Guidelines on Importation and Culture of SPF/SPR Black Tiger Shrimp

Legal basis and coverage

The order is issued pursuant to Fisheries Administrative Order No. 230, Series of 2009, which allows the importation and culture of the broodstock and post-larvae of Specific Pathogen Free / Specific Pathogen Resistant (SPF/SPR) black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and the culture of offspring thereof.
The order establishes guidelines governing:
- Importation of P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae that are SPF/SPR; and
- Certification and regulation of shrimp grow-out facilities for culture of SPF/SPR P. monodon post-larvae.

Authority and panels for inspections

A National BFAR Director issues a Certificate of Compliance for authorized hatchery facilities based on inspection results.
On-site inspection within the country is undertaken by a Regional Panel created for the hatchery inspection stage.
The Regional Panel conducts site inspection in accordance with minimum bio-security standards for controlled shrimp hatchery facility under Section 1(f).
The Regional Panel submits its inspection report to its respective Regional Directors for recommendation and transmittal to BFAR Central Office for review and approval by the National Director.
An SPF/SPR P. monodon Import Risk Assessment (IRA) Panel is created to facilitate individual review of shrimp hatchery accreditation applications.
The IRA Panel is headed by the National BFAR Assistant Director for Technical Services and includes:
- Chief, Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (or representative);
- Coordinator, National Shrimp Health Action Program;
- Chief, Fisheries Quarantine and Wild Life Regulation Section (or representative);
- Focal Person, OIE Aquatic Animal Commission.
The IRA Panel has the option to conduct an on-site investigation based on documents submitted by the Regional Panel endorsed by the Regional Director.

Importation: pre-border biosecurity measures

Importation of SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae is conditioned on compliance with pre-border biosecurity measures before issuance of a special import permit to an accredited shrimp hatchery.
The proponent must submit a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE duly signed by the National BFAR Director before issuance of the special import permit.
The Certificate of Compliance issuance is based on inspection results of hatchery facilities authorized to breed SPF/SPR P. monodon.
The imported broodstock and/or post-larvae must originate only from:
- United States of America (USA), and
- Any other country that can show clear and verifiable capacity to produce SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae and must have a well-documented breeding program of Penaeus monodon.
The importing BFAR-accredited hatchery must provide BFAR a complete dossier on the country of origin for comprehensive review by the IRA Panel.
The broodstock facility in the country of origin must allow BFAR to inspect the hatchery at the expense of the importing BFAR-accredited hatchery to verify the accuracy of information.
The selected SPF/SPR facility must have a minimum two (2) years disease free status, certified by the competent authority of the country of origin.
The facility must submit its disease history covering the period from its commercial establishment to the present.
Samples must be submitted from the lot intended for shipment, drawn from broodstock lots, and submitted to a verified Shrimp Disease Diagnostic Laboratory recognized by the competent authority of the country of origin.
Samples must be diagnosed for SPF/SPR status against these pathogens:
- Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV);
- White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV);
- Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV);
- Yellow Head Virus Disease (YHVD);
- Hepatopancreatic Parvo-like Virus (HPV);
- Monodon Baculo Virus (MBV).
No import permit may be issued unless the documents required by the pre-border biosecurity measures are complied with.

