Purpose

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) offers a triploid grass carp inspection service for natural resource agencies in the United States and in other countries, to help States and others protect their aquatic habitats. The inspection program is to provide assurance to these agencies, and others concerned about protecting aquatic resources, that shipments of grass carp alleged to be all triploid, do not, within the confidence limits of the inspection program, contain diploids.

Authorization

The inspection service was addressed by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in the first session of the 104th Congress, assembled in Washington, DC, January 4, 1995. Through Congressional Action (S.268): "The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, may charge reasonable fees for expenses to the federal Government for triploid grass carp certification inspections requested by a person who owns or operates an aquaculture facility."

Inspection Program

The USFWS Triploid Grass Carp Inspection and Certification Program evolved (B.R. Griffin and A.J. Mitchell, 1992, Aquaculture Magazine, 18:73-74) from years of work experience. Inputs from private grass carp producers and State resource agency needs were examined. The information which follows is a rendering of these ideas into standards, which the USFWS will use to provide consistency and fairness in dealing with different circumstances encountered in the implementation of a National Triploid Grass Carp Inspection and Certification Program. The critical elements of the Program are described in four categories: (1) Standards for USFWS Inspectors; (2) Standards for Grass Carp Producers; (3) Standards for Collection and Fees; and (4) Standard Fees and Penalties Program.

*USFWS will review the National Standards at every "Official Public Annual Meeting" of Triploid Grass Carp Producers and USFWS Inspectors. A meeting agenda will identify prospective National Standards issues for group discussions. USFWS will utilize information and then identify any changes to the National Standards, to be posted to the Web-Site and go into effect January of following year.