Importing Antarctic Fish

14 July 2010

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Issued pursuant to Section 22 of the Biosecurity Act 1993

USER GUIDE

The information in this import health standard is in five parts.

Part A. GENERAL INFORMATION contains sections of general interest, including those relating to the legal basis for MAFBNZ import health standards and the general responsibilities of every importer of animals and animal products.

Part B. IMPORTATION PROCEDURE contains sections that outline the requirements to be met prior to and during importation. Whether a permit to import is required prior to importation is noted, as are conditions of eligibility, transport and general conditions relating to documentation accompanying the consignment.

Part C. CLEARANCE PROCEDURE contains sections describing the requirements to be met at the New Zealand border and, if necessary, in a transitional facility in New Zealand prior to any consignment being given biosecurity clearance.

Part D. ZOOSANITARY CERTIFICATION contains model health certification which must be completed by the appropriate personnel as indicated in the certification and accompany the consignment to New Zealand.

Part E. APPENDICES contains the list of Antarctic fish species eligible for import into New Zealand.

PART A. GENERAL INFORMATION

1 IMPORT HEALTH STANDARD

1.1 Pursuant to section 22 of the Biosecurity Act 1993, this document is the import health standard for Antarctic fish.

1.2 Approval for the importation of Antarctic fish into New Zealand is dependent upon the consignment meeting the requirements of this import health standard.

 1.3 This import health standard may be reviewed, amended or revoked if there are changes in New Zealand's import policy or the animal health status of the originating country, or for any other lawful reason, at the discretion of the Animal Imports/Exports Group Manager.

2 IMPORTER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 The costs to MAFBNZ in performing functions relating to the importation of Antarctic fish must be recovered in accordance with the Biosecurity Act and any regulations made under that Act.

2.2 All costs involved with importation such as documentation, quarantine, transport, storage and obtaining a biosecurity authorisation must be borne by the importer or agent. MAFBNZ will not accept any liability for any losses sustained through quarantine procedures if fish are destroyed because of disease or parasites, or because they are prohibited species.

2.3 The importer must make all arrangements for transport and obtain necessary transit authorities from any third countries on the transport route.

2.4 The importer must notify the supervising veterinarian of the transitional facility a minimum of 72 hours before the expected time of arrival of each consignment.

2.5 It is the importer or agent’s responsibility to ensure that they are compliant with the current version of the relevant import health standard at the time of importation into New Zealand. Current versions of import health standards are available online at http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/ihs/search

2.6 Please note that the Customs Import Prohibition (Toothfish) Order 2006, administered by the New Zealand Customs Service, prohibits the importation of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) unless it is covered by a completed catch document issued by a party to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in accordance with the Conservation Measure.

3 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Biosecurity authority

Written authority from an inspector, given under section 25 of the Biosecurity Act (1993), to move uncleared goods from a transitional facility or biosecurity control area to another transitional facility, containment facility or biosecurity control area, or to re-export those goods from New Zealand

Inspector BA

Means a person who is appointed an inspector under section 103 of the Biosecurity Act (1993). (Explanatory Note: An Inspector is appointed to undertake administering and enforcing the provisions of the Biosecurity Act, and enforcing the provisions of the  and controls imposed under the Hazardous Substances and New Organism Act 1996 in respect of new organisms).

MAFBNZ

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand

Transitional facility

Means (a) any place approved as a transitional facility in accordance with section 39 of the Biosecurity Act (1993) for the purpose of inspection, testing, storage, treatment, holding or destruction of uncleared goods; or (b) a part of a port declared to be a transitional facility in accordance with section 39 of the Biosecurity Act (1993)

4 EQUIVALENCE

It is expected that the consignment will meet the conditions of this import health standard in every respect. Occasionally it may be found that, due to circumstances beyond the control of the importer or exporter, a consignment does not comply with the specific requirements in this import health standard, but may meet the outcomes sought. In such cases, a permit to import application may be made, an equivalence granted and import permit issued at the discretion of MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. The following information must be forwarded by the certifying government's veterinary authority for an equivalence to be considered:

• which clause/s of the import health standard cannot be met and how this has occurred;
• the reason the consignment is considered to be of an "equivalent health" status;
• the reasons why the veterinary authority of the country of origin believe this proposal should be acceptable to the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and their recommendation for its acceptance.

PART B. IMPORTATION PROCEDURE

5 PERMIT TO IMPORT

5.1 A permit to import is required for importing Antarctic fish.

5.2 Application for a permit to import must be made prior to the proposed date of importation in writing to:

Animal Imports Team
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington
New Zealand.
Email: animalimports@maf.govt.nz or fax: +64 4 894 0733

5.3 A permit to import may be issued for multiple consignments.

6. ELIGIBILITY

6.1 Eligibility for importation under this import health standard is confined to Antarctic fish of the species specified in Appendix 1.

6.2 All requirements of this import health standard must be met for the commodity to be eligible for importation.

7 DOCUMENTATION ACCOMPANYING THE CONSIGNMENT

7.1 The consignment must be accompanied by the following appropriately completed documentation:

a. A copy of the valid permit to import; AND

b. A list of the species and number of Antarctic fish in each container, or the code/reference number of each container if relevant, comprising the whole consignment. A copy of this list must be provided to the supervising veterinarian of the transitional facility.