Importation: border and post-border controls

Imported SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae must enter the country only through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The shipment must take the most direct route from its origin to the Philippines.
No trans-shipment is allowed.
If transport is interrupted (delayed or cancelled flights), the importer must notify any competent authority within the area immediately.
The competent authority must issue certification that:
- The shipment was not co-mingled with other shipments; and
- The intended shipment was not exposed or subjected to any risk of contamination.
If shipment uses chartered or special flights to Philippine international airports other than NAIA, advance notice must be given to BFAR Central Office to enable designated Fisheries Quarantine Officers and Fish Health Officers to be present at the port of entry.
Upon arrival, the imported SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae must be presented for documentary inspection at the Fisheries Inspection and Quarantines Service (FIQS) at the NAIA or at the Philippine international airport other than NAIA where advance notice is given to BFAR Central and/or Regional Fisheries Quarantine Officers and Fish Health Officers.
After documentary inspection and verification, the shipment must be transported directly to the BFAR accredited shrimp hatchery facility.
Transfer to the facility must be accompanied by the importer (or designated representative) together with a representative from the Fisheries Regulatory and Quarantine Division (FRQD).
A quantity of one percent (1%) but not more than ten (10) pieces of representative broodstock or post-larvae samples must be turned over to the BFAR Fish Health Central Laboratory for verification of laboratory results before shipping and accompanying Health Certificate.
Upon arrival at the facility, the broodstock and/or post-larvae must be confined in designated holding tanks for quarantine and subsequent maturation and breeding.

Testing, diagnosis, and final verification

At PL1-PL3, samples must be taken from larval rearing tanks for testing following the latest edition of the OIE Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Disease.
Samples must be analyzed for TSV, WSSV, IHHNV, HPV, MBV, and YHV at the BFAR Regional Fish Health Laboratories or any BFAR-recognized laboratory.
Regular monitoring must be conducted by BFAR Regional Fish Laboratories for the six (6) OIE reportable diseases of P. monodon using the latest edition OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animal.
If there is a conflict in results, verification must be done solely by the BFAR Central Fish Health Laboratory in Quezon City.
Results issued by the BFAR Central Fish Health Laboratory must be final.

Certification integrity and minimum hatchery standards

Only the original certified SPF/SPR broodstock from BFAR verified and recognized broodstock facilities and stocked at accredited shrimp hatcheries may be the source of shrimp post-larvae.
The selling of shrimp eggs and nauplii by accredited hatcheries to other non-accredited shrimp hatcheries is strictly prohibited.
The importer must comply with minimum biosecurity standards for broodstock maturation, larval rearing, and production of F1 offspring before issuance of an import permit.
The evaluation for accreditation uses these minimum biosecurity standards for controlled hatchery facilities:
- Water Treatment: filtration and disinfection protocols must ensure high quality water, including:
  - Incoming water filtration through specified stages into a first reservoir for settling tank, then final filtration using fine mesh filter bags or membrane filters;
  - Chlorination for initial disinfection, then UV (or ozone) disinfection after final filtration;
  - Water conditioning using activated charcoal filters and Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid (EDTA) to chelate remaining heavy metal impurities.
- Effluent Water Treatment: discharged hatchery water must be temporarily stored in a catching pond and treated with hypochlorite solution of >20 ppm active chlorine for not less than 60 minutes or other effective disinfectant prior to discharge.
- Physical Isolation: production facilities must be physically isolated, including maturation, spawning and hatching, larval and nursery rearing, indoor and outdoor algal culture, and live food production.
- Aeration: airflow must be controlled between facility sections, with glass wool filters installed in the main aeration line servicing all sections.
- Sanitation and Disinfection:
  - Worker sanitation through washing/bathing routines;
  - Foot baths and hand washing stations at entry points to each separate culture area;
  - Traffic flow control with one-way entrance to exit areas within sections;
  - Control movement of potential disease carriers near the testing area;
  - Disinfection of equipment and materials at multiple points of use;
  - Restriction of visitors.
- The facility must be exclusively used for SPF/SPR P. monodon breeding and fry production, and no other species are to be reared in the facility.

Mandatory documents at port of entry

At the port of entry, the importer/broker of SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock and/or post-larvae must present documents to FIQS and Bureau of Customs (BoC) personnel, with duplicate copies furnished to BFAR Central Office.
Documents required for inspection at the port of entry are:
- Certificate of Compliance;
- Evidence of two (2) years disease-free status certified by a competent authority at the Federal or State level, accompanied by the number of broodstock and/or post-larvae submitted for examination and identification of organs/tissues where DNA/RNA were extracted;
- Disease history of the broodstock facility of origin;
- Laboratory results from an authorized Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory recognized by the competent authority of the country of origin, indicating the number of broodstock and/or post-larvae submitted for examination and identification of organs/tissues where DNA/RNA were extracted;
- A Health Certificate from the appropriate country of origin competent authority;
- A well-documented Breeding and Larval Rearing Program of the hatchery where SPF/SPR P. monodon broodstock or post-larvae will originate;
- Detailed travel documents.

