OAR 635-007-0995: Containment and Treatment of Fish Disease Agents

(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. (7) In order to continue improving the Department’s expertise in fish health, the Department must develop and maintain partnerships with fish health specialists from other state and federal agencies, universities, and management partners.