A3O-Lanc«stef Fanning, Saturday, October 31, 1998
Aquaculture Now Legal As Agriculture In Pennsylvania
(Continued from Pago A 1)
existing situations.)
Charles Itlc, livestock show
manager for the state Farm Show,
said entries are still being sought.
High school teachers with such
class projects can call (717)
787-2905 for more information on
entering.
Technically, aquaculture has
never been an agricultural enter
prise in Pennsylvania, although
over the past years the state
Department of Agriculture and the
state Legislature have made provi
sions for aquaculture that effec
tively treated it as a member of the
“agricultural family” of
businesses.
For example, aquaculture had
been given the ability to use fuel
tax exempt fuel oil (dyed red) for
agricultural purposes, and has
been allowed to have farm truck
license plates.
Further, the state Department of
Agriculture’s diagnostic laborat
ory system came to the aid of aqua
culture several years ago when it
helped to develop a test for “whir
ling disease” in trout
(The accomplishment allowed
Pennsylvania trout producers to
sell Osh to New York state in time
to stock New York trout streams
for the opening day of its trout sea
son. It was a coup for some Pen
nsylvania trout producers up
until Pennsylvania researchers
rapidly developed an acceptable
whirling disease test, there was no
test. Regardless, New York state
ofGcials had banned importing
trout if the fish didn't test free of
whirling disease. The quick work
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by researchers allowed New York
ers to have their trout season and
Pennsylvania trout farmers to sell
them Csh.)
But the new law is to make that
support a fulltime expectation of
the state Department of Agricul
ture’s Diagnostic Laboratories.
For the most part, Pennsylvania
has responded to some of the needs
of its aquacultural industry, but the
full recognition of the enterprise
raises its status.
“Pennsylvania’s aquaculture
operations have annual sales of
over $13.8 million and contribute
approximately S4S. 1 million to the
commonwealth’s economy,” said
state Secretaiy of Agriculture
Samuel E. Hayes Jr.
“The primary markets are fish
for stocking private waters, garden
pond and aquarium fish, baitflsh
for the sport Ashing industry, food
fish for restaurants and supermark
ets, and research.
“Our top four categories of pro
duction are trout, goldGsh and koi,
hybrid striped bass, and bait Ash,”
Hayes said. “We expect the new
law to encourage even faster
growth of this environmentally
friendly form of agriculture.”
The law passed not only recog
nizes the industry as agriculture,
but creates a foundation for further
development of the industry.
The three-part stated purpose of
the law, is:
*$
• To encourage aquacultural
operators to make a long-term
commitment to aquaculture by
offering them the same protections
afforded other agricultural
practices.
• To reduce the amount of gov
ernmental agencies with jurisdic
tion over aquaculture, by transfer
ring authority over commercial
aquacultural operations to the
Department of Agriculture.
•To encourage further develop
ment of the aquacultural industry
by including aquaculture in any
and all promotional and other eco
nomic developmental programs
which are made available to other
industry sectors.”
The law directs the state Depart
ment of Agriculture to develop a
plan to promote and develop the
aquaculture industry, and imple
ment the plan as regulations of the
department.
The law also calls for the forma
tion of a 21-member advisory
committee. The chairman of the
committee is to be the secretary of
agriculture, or a designee.
Other ex officio members (or
designees representing such offi
cials) are to be the secretaries of
the state departments of Environ
mental Protection, and Communi
ty and Economic Development;
the executive director of the state
Fish and Boat Commission; the
chairman and minority chairman
of the House and Senate Ag and
Rural Affairs committees, and the
chairman and minority chairman
of the House and Senate Game and
Fisheries committees.
The nine appointed members
are all to be active producers in
their respective industries, as well
as state residents.
There arc to be three producers
of cold water fishes; one producer
of warm water fishes; one produc
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er working with an indoor facility
(the other two fish production
industries are currently practiced
as primarily outdoor activities); a
person who supplies products or
provides services for the aquacul
ture industry; an aquacultural
wholesaler, food broker or food
merchant; an aquarium or orna
mental species aquacultural mer
chant; and a representative of the
sport fishing industry.
The appointed members of the
committee are to serve three-year
terms. The ex officio members
serve while in office.
The committee is to draft and
submit an aquacultural plan to the
secretary of agriculture prior to
Dec. 31, 1999.
The law also directs the Pen
nsylvania Agricultural Statistics
Service (PASS a joint federal
state service) to conduct a survey
of aquacultural activity in the state
every two years.
Currently, PASS reports trout
production, just a portion of the
aquacultural activity in the state.
The new report is assumed to
include the production of orna
mentals, baitfish, warm water
fishes, and other types of aquacul
tural production.
The information gathered by
PASS for the survey is not public
information, and the individual
survey forms required to be filed
by pennitted operations will not be
shared with any other organization
or the public.
While the forms are to require
the gross receipts and sales for the
aquacultural species produced, the
information is to be used only to
aquire general statistics about the
entire industry in the state.
While statistical information is
used for a variety of purposes, the
aquacultural data compiled by
PASS is expected to benefit the
aquacultural industry in several
ways, but in one way especially
in recognition.
The better knowledge the agri
culture department and other
promotional agencies have about
the types and strengths of aquacul
tural subindustries in Pennsylvani
a, the better the job that can be
done to promote those sUbindus
tries, as well as the entire industry.
The federal government already
recognizes aquaculture as an agri
cultural enterprise, and through
some of the USDA disaster relief
programs, some Pennsylvania
operations have already been
helped through low interest loans,
grants, etc.
The new law defines “aquacul
ture” as, “A form of agriculture
which is the controlled cultivation
of aquatic plants, animals and
microogranisms.”
Conceptually, that fairly well
includes the garnet of existing and
futuristic aquacultural enterprises.
For example, there seems to be
no good reason why beneficial
bacteria couldn't be farm-raised
(perhaps even by using manure
from other livestock as an energy
and other nutrient source.)
The same would seem to hold
true for producing desirable types
of algea or aquatic plants, from
ornamentals to edibles.
Permits and licenses are
required for commercial aquacul
tural operations, such as trout rais
ing facilities, but the law clarifies
how aquaculture is to be consid
ered under the permitting laws.
For example, there had been
concern expressed among some
owners of existing aquaculture
FT?
LOiSiG G&IV
(Turn to Pag* A3l)