Gypsy Moth - Urgent Advisory

Thursday, 05 March 2009 23:56

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have issued an urgent notice to industry. The United States and Canadian authorities have intercepted live Asian gypsy moth (AGM) egg masses on an unprecedented number of commercial vessels calling on west coast ports in 2008.  This number has not been experienced since the early 1990's.  Ten of these events were severe enough to consider vessels significantly infested resulting in the vessels being ordered into international waters.

U.S. and Canadian officials seek increased collaboration with shipping lines, agents, and associations in order to try to minimize these events with support of port monitoring and vessel pre-inspection techniques.

It will be necessary for shipping lines to order all vessel crews to conduct intensive vessel inspection to remove (scrape off) and destroy all egg masses prior to entering U.S. and Canadian ports.  The egg masses can be found anywhere on the vessel superstructure and anywhere that doors were open while in port. Locations include barrel containers used for trash or liquid.

Egg masses may also found on the lines used to moor the vessel to the dock, extra lines laying on the deck, very high on the vessel super structure, on air intake vents, vessel smoke stack, on the tracks used for crane movement, on the outside hull, on a container stored on the deck, and inside a wheel/tool house or room on the aft deck. The egg masses will also be seen throughout the vessel meaning on the aft deck, starboard and port sides of the deck and housing, on the bow, and on the main deck and upper decks of the main super structure, cargo hold framing, and other vessel framing including safety rails. The outside of containers must also be inspected.

Download the CFIA/USDA Gypsy Moth Urgent Advisory.

CFIA has also released a Gypsy Moth Inspectional Pocket Guide for vessels that have called the high risk areas in Northern Japan and Russia.  The Guide provides helpful instructions to vessel crew on what the egg masses look like, where they might be found on vessels, and how the eggs should be removed.

Download a copy of the AGM Inspection Pocket Guide.