7.2 Documentation must be in English, but may be bilingual (language of exporting country/English).

7.3 It is the importer’s responsibility to ensure that any documentation presented in accordance with the requirements of this import health standard is original (unless otherwise specified) and clearly legible. Failure to do so may result in delays in obtaining biosecurity authorisation and/or rejection of the consignment.

8 TRANSPORT TO NEW ZEALAND

8.1 All fish in the consignment must be packaged in accordance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animal Regulations.

8.2 Antarctic fish from one species only are to be grouped in individual containers and must be packaged in leak-proof bags, each bag containing only one species.

8.3 Each container, or group of containers, is to be labeled with:

EITHER i. the species and number of fish in each container;

OR ii. a code/reference number so that the species and number of fish in each container can be ascertained.

8.4 The bag must be colourless and sufficiently transparent to enable proper inspection and identification of the fish and must not contain any extraneous matter, unapproved plant material, pests or unauthorised species of fish. The use of outer bags of opaque materials or half-black bags to provide a dark shipping environment is acceptable provided the contents of the bag can be properly inspected to the satisfaction of the inspector.

PART C. CLEARANCE PROCEDURE

9 BIOSECURITY AUTHORISATION

9.1 At the port of entry the inspector must check there is a valid permit to import.

9.2 The outer containers around the plastic bags are to be sealed with seals approved by MAFBNZ to ensure that between application and removal security has been maintained, e.g. tape, Tyden seal or padlock.

9.3 A biosecurity direction must be issued to the importer or agent for the fish to move from the airport to the transitional facility.

9.4 The inspector is to notify the supervising veterinarian that Antarctic fish have been moved to the transitional facility.

9.5 Carriage by the importer or agent must be by a vehicle approved by MAFBNZ and by the quickest practicable route to the transitional facility.

9.6 The seals must be inspected by the supervising veterinarian before the containers are opened and the fish placed in the transitional facility under his/her supervision.

9.7 If species of imported fish are not approved Antarctic fish then the operator is obliged to notify the supervising veterinarian within seven days of importation to enable these to be destroyed under supervision.

10 QUARANTINE IN NEW ZEALAND

10.1 The fish will be held in the transitional facility named in the permit to import, and operating as per MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Standard 154.02.06 Transitional Facilities for Ornamental Fish and Invertebrates.

10.2 The quarantine period must be not less than six weeks.

10.3 The supervising veterinarian reserves the right to remove fish and/or specimens at any time for such tests as may be required. Fish must be made available for inspection by the supervising veterinarian. If an exotic disease or pathogenic disease agent is found, MAFBNZ may direct any or all the fish to be detained in quarantine for further testing, or order their destruction.

10.4 All disease testing must be conducted at the Investigation and Diagnostic Centre, Wallaceville, Upper Hutt.

10.5 The supervising veterinarian reserves the right to remove fish and/or specimens at any time for tests as required. Fish must be made available for inspection and dead fish must be kept under refrigeration or as directed by the supervising veterinarian.

10.6 Based on the clinical and fish management history and the samples provided by the supervising veterinarian, the fish pathologist at the Laboratory must select the laboratory examinations that are appropriate. The specific disease agents of interest include:

Aeromonas salmonicida

Vibrio sp.

Edwardsiella sp.

Pasteurella sp.

Yersinia sp.

Streptococcus sp.

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus

Epizootic haemorrhagic necrosis virus

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia

Salmonid herpes virus Type II

Spring viraemia of carp

Viral erythrocytic necrosis virus

Marine anaemia

Proliferative kidney disease

Kudoa sp.

Loma sp.

10.7 If an exotic disease or any of the disease agents listed above are found, MAFBNZ may direct any or all of the fish to be detained in quarantine for further testing, or order their destruction.

11 BIOSECURITY CLEARANCE

11.1 On satisfactory completion of the post arrival quarantine period, the supervising veterinarian shall authorise the movement of the fish from the transitional facility to a containment facility for zoo animals operating to MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Standard 154.03.04 Containment Facilities for Zoo Animals or 154.03.03 Containment Facilities for Vertebrate Laboratory Animals.

11.2 The fish and their offspring must remain permanently in a registered zoo, and may not be transferred to another zoo without prior permission of MAFBNZ.

11.3 Consignments that do not meet New Zealand’s import requirements will remain in quarantine control, be re-exported or destroyed at the importers expense.

PART D. ZOOSANITARY CERTIFICATION

None required.

PART E: APPENDIX 1

SPECIES OF ANTARCTIC FISH ELIGIBLE FOR IMPORTATION INTO NEW ZEALAND

TAXONOMIC NAME	COMMON NAME
Pagothenia borchgrevinki	Bald notothen
Trematomus bernacchii	Emerald rockcod
Trematomus hansoni	Striped notothen or striped rockcod
Trematomus pennellii	Sharp-spined notothen
Trematomus nicolai	Spotted notothen
Trematomus newnesi	Dusky notothen
Dissostichus mawsoni	Antarctic toothfish
Gymnodraco acuticeps	Naked dragonfish
Chionodraco hamatus
Cryodraco antarcticus	Long-fingered icefish

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