The ISSC works in cooperation with FDA for oversight of shellfish consumer safety. Shellfish producers should be familiar with the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) Guide. 

If you are planning to commercially harvest, sell, ship, pack, or shuck molluscan shellfish, this  page has resources to help get you started. Web page is provided by the Division of Environmental Health, Food Safety & Sanitation Program.

This website has links to general information on aquatic farming, applications and forms, regulations,  permitting, operation details, and more. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issues permits for the construction and operation of aquatic farms and hatcheries that  supply aquatic plant or shellfish seed stocks to aquatic farms. 

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources issues authorizations for the use of tide and submerged land to support aquatic farming activities. The statewide aquatic farming program is jointly administered by three state agencies, including DNR, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The application opening to apply for farming of shellfish and aquatic plants on state-owned tidal and submerged land is scheduled every year. Applications for the next opening are planned to be accepted between January 1 and April 30.

ADEC is responsible for various certifications to protecting public health, including marine toxin screening and shipping shellfish authorization. Their website includes Vibrio information and a list of approved shellfish shippers.

This page, maintained by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, contains links to aquatic farming forms for permits, reporting, and pathological examination submission.

This page contains locations of potential aquatic farm sites and maps of the areas. You can  apply for preauthorized sites through the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Information on regulations, permits, and mitigation, and help in navigating the site.

Permitted operations, annual report data, sales and production, seed acquisitions and inventory, seed availability, workforce updates and the future.

Before shellfish can be grown or harvested for commercial sale, the area must be assessed by DEC to determine that shellfish can be safely grown or harvested.

A summary of requirements for shellstock shipping facilities in Alaska.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game describes steps to getting started as an aquatic farmer.

Presentation on harmful algal blooms, sources of paralytic shellfish poisoning, Alaska PSP outbreaks, PSP toxin chemistry, testing for PSP, “red tide,” PSP geographic patterns, PSP in geoducks, and shellfish personal harvest risk.

For harvesters and dealers, this presentation explains the requirements for permits, vessel and equipment, sanitation, tagging and labeling, temperature control, approved growing area, toxin testing plan, facility conditions, HACCP plans, and shipping.

The joint-agency application package has two parts: Part 1 (this section) and Part II, Instructions and Application. Part I provides you with information about the application process, requirements, and guidance for aquatic farm site development and explains how to obtain the authorizations required to site, develop, and operate your aquatic farm. Part II of the package contains the application and instructions. The joint-agency consolidated application helps minimize the paperwork needed to obtain authorizations for an aquatic farm.

Part II of the aquatic farm program contains the joint agency application for an aquatic farm. The aquatic farm application opening is every year from January 1 through April 30.

Review what we know about Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Review what we think we know about Vp. Review historical perspective and management strategies for Vp. Highlight ISSC/FDA Mandatory Vp Control Requirements effective 2008. Review the State's Vp Control Plan. Recap Monitoring Activities to date

Presentation covers multi-agency authorizations, getting assistance, completing and submitting the application, agency preliminary decision, site review, authorization, pre-harvest sale, and state fees.

About Vibrio parahaemolyticus, testing farmed oysters for, how to prevent, temperature recorders, salinity recorders, and data handling. 

Written by experts at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Washington, and medical doctors, this publication is an excellent summary of the PSP problem in Alaska. PSP poisoning is caused by neurologically damaging saxitoxins that are byproducts of microscopic algae called dinoflagellates. People who eat shellfish that have been feeding on toxic dinoflagellates can suffer from numbness, paralysis, disorientation, and death. Testing programs in Alaska ensure that shellfish reaching the retail food market are safe, but the widespread indifference of recreational and subsistence harvesters to PSP warnings results in about seven individual cases of poisoning per year in Alaska. Alaska Marine Resources 8(2).

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a common sense method for identifying and controlling food-safety hazards. Using the HACCP system, you identify the hazards in your operation, establish controls, monitor them and keep records. SSOP stands for Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures.