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Reducing harm and controlling pests

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Mitigation of accidental release of drugs into waters

Objective- The aquaculture industry adheres to all federal regulations in handling and storing all drugs and pesticides used in the course of facility operation.

AAR Conditions applicable to deposits

The AAR authorizes aquaculture facilities to deposit deleterious substances (e.g. drugs, pesticides, and therapeutants) as long as specific conditions are met. In finfish aquaculture, these conditions mainly require the use of approved drugs and pest control products (pesticides). To be authorized, the deposit of a substance during treatment must be in compliance with all applicable federal laws. Drugs or pesticides are not typically used in shellfish aquaculture.

Drugs are to be sold in compliance with the federal Food and Drugs Act (FDA), and if it is a prescription drug under the FDA, the drug must be prescribed by a veterinarian; and, pesticides must be used in compliance with the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) and prescribed by a veterinarian under provincial regulation in some jurisdictions.

The AAR further establishes parameters under which the deposition of deleterious substances can take place. The deposition of a prescribed deleterious substance is only authorized if it is deposited as a result of the direct operation of the aquaculture facility; and the facility is licenced in accordance with the regulations.

Under the AAR, aquaculture facilities must take measures to avoid accidental deposits of drugs and to demonstrate that measures have been taken to minimize accidental deposits. Many of these measures are outlined in spill avoidance plans, fish health management plans, pest control management plans, and/or emergency spill plans that are required by provincial regulators. Information can also be extracted from Standard Operating Procedures, Best Management Practices, or other relevant documentation. Storing medicated feeds in containment structures to avoid accidental spills is an example of a best practice to minimize accidental release of drugs into waters. Medicated feed is generally produced within a federally registered feed production facility.

Control of pathogens and/or pests

Objective - Where available and judged by a veterinarian to be the best course of treatment, the aquaculture industry makes use of appropriate alternates to available drugs and pesticides.

Alternatives to the use of drugs or pesticides

An important aspect of the AAR is that prior to any decision taken at an aquaculture facility to control disease occurrences through the use of drugs or pesticides, the owner or operator must consider viable alternatives to their use and record them. Some possible alternatives to the use or deposit of drugs and pesticides include the following:

Before deciding to use drugs, owners and operators must have already taken into consideration and implemented other preventative technologies, some of which are still in development, including (but not limited to) :

Under the Regulations, an aquaculture facility planning to administer pesticides to control a disease event must notify the Department prior to the deposit of the product, including specific details on the product used as well as the timing and location. This allows Fisheries and Oceans Canada to be aware of when and where depositions will be taking place; be present when the deposition takes place, if the Department deems it necessary; and, to help inform any investigation that may take place due to a fish kill near an aquaculture facility. This notification of planned pesticide use is also provided to provincial departments as per regulation.

Measures taken to minimize detriment to fish and fish habitat from the deposit of drugs and/or pest control products

Objective - Industry makes use of all procedures to minimize harm to the environment from drugs and pest control products (incl. fallowing, disinfection, minimization of stress, etc.)

Measures to reduce detriment

In addition to the consideration of alternatives when depositing drugs and/or pest control products, under the AAR aquaculture facilities must take reasonable actions and/or have reasonable procedures and practices in place to reduce negative impacts to fish and fish habitat in the area outside the aquaculture facility.

There are a number of examples of acceptable and reasonable measures that owner or operators can take to minimize detriment to fish and fish habitat from the deposit of drugs and pest control products listed immediately below. Many of these practices are already in place, whether implemented through provincial regulatory requirements or industry Codes of Practice.

Some examples of measures to minimize detriment from drugs include:

Some examples of measures to minimize detriment from pest control products include:

Moreover, under the AAR, owners and operators are required to minimize detriment from feces, unconsumed feed and other Biological Oxygen Demanding (BOD) matter. Some examples of measures that can be taken in this regard include:

Measures taken to minimize serious harm to fish that are part of or support commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fisheries.

Objective - Industry takes all measures to prevent harm to fish that are part of or support commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fisheries. This includes regular cleaning of bio-fouling organisms and siting away from important aquatic habitat.

The installation, operation, maintenance or removal of an aquaculture facility has the potential to harm fish or fish habitat. The measures that could be taken to minimize serious harm to commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fisheries include, but are not limited to the following:

Product(s) deposited during the reporting period

Objective - The Canadian aquaculture industry reports to regulatory bodies all products that are deposited to the aquatic environment during regular operation of the aquaculture facility. Only products that are registered under the Pest Control Products Act and the Food and Drugs Act and are regulated by the Pest Management Regulatory Authority (PMRA) and the Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD) in Health Canada, are allowed to be used to preserve the best health and welfare of fish in aquaculture facilities. These products are used to prevent and treat pest infestation and disease and are only used under authority and supervision of a registered veterinarian.

The AAR require that the annual report be submitted in a form acceptable to the Minister, and specifies what information must be reported and by what date. Reporting is done on a calendar year basis, with the annual report due April 1, or three months following the end of the year being reported.

In 2016 and 2017, no drug or pest control product was reported for shellfish aquaculture operations under the AAR. The following calculations were made from 2017 aquaculture industry data submitted to DFO as directed by the AAR.

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