The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DOAG) Bureau of Aquaculture manages shellfish licensing. The Bureau is responsible for molluscan shellfish regulation, and the definition for the purposes of licensing includes oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops, but does not include crustaceans like lobsters, crabs, or shrimp. The following provides a brief overview of the licenses issued by the Bureau.
Receiving a license from the Bureau does not exempt the applicant from additional federal, state and local regulations or permits.
Shellfish Licenses
- A Shellstock Shipper I license is required for operations that grow, harvest, buy, or sell shellstock. All licensed companies in the state are listed on the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL), even if that company only sells shellfish intrastate.
- A Shellstock Shipper III license is required for operations that buy shellstock, repack, shuck and sell market shellstock. An operation may or may not be licensed for all of these activities. All licensed companies in the state are listed on the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL), even if that company only sells shellfish intrastate.
- Restaurants are required to purchase shellfish from an approved source (i.e. companies on the ICSSL). The retail sale of shellfish from a farmer's market, temporary food service establishment, or itinerant vendor to the final consumer does not require a DoAg license. These operations are under the jurisdiction of the local Director of Health and may require a local license. Temporary food service establishments include carnivals or circuses, public exhibitions, festivals, and celebrations. Itinerant vendors include food trucks, caterers, and traveling raw bars.
- A Seed Oyster Transplant or Sale license is required to transplant seed oysters from any natural shellfish bed from September 20-June 15, annually. The DOAG licenses companies as transplanters to move seed oysters to leased beds, as sellers to sell seed to licensed shellfish companies, or as both a transplanter and seller. To harvest seed oysters on the Housatonic River, the company must also receive a license from the Town of Stratford; harvesting is permitted October 20-June 15.
- A Seed Importation License is required for any entity that desires to import shellfish species from outside of Connecticut. Importation of any shellfish without this license is prohibited. Importation of non-native shellfish species is prohibited.
- A