U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Office of Seafood
November 3, 2000


A more recent version of this document issued in November 2004. Below is an earlier version.

NATIONAL SHELLFISH SANITATION PROGRAM
MODEL ORDINANCE

VII. WET STORAGE IN APPROVED AND CONDITIONALLY APPROVED GROWING AREAS

(Table of Contents)


Requirements for the Dealer.

.01 Source of Shellstock.

A. The dealer shall wet store shellstock harvested only from areas classified as approved, conditionally approved, or taken from a certified depuration facility following successful completion of the depuration process.

B. Shellstock shall be harvested, identified and shipped to the wet storage operation in accordance with the requirements of Chapters VIII and IX.

.02 General.

A. Wet storage may be used to store, condition, remove sand or to add salt to shellstock.

B. Wet storage of depurated product shall occur only within the facility in which it was depurated.

C. Wet storage shall be practiced only by a dealer in strict compliance with the provisions in the written approval for the wet storage activity given by the Authority.

D. While awaiting placement in a wet storage operation, shellstock shall be protected from physical, chemical or thermal conditions which may compromise the shellstock's survival, quality or activity during wet storage.

E. Conditions and water quality during wet storage shall be sufficient to minimize the potential for compromising the sanitary quality of the shellstock during storage.

F. For the purpose of certification, each wet storage site or operation shall be evaluated annually. The evaluation shall include an inspection of the near shore storage site and floats, or the wet storage operation.

G. Shellstock from a wet storage operation shall be harvested, identified and shipped according to the requirements of Chapters VIII, IX and X. Any dealer who wet stores shellstock from another state and ships the shellstock as a product of the state where the shellstock was wet stored shall be required to:

(1) Have an operational plan approved by the Authority which describes how this labeling change will be employed in assuring that shellstock can be traced to its source; and
(2) Meet the requirements of Chapter IX.

H. When the product from wet storage was depurated prior to wet storage, the shellstock shall:

(1) Be packed and labeled according to the requirements in Chapter XV.; and
(2) Include the dates of wet storage on the labels or tags.

I. The wet storage operator shall keep complete and accurate records to enable a lot of shellstock to be traced back to the wet storage location. The records shall be maintained for at least:

(1) 90 days from the date of removal of the shellstock from wet storage; and
(2) 120 days from the date of removal of the shellstock from wet storage where the state of origin labeling is changed under §G. 2.

.03 Wet Storage Sites.

A. Near shore waters used for wet storage in containers and floats shall meet the requirements for classification as approved or conditionally approved while shellstock is being held in storage. Areas classified as conditionally approved may be used only when in the open status. When an area classified as conditionally approved is placed in a status other than its open status, any shellstock in wet storage in that area shall be:
(1) Subjected to relaying or depuration prior to human consumption; or
(2) Held in the wet storage site until the area is returned to the open status.

B. The near shore site evaluation shall include:

(1) The sanitary survey of the near shore storage site, with special consideration of potential intermittent sources of pollution;
(2) The location of near shore storage sites and floats; and
(3) The examination of the construction of shellstock containers, if used, to ensure the free flow of water to all shellstock.

C. Different lots of shellstock shall not be commingled in wet storage. If more than one lot of shellstock is held in wet storage at the same time, the identity of each lot of shellstock shall be maintained.

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