Save Michigan's Bait Business

Draft Initial Baitfish Holding Facility Testing Protocol
December 2006

1. Initial Testing Strategy
1. In effect until final strategy is completed. 

1. There will likely be changes to the strategy from this initial analysis.
2. Initial testing protocol will cover fish available for sale until final strategy is completed.
3. Each facility will need to be certified separately.
4. MDNR will need to know how each facility handles their fish and the following information will be needed:
1. How many ponds are at the facility?
2. How many locations have minnows been collected?
3. Are all of the collection locations kept in separate ponds?
4. What are the water supplies for each pond?  Do they all use the same water supply or different water supplies?
5. Facilities would be certified as VHS negative using the following strategy and these fish could be sold.  Certification remains in place until new untested fish are brought in.
6. If new fish are brought into a facility and their source has not been certified VHS free, then facilities would have to certify any new lots of fish or their facility if using farm certification.

2. Lot based testing will be used where fish from different harvest locations are held separately.  This is the preferred certification method.

1. Emerald shiners will be the only fish to be sampled initially.
2. Lot will be defined as fish from the same wild or hatchery source being held at the same facility on the same water source.
1. Example 1 – A facility has four ponds of fish.  Each pond has fish from unique wild locations.  The facility will need to test each pond separately as a lot so 4 lots should be tested.
2. Example 2 – A facility has two ponds of fish.  Each pond has fish from unique wild locations.  The facility will need to test each pond separately as a lot so 2 lots should be tested.
3. Example 3 – A facility has three ponds of fish.  Each pond has fish from the same location.  The facility will need to test one lot of fish.  Fish should be collected from each pond in the proportion to the total number on the pond.  If 33% of the fish are in each pond, then 20 fish should be taken from each pond.
3. Each fish should be tested individually.
4. Each lot should be tested using a random 60 fish sample.
5. The following information should be provided to DNR on each lot:  exact location of the holding facility; a unique pond number; exact harvest location; exact harvest date(s); estimated number of fish in the pond; and other minnow species at the facility.  When the results are complete, these should be immediately provided to the DNR.
6. Collection must be by a licensed and USDA certified vet (either private or MDA vet) or an approved DNR employee.  This will ensure that the results will be accepted by USDA-APHIS.
7. Laboratory must be a MDNR and MDA approved facility which would include Dr. Mohamed Faisal’s lab at Michigan State University.
8. Laboratory costs will be the financial responsibility of facility owner.  Some assistance in sampling maybe available from MDA and MDNR, where possible.

3. Farm based testing will be used where fish from different harvest locations are all held or are mixed in the same ponds.  While not the preferred method, we will certify facilities in this manner.

1. Emerald shiners will be the only fish to be sampled initially.
2. Facilities with fish from different locations all held in the same ponds or tanks will need to be certified using a farm based certification using a 170 fish lot.
3. Each fish should be tested individually.
4. Fish should be collected from multiple ponds in the same proportion that they represent on the entire facility.
1. Example – A facility has 50% of their fish in Pond 1 and 50% of their fish in Pond 2 then 85 fish should be taken from Pond 1 and 85 fish should be taken from Pond 2.
5. The following information should be provided to DNR on each lot:  exact location of the holding facility; exact harvest locations; exact harvest date(s); estimated number of emerald shiners in the facility; and the other minnow species at the facility.
6. Collection must be by a licensed and USDA certified vet (either private or MDA vet) or an approved DNR employee.  This will ensure that the results will be accepted by USDA-APHIS.
7. Laboratory must be a MDNR and MDA approved facility which would include Dr. Mohamed Faisal’s lab at Michigan State University.
8. Laboratory costs will be the financial responsibility of facility owner.  Some assistance in sampling maybe available from MDA and MDNR, where possible.

4. All fish should be shipped live to an appropriate diagnostics lab that is approved by MDA and DNR.

1. If Dr. Mohamed Faisal’s lab is going to be used, MDNR will assist in laboratory coordination to ensure that the lab can appropriately handle fish.

2. Cost
1. Each lot of 60 fish will cost $300 at MSU and full testing for initially presumptive positive samples, if necessary, would be up to 6 weeks.  Negative testing fish will have results in a shorter time frame.  Farm costs will be about $800-900.
2. Costs at other labs are not yet available.

Date:                        12-21-2006
Drafted by:            Gary Whelan