Virginia Department of Health

 

GDForum ID: 2969

Description of Proposed Guidance Document Changes

To provide guidance for the implementation of established standards for the public health aspects of the Commonwealth’s shellfish program. The most recent version of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) Guide for the Control of Molluscan Shellfish was released in September 2024. Currently, the Division of Shellfish Safety and Waterborne Hazards (DSSWH) implements the 2019 version but now seeks to update the standards with the most recent version. The NSSP provides a nationally consistent approach to the regulatory oversight for bivalve molluscan shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels, cockles and roe on scallops). For the Commonwealth’s shellfish industry to ship their product on interstate markets, the state shellfish program must meet the minimum requirements in the NSSP. The NSSP includes requirements for laboratories, shellfish growing area classification, certification and inspection of shellfish dealers, controls for pathogenic Vibrio spp. and shellfish-related illnesses and response.

 

Guidance Document(s) for this Comment Forum

Document ID	Document Title	Current Document	Proposed Document	Revised Proposed
WTR-2021-01(SF)	Policy for Virginia’s Public Health Shellfish Program	Document	To Be Deleted
WTR-350 (SF)	Policy for Virginia's Public Health Shellfish Program	Document	To Be Deleted
WTR-353 (SF)	Policy for Virginia’s Public Health Shellfish Program	n/a	Proposed Document

 

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