95.60 Importing fish; fish farms.

(1) In this section, “waters of the state" has the meaning given in s. 281.01 (18).

(2)

(a) Except as provided in sub. (9) and par. (e), no person may bring any fish or fish eggs into this state for the purpose of introduction into the waters of the state, of use as bait or of rearing in a fish farm without an annual permit issued by the department.

(b) No person may bring any fish or fish eggs of the family salmonidae into this state for the purpose of introduction into the waters of the state unless the fish are certified, as provided in the rules promulgated under sub. (4s) (d), to be free of the diseases specified under sub. (4s) (d).

(c) The department may require a person who is subject to par. (a) or (b) to notify the department before bringing fish or fish eggs into this state.

(e) A person bringing fish or fish eggs from a fish farm in another state to a fish farm in this state is not required to have a permit under par. (a) if the person has a fish health certificate that covers the fish or fish eggs and that complies with the requirements for fish health certificates specified by the department by rule.

(3) The department may promulgate rules, applicable to persons who operate fish farms, that require any evidence of fish health that the department determines is necessary.

(3m) A person who operates a fish farm shall annually register the fish farm with the department. The person registering the fish farm shall provide any evidence of fish health required under sub. (3) and shall identify the activities that will be engaged in, the species of fish that will be used, and the facilities that will be used on the fish farm.

(4)

(a) The department may inspect a fish farm upon initial registration under sub. (3m) and at any other time.

(b) The department may inspect fish and fish eggs subject to subs. (2) and (3) and the rules under sub. (4s) (b) to ensure the health of the fish and fish eggs. The inspection may include removal of reasonable samples of the fish and fish eggs for biological examination.

(c) Except as provided in par. (d), a person who operates a fish farm shall keep records on purchases, sales and production of fish and fish eggs and any other records required by the department by rule. The department may inspect these records upon request.

(d) A person who operates a fish farm is not required to keep records on the sale of fish to an individual for the individual's personal use. A person who buys fish under this paragraph may not introduce the fish into a public water body.

(4m) The department shall maintain a registry of fish farms.

(4s) The department shall do all of the following:

(a) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying requirements for the labeling and identification, in commerce, of fish reared in fish farms.

(b) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying fish health standards and requirements for certifying that fish meet those standards for the purpose of s. 29.736.

(c) Promulgate rules specifying the qualifications that a person who is not a veterinarian must satisfy in order to provide evidence of fish health.

(d) In consultation with the department of natural resources, promulgate rules specifying diseases and requirements for certifying that fish are free of those diseases for the purposes of sub. (2) (b).

(e) Promulgate rules establishing the period for which a record required under sub. (4) (c) must be retained.

(5) The department shall, by rule, specify the fees for permits, certificates, registration and inspections under this section, including any reinspection fees required under sub. (5m). The department may not require an individual who is eligible for the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44 to pay a fee for a permit under sub. (2) (a) or a registration under sub. (3m).

(5m)

(a) If the department reinspects a fish farm because the department has found a violation of this chapter or rules promulgated under this chapter, the department shall charge the fish farm operator the reinspection fee specified under par. (b).

(b) The department shall specify the reinspection fee to be charged under par. (a) by rule. The reinspection fee may not exceed the reasonable costs to reinspect the fish farm. The department may specify different reinspection fees for different fish farms.

(c) A reinspection fee under this subsection is payable when the reinspection is completed, and is due upon written demand from the department. The department may issue a demand for payment when it issues a registration renewal application form to the fish farm operator.

(6) No person, except the department of natural resources, may rear lake sturgeon in a fish farm.

(7) Any information kept by the department that identifies the type or number of fish or fish eggs bought, raised or sold by a privately owned fish farm or the supplier or purchaser of those fish or fish eggs is not subject to inspection or copying under s. 19.35 (1) except as the department determines is necessary to protect fish health or prevent the spread of disease.

(8) The department may provide training to veterinarians and other persons who issue fish health certificates for the purposes of this section. The department may charge fees to recover the cost of providing the training.

(9)

(a) Subsections (2) and (3m) do not apply to a person who places a net pen in a Great Lakes water body or a tributary of a Great Lakes water body under the authority of a general permit issued under s. 30.206 for the purpose described in s. 30.12 (3) (b).

(b) After the date on which fish are placed in a net pen under the authority of a general permit issued under s. 30.206 for the purpose described in s. 30.12 (3) (b), the department's authority to regulate fish farms under this section does not apply to the fish that are held in that net pen.

History: 1997 a. 27, 237; 1999 a. 32; 2001 a. 16, 56; 2003 a. 136; 2005 a. 25; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 207, 209; 2013 a. 75.