October 27, 2006


VHS Federal Order Clarification

On October 24 the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a Federal Order prohibiting the movement of 37 species of live fish susceptible to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). The emergency order prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from two Canadian provinces into the United States and the interstate movement of the same species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes was due to outbreaks of VHS.

In response to NAA's request for clarification on movement of fish originating outside the prohibited areas, USDA-APHIS has posted the following on the USDA-APHIS website:

VHS-susceptible live fish originating outside of the prohibited areas may move through or to the affected States and provinces.

Additional information may be found on the USDA-APHIS website:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/vhs/vhs.shtml