Source: NCDEQ, 3/23/20
New oyster harvest control measures will go into effect this spring in North
Carolina state waters. The new regulations are preemptive measures to avoid
illnesses related to oyster consumption. Although, North Carolina’s public health record concerning shellfish-related
illnesses is one of the best in the country, the number of Vibrio cases
nationwide has increased in recent years. Vibrio are
naturally occurring bacteria in coastal waters that can cause illness in humans
if precautions are not taken during the warmer months of the year. These new regulatory measures will provide increased public health
protection that will help sustain the good reputation of North Carolina’s
shellfish industry as aquaculture in the state expands. These new regulations also will bring the state into conformity with
guidance from the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, which is the
federal/state/industry cooperative program recognized by the U. S. Food and
Drug Administration and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference for the
sanitary control of shellfish produced and sold for human consumption. Division of Marine Fisheries Director Steve Murphey implemented the new
measures through Proclamation SS-1-2020 [portal.ncdenr.org] and
Proclamation SS-2-2020 [portal.ncdenr.org], issued today. Control measures in the proclamation include new requirements to:
- Shade oysters
harvested between May 1 and Oct. 14. This involves providing shade over
harvested oysters or covering the oysters with a light-colored tarp or
other non-toxic material while they are stored on the vessel, floating
container when the oysters are not submerged, or a vehicle (this is
already required for the harvest of clams in the summer).
- Re-submerge
oysters exposed to the air for greater than five hours between May 1 and
Oct. 14 (this might occur during air-drying or de-fouling with gear such
as OysterGro). The oysters must remain submerged for at least 14-days to
abate Vibrio levels that may
have been elevated.
- Clarify
that when working in intertidal waters the term “start of harvest” begins
when the oyster is first exposed by the receding tide.
- Clarify
the tagging procedures when oysters leave the lease for tumbling or
culling;
- Re-submerge
oysters moved from one growing area to another for at least 21 days prior
to harvest (Certified shellfish dealers with a wet storage permit are
exempt). This may prevent the closure of multiple growing areas in the
event of an illness outbreak.
Previously implemented regulations pertaining to recording the start of
harvest on the harvest tag and delivering the oysters to a licensed dealer
within a specified time remain in effect. For more information, contact Shannon Jenkins, chief of the division’s
Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Quality Section at 252-808-8148 or Shannon.Jenkins@ncdenr.gov.
|