Connecticut Department of Agriculture

Procedures and Requirements to Obtain and Maintain a Shellstock Shipper License

All operations require an initial inspection prior to licensing.  During the initial inspection Bureau of Aquaculture Analysts will be looking for the following items. 

PLEASE NOTE: this is not a complete list.   To view the complete list of procedures and requirements please download the full document. (.pdf, 9pgs)

  1. HACCP: A HACCP Plan prepared by a HACCP certified person. 
  2. Records: Harvest Log, Temperature Log (for cooler monitoring), Shellfish Sanitation Operating Procedure , Daily Sanitation Audit Forms, sales records (for trace back), Invoices, a Corrective Action Plan, and Transplant/Relay Log.  All records must have your company name, address and CT# and be available for inspection by Bureau of Aquaculture. 
  3. Product Temperature Control & Monitoring:  Shellfish must be placed under temperature control (450 F or less) within two hours of the docking. All product must be sold to a buyer or placed under refrigeration within two hours.  The temperature of the refrigeration unit must be monitored twice per day as long as shellfish are stored in the unit. Thermometers must be calibrated at least twice per year.  
  4. Plants and Grounds: The facility, separation of operations, and physical conditions in and around the plant and grounds will be inspected.   Equipment must be properly stored, and litter removed. No unnecessary items or equipment that would harbor vermin should be in or around the premises. 
  5. Transportation: Any vehicle used to transport shellfish must be listed on the license and inspected prior to use. 
  6. Sanitation Monitoring: A responsible person shall review all sanitation items and record in a daily sanitation log. 
  7. Safety of Water Supply: Water supply must be from an approved source. Only water from Approved or Conditionally Approved “open status” can be used to wash shellfish and decks.  
  8. Condition and Cleanliness of Food Contact Surfaces: All equipment and surfaces coming in contact with shellfish must be smooth, durable, and easily cleanable, made of food grade materials, and free of rust, mold and filth.
  9. Prevention of Cross Contamination: K keep shellfish off deck on approved pallets never directly on the floor, in standing water or in dirty containers or bags. Protect from bilge water, bird droppings, dirt, vermin and animals.
  10. Hand Washing and Toilet Facilities: A porta-potti must be onboard all harvest vessels and accessible to workers.  Onshore facilities must provide adequate toilet facilities with hot and cold running water at a hand wash sink.
  11. Protection from Adulterants:   Shellfish must be protected from contamination and adulteration while being transferred during handling and processing. 
  12. Toxic Items:  All chemicals and cleaning agent containers must be properly labeled and used according to manufacturer’s label instructions.   All chemicals shall be stored away from shellfish and shellfish containers.
  13. Employee Health:  Personnel with a known communicable disease or infection shall be excluded from handling shellfish if there is a likelihood of that person contaminating food, including shellfish or food contact surfaces with pathogenic micro-organisms. 
  14. Exclusion of Pests:  Analysts will visually inspect facilities for the presence of pests including birds, insects and rodents or evidence of their presence such as dropping, gnaw marks and nesting material.  Cats, dogs or other animals are not allowed in a shellfish facility; or on harvest boats. 
  15. Shellfish Source and Identification:All shellfish must be from an approved source. If you purchase shellfish, they must be from a dealer listed in the FDA Certified Shellfish Shipper’s List. Shellfish must be harvested from waters classified as Approved or Conditionally Approved (open status).