La. Admin. Code tit. 51 § IX-117

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section IX-117 - Control of Areas Due to Marine Biotoxins-Satisfactory Compliance [formerly paragraph 9:002-8]

A. This item will be satisfied when:

1. areas affected by marine biotoxins shall be the subject of an effective control plan developed by the Louisiana state health officer and the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The plans shall define those administrative procedures and resources necessary to:

a. initiate an emergency shellfish sampling and assay program;

b. close areas and embargo shellfish; and

c. prevent harvesting of contaminated species. The Louisiana state health officer and the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries may designate such affected areas as conditionally approved;

2. during the harvesting season in those areas where shellfish toxins are likely to occur, representative samples of shellfish shall be collected from indicator stations and assayed for the presence of toxins;

3. a quarantine shall be imposed against the taking of shellfish when the concentration of paralytic shellfish poison equals or exceeds 80 micrograms per 100 grams of edible portion of raw shellfish, or when neurotoxic shellfish poison is found in detectable levels. To implement this quarantine, the growing area shall be closed, and the prohibition of harvesting shall be enforced;

4. the quarantine shall remain in effect until such time as the Louisiana state health officer has analytical data to show that the poison content of shellfish involved is below the quarantine level. The determination to reopen an area shall consider whether marine biotoxin levels in the shellfish from adjacent areas are decreasing; and whether environmental factors such as water temperature, upwelling or bottom sediments, and numbers of toxic cysts in the sediment are such that conditions can be expected to be stable. This analysis and determination shall be adequately documented;

5. the central file shall contain all information relating to the levels of poison in the growing areas involving monitoring data, closure notices, evaluation reports, and reopening notices;

6. if heat processing is practiced, a control procedure shall be developed. This procedure shall define the following:

a. toxicity limits for processing;

b. controls for harvesting and transporting the shell stock to processor;

c. special marking for unprocessed shell stock;

d. scheduled processes; and

e. end product controls on the processed shellfish.

La. Admin. Code tit. 51, § IX-117

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, LR 28:1294 (June 2002).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 40:4.A.(1) and R.S. 40:5.3.