The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has delayed implementation of Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) testing requirements for live tilapia to a future date TBA.

Farms and businesses that export live tilapia to Canada, should contact their local APHIS Office for current information prior to shipping.

Starting August 1st, 2019, shipments of U.S. tilapia exported to Canada for the end use of culture ONLY must be accompanied by:

An USDA APHIS-endorsed export health certificate, which attests to
Negative testing for Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV)
The export health certificate for the end use of culture can be found on the APHIS IREGS website; which must be completed by an USDA APHIS Accredited Veterinarian (Category 2), and endorsed by an APHIS Official Veterinarian.

General guidance on disease testing for export and obtaining an USDA APHIS-endorsed health certificate can also be found on our website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/downloads/ca_aqua_a_germ_hc.pdf

Special considerations for TiLV testing and certification include:

PREMISES FREEDOM NOT ALLOWED. At this time, shipments may not be sent under the “premises freedom” option on the export health certificate (1st set of statements #1-5). Testing must be conducted for EACH shipment within 30 days of export, and each shipment must comply with ALL of the 2nd set of statements on the health certificate for end use of culture, as applicable. (2nd set: #1-13, after the “OR”.)

ACCEPTABLE LABORATORIES TO OBTAIN TESTING. Because there are no laboratories which have been approved by USDA APHIS for a TiLV export testing protocol, TiLV testing may be conducted at a diagnostic laboratory acceptable to USDA APHIS. This includes Federal, State, or University laboratories, or private diagnostic laboratories with a laboratory accreditation (ISO, AAVLD, etc.) OR a private diagnostic laboratory currently approved by APHIS to conduct testing for export of another aquatic pathogen.

TESTING METHOD AND POOLING. CFIA requires testing via PCR. No pooling is allowed. If individual animals are of a size that does not meet the laboratory requirements for amount of material per test, samples may be pooled to yield enough sample material to meet laboratory minimum amounts, however, the number of data points required remains the same (typically 175 tests for a population of 10K or more).

For additional information, please contact a local APHIS Office or Dr. Alicia Marston, Staff Veterinary Medical Officer, Live Animal Imports & Exports – Aquaculture Specialist, (240) 427-7879 or Alicia.R.Marston@usda.gov.

The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) strongly recommends that the U.S. aquaculture community respond positively to requests by a multi-university research team to participate in the regulatory cost impact analysis being conducted during the fall/winter 2019-20.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that it is seeking public comment on revising agricultural commodity or livestock definitions in hours-of-service (HOS) regulations. The Agency worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on this effort to provide clarity for the nation’s farmers and commercial drivers.

U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are leading a bipartisan effort to level the playing field for the transportation of agricultural products. The Agricultural Trucking Relief Act will expand the definition of an “agricultural commodity” to include horticultural and aquacultural products, promote consistency across all federal and state agencies, and ease regulatory burdens on the trucking industry

Hours of Service Drivers: Agricultural Livestock; Application for Exemption Federal Docket Management System Number: FMCSA-2018-0334

The U.S. Aquaculture Society is offering 3 Continuing Education workshops at the upcoming Aquaculture 2019 meeting in New Orleans, LA. See links below for more information:

The U.S. Aquaculture Society is offering 3 Continuing Education workshops at the upcoming Aquaculture 2019 meeting in New Orleans, LA. See links below for more information:

Date: March 7, 2019

Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Cost: $300 for non-USAS members, $150 for USAS members and $75 for USAS student members.

The 2019 Aquaculture America conference is meeting in new Orleans this year. Look it up on their website for details. We hope to see lots of people from the tilapia industry in attendance.

Abstract Submission for AQUACULTURE 2019 (March 7-11 in New Orleans) is now open.

Out here on an industrial 16-acre site in rural southern Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, stands a real oddity, like something from a Ripley’s Believe it or Not! museum. It’s a 100,000 square foot, US, land-based tilapia farm that’s making money.

Blue Ridge Aquaculture proudly announces the official opening of Blue Ridge Aquafeeds, an innovative feed mill that will supply the company’s internal feed demand as well as the growing aquaculture market.