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Transporting Aquaculture Animals

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EU regulations require that ALL transporters of aquaculture animals take specific measures to protect the health of fish/shellfish during transportation, thereby preventing the spread of aquatic disease.

If you are transporting aquaculture animals you must undertake to:

  1. Ensure the health status of the aquatic animal you are carrying is not altered during transport.
  2. Ensure the health status of an aquaculture or wild aquatic animal either at the destination premises or en-route to that destination is not altered.
  3. Minimise the risk of the spread of disease.

If water exchange is required during transportation, you must take all necessary measures to protect the health status of the fish or shellfish:

  1. being transported;
  2. at the place of water exchange; and
  3. at the place of destination.

It should be noted that these measures apply to all diseases of aquatic animals, not just those listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882.

As a transporter you have record keeping obligations, which include:

  1. Mortality rates during transport (as practicable).
  2. Aquaculture establishments and disease control aquatic food establishments visited.
  3. Any exchange of water that took place during transport.
  4. Cleaning & disinfection of the means of transport.

In addition, it is mandatory for automated cleaning and disinfection equipment as well as automated equipment used in relation to general fish welfare to be serviced at appropriate frequencies and to be properly maintained. Records of such servicing and maintenance must be kept on file and made available for inspection on request.

See also detailed information on Wellboat Biosecurity and Reporting

 

Specialist Transporters of Aquaculture Animals

Specialist transporters of aquaculture animals must be registered with the Marine Institute.

A “specialist transporter” is defined as 'a business or undertaking which wholly or mainly transports live aquaculture animals in a mode of transport specially designed and adapted for that purpose'

Note that all transporters of aquaculture animals are required to observe the biosecurity and recording measures outlined in above. However, only specialist transporters are required to register with the Marine Institute.

A list of registered aquaculture transporters is published here.

To register with the Marine Institute as a specialist aquaculture transporter, please contact fishhealth@marine.ie to request an Application Form