La. Admin. Code tit. 76 § VII-907

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

Section VII-907 - Game Fish Fingerling Aquaculture-Rules and Regulations [Formerly LAC 76:VII.159]

A. A fish farmer raising and selling live game fish fingerlings must obtain an annual domesticated aquatic organism license issued by the department.

B. Live game fish fingerlings sold from an approved fish farm shall be subject to all applicable statutes and rule limitations, if any.

C. Fish farmers who raise and sell live game fish fingerlings must maintain a record of all sales and shipments of such fish, and these records must be readily available for inspection by the department.

D. Game fish farmers who transport game fish fingerlings for sale must attach a bill of lading to each shipment showing the species of fish contained in the shipment, number, the origin of the payload, destination of the shipment, the name of the consignee and consignor, and the grower's name and domesticated aquatic organism license number.

E. All trucks transporting game fish fingerlings for sale must have the words "GAME FISH FARMER" prominently displayed with a minimum of 3-inch block letters.

F. Fish farmers holding a domesticated aquatic organism license are not granted any fishing privileges greater than those stated in Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes and must abide by all statutes pertaining to domestic fish farming.

G. The department shall have the authority to cancel sales or to confiscate and destroy shipments of game fish fingerlings that are determined by department personnel to have fish diseases or parasites that would endanger native fish populations. Game fish farmers must allow department personnel or a department approved contractor to conduct unannounced random inspections of the transport vehicle. Those individuals may remove or take fish samples for analysis and/or inspection.

H. Genetic purity shall be maintained and game fish fingerlings produced shall not be genetically manipulated or altered in any way without prior approval of the department, except for hybrid crosses within the genera of Lepomis, Pomoxis, Micropterus, or Morone, or fish produced with polyploid chromosomes.

I. The secretary may revoke any or all licenses issued for the raising and selling of game fish fingerlings if the licensee fails to adhere to any of the above regulations.

La. Admin. Code tit. 76, § VII-907

Promulgated by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, LR 17:893 (September 1991), amended by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Office of Fisheries, LR 24:2155 (November 1998), amended by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, LR 40:546 (March 2014), Amended LR 471341 (9/1/2021).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 56:327 (A)(2), R.S. 56:411, and R.S. 56:412.