Member Login#9 AQUACULTURE AND COMMERCIAL FISHING
Aquaculture and commercial fishing are major contributors to our Michigan food basket and should be recognized as a part of agriculture.
The passage of the Michigan Aquaculture Development Act provides a foundation for expansion of the industry. We urge the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Michigan State University (MSU) and the aquaculture industry continue to work cooperatively to address the regulatory needs of the State, while at the same time facilitating the continued growth of aquaculture in Michigan. The current memorandum of understanding between MDA and DNR must be adhered to.
We support the implementation of industry developed herd health plans that will help to codify and simplify testing and movement requirements for aquaculture operations. It is imperative the MDA be the lead agency on this issue and the plans meet the needs of producers and the goals of aquaculture health. Plans should include the option for slaughter surveillance testing, where feasible, and be implemented on a voluntary basis.
We reiterate the position of MDA authority over the aquaculture industry as authorized in the Aquaculture Development Act. We encourage Michigan Farm Bureau to work with MSU to establish an Aquaculture Specialist position and to allocate the appropriate funds to meet the research needs of the industry. We support a review and revision of aquaculture Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMP) to assure they address efficient production standards, aquaculture health, fish handling, water use standards and others as necessary.
We call for the development of informed and fair science-based Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) control policies. Federal and state VHS control policy and standards must take into account the potential impacts of policies on aquaculture producers within the affected states and must include funding for control, as well as indemnification of losses to producers.
We support the rights of commercial fishermen to pursue fishing operations in a reasonable and responsible manner. We encourage the DNR Fisheries Division to adopt commercial fishing regulations that are no more restrictive than those applied to tribal fisheries under the current consent decree unless there is a specific and clear scientific justification. We believe MDA should have authority over the commercial fishing industry when the fish leave the net. We support the allocation of funds for research and updating of fish population surveys to more effectively manage and utilize this natural resource. We support the efforts of the commercial fishing industry to establish a program under PA 232.
We oppose:
• Any ban on the use of biotechnology in aquaculture without specific evidence or demonstration of harm by the particular technology.
• Individual identification for aquaculture in the event animal identification is mandated.
• Restrictions on the stocking of rainbow trout based on “genetic strain.”
• Immediate implementation of new U.S. EPA effluent standards if operational viability is jeopardized.
• Increasing National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit restrictions or compliance requirements without sound scientific justification.
We support:
• The concept of group or lot identification.
• MDA registration of out-of-state producers who market aquaculture products in Michigan.
• Enforcement of current regulations related to importation of aquaculture products into Michigan.
• A gradual and economically feasible phase-in of new U.S. EPA effluent standards.
• The MDA and the DNR to review the aquaculture approved specie list and update where appropriate. The review of this list should include industry involvement.
• Funding, research development, and approval of live fish tests so as to eliminate the need to sacrifice fish, as is the current requirement.
