RSSBP Best Management Practices

1. Adult animals, i.e., broodstock, should be segregated from algal, larval, and post-set culture systems within the hatchery. 

2. Algal, larval and post set systems should be adequately separated from areas with animals or equipment previously exposed to untreated water, to avoid splashing and cross contamination.

3. Water treatment to prevent pathogen exposure during early life stage cultivation should employ a series of filters to get to 1µm filtration, or demonstrate another means to minimize the risk of pathogen exposure from source water (e.g., pasteurization, well water, etc.).

4. Cleaning of water filters or other water treatment apparatus should be conducted in an area separate from treatment areas or any areas containing treated water to avoid cross contamination.

5. Records  should be kept indicating maintenance of systems to eliminate Pathogens of Concern (POCs) from source water (e.g., filter change regimes, relative “age” of all active filters). Labels on equipment indicating maintenance are strongly recommended to alert all staff of needs.

6. Workflow and operational plans should be designed to prevent the introduction of raw/untreated water and contaminants from entering areas where cultivated life stages are in treated water.

7. Equipment should be assigned to specific operational areas (e.g., containers used to transport adult animals, should be used only for such tasks) or effectively sanitized between uses when shared.

8. Health examinations should be conducted on animals experiencing unexplained, atypical mortality and records kept. This maintains the Program’s ability to stay alert to possible emerging pathogens as well as POCs. The Shellfish Health Advisory Council must be notified of any disease issues that come up during Program participation including any actions taken to rectify the situation. 

9. Broodstock records must be maintained and document source location (source water), genetic background, and collection date.

10. Spawning records must be maintained that document specific broodstock used based on the broodstock records, spawn code/name, and date spawned in order to accommodate any trace back from health certification results.

11. If applicable, quarantine practices must be demonstrated and documented for all non-local endemic species of broodstock.

12. All Federal, State and Local permitting requirements, such as hatchery facility permits, must be followed.  Non-compliance  will result in removal of the hatchery from the RSSBP.

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