Grow-out facility certification and source controls

A Regional Farm Certification Panel must certify SPF/SPR grow-out farms.
The Regional Farm Certification Panel is composed of:
- Regional Director of BFAR (or representative) where the grow-out farm is located;
- Head of aquaculture division of that BFAR Regional Office;
- Regional Fish Health Officer;
- One shrimp expert appointed by BFAR.
The Regional Panel also functions as a hatchery on-site investigation team for hatchery accreditation applicants.
Investigation results must be endorsed by the Regional Director to BFAR Central Office and reviewed by the IRA Panel prior to recommendation for approval to the BFAR National Director.
Grow-out farms that want to avail shrimp fry from BFAR-accredited SPF/SPR P. monodon hatcheries and culture the same must apply to BFAR Regional Offices for certification as recipient farms for commercial culture for traceability of shrimp produced under the program and in compliance with international fisheries export standards.
Proposed grow-out farms must be designed, situated, and operated to prevent and minimize risk of escapes and must comply with minimum basic farm facilities aligned with:
- Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP); and
- The Code of Practices for Responsible Aquaculture and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
The Regional Panel submits a list of compliant shrimp grow-out farms to the respective BFAR Regional Directors for approval and issuance of FARM CERTIFICATION.
Farm certification is valid for three (3) years and is subject to regular evaluation to confirm compliance.
A duplicate copy of the Farm Certification must be submitted to BFAR Central Office for record-keeping.
Certified grow-out farms must use only high health SPF/SPR P. monodon shrimp fry from BFAR-accredited hatcheries provided under the guidelines.
Upon reservation for post-larvae from accredited hatcheries, Shrimp Fry Source Certification (SFSC) must be issued to qualified shrimp grow-out farms, stating:
- Farm registration number;
- Farm operator;
- Farm location;
- Pond area;
- Stocking density;
- Stocking date.
Grow-out farmers must produce current SFSC from accredited hatcheries to prevent final shrimp products coming from other source(s from entering the market through processing plants, consignacion, and other outlets.
The absence of Shrimp Fry Source Certification authorizes confiscation of the final shrimp product.

Record-keeping, distribution documents, and traceability

For each pond and every production cycle, certified farms must record:
- Pond identification number;
- Pond Area;
- Stocking date;
- Quantity of post-larvae stocked;
- Source of post-larvae (hatchery);
- Antibiotic and drug use;
- Herbicide, algaecide, and other pesticide use;
- Manufacturer and lot number for each feed used;
- Harvest date.
Accredited hatcheries must submit on a regular basis the triplicate copy of the SFSC to the respective BFAR Regional Offices for record-keeping and counter checking.
The original SFSC copy must be provided to the recipient grow-out farm.
The duplicate SFSC copy must be kept at the accredited hatcheries for record purposes.

Additional controls: outbreaks and document printing

If any hatchery or grow-out farm is found positive of any economically important viral diseases listed under Section 1(a)(4), the farm must be quarantined.
No shrimp or shrimp products may leave a quarantined farm.
Pond water must be treated with calcium hypochlorite to attain an active chlorine level of 100 ppm.
Discharge is allowed only after three (3) days, ensuring active chlorine has dissipated and no longer poses a problem to organisms in receiving water.
All documentation materials must be printed only at BFAR Central Office with proper security features to prevent tampering.
Certificates issued to BFAR Regional Offices must be properly coded to ensure ease of traceability and accountability.

Effect on prior actions

The order provides for implementation through certification, inspection, quarantine, biosecurity, testing, documentary controls, traceability requirements, and the specified effectivity timeline after publication/registration.