AAC 41.080. Reporting and control of fish diseases at egg-take sites, hatcheries, and rearing facilities

(a) The requirements of this section apply to all public and private egg-take programs, fish hatcheries, and fish rearing facilities in the state.

(b) Within 24 hours of transporting live fish eggs between watersheds, all eggs must be treated, for at least 10 minutes, with an iodine solution of at least 100 parts per million of active iodine ingredient, with pH at least 6.0 or greater, or in a manner approved by the fish pathology section of the department. This requirement does not apply to shellfish eggs.

(c) Each fish hatchery or fish rearing facility must be inspected by the department's fish pathology section at least once each year at least two weeks prior to the transport or release of fish. The commissioner or his authorized designee may require and conduct additional inspections if the disease history of the stock or facility is incomplete, or if the disease history or current condition of the stock evidences incidence of disease.

(d) The occurrence of any of the following pathogens or disease of fish must immediately be reported to the department's fish pathology section:

(1) Class I - Diseases of Critical Concern.

Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) - trout pancreatic virus;

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) - Egtved virus;

Pike Fry Rhabdovirus;

Spring Viremia of Carp (SVC) - a carp virus of potential danger to native cyprinids;

Ceratomyxa shasta - myxosporidian disease of salmonids;

Myxosoma cerebralis - whirling disease; and

Mytilicola intestinalis - an endoparasitic copepod of shellfish.

(2) Class II - High-risk Diseases.

Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) - sockeye or chinook salmon kidney virus;

Herpesvirus salmonis - low-temperature virus;

Viral Erythrocytic Necrosis (VEN) - intranuclear virus of marine fish;

Vibrio parahemolyticus - vibriosis in fish and shellfish;

Aeromonas salmonicidia - furunculosis;

Yersinia ruckeri - enteric redmouth disease;

Renibacterium salmoninarum - bacterial kidney disease (BKD);

Flexibacter columnaris - columnaris disease;

Henneguya - spp. - myxosporidian disease of fish and shellfish;

Labyrinthomyxa marina - fungal or haplosporidian disease of shellfish;

Minchinia nelsoni - a haplosporidian disease of shellfish; and

Ocenebra japonica - an oyster drill;

(3) Class III - Diseases of Concern.

Vibrio alginolyticus - vibriosis in fish and shellfish;

Vibrio anguillarum - vibriosis in fish and shellfish;

Aeromonas hydrophila - aeromonad septicemia;

Ichthyobodo - spp. - costiasis in fish and shellfish;

Hexamita - protozoan disease of salmonids and shellfish;

Trichodina - spp. - external fish parasite;

Diplostomum - spp. - eye fluke disease of fishes; and

Mytilicola orientalis - an endoparasitic copepod of shellfish.

(e) Diseases reported under (d) of this section, or found by inspection under (c) of this section, must be treated by taking steps acknowledged by the fish pathology section to be effective in eliminating the disease. Containers or facilities must be disinfected by the permittee in a manner directed or approved by the commissioner or his authorized designee. Presence of any of these diseases, or any other disease not previously observed in Alaska, may be cause for the commissioner or his authorized designee to prohibit stocking of the fish in new areas, and to quarantine the permittee's facility until disinfected.

(f) Stocks of fish in hatcheries or rearing facilities in which a Class I disease has been detected must be immediately destroyed by the permittee if the commissioner or his authorized designee determines that the disease is new to the area, the disease is a different strain of a disease than occurs locally, or if the disease poses a threat to the health and perpetuation of native, wild, or hatchery stocks of fish in the hatchery effluent watershed or the intended release location. In limited circumstances, the commissioner or his authorized designee may allow retention or transportation of these diseased fish under controlled conditions that pose no threat to native, wild, or hatchery stocks of fish (e.g. movement to a disease laboratory).

(g) Stocks of fish in hatcheries or rearing facilities in which a Class II disease has been detected must be immediately destroyed by the permittee if the commissioner or his authorized designee determines that the disease poses a threat to the health and perpetuation of native, wild, or hatchery stocks of fish in the hatchery effluent watershed or the intended release location.

History: In effect before 1988

Authority: AS 16.05.251 (a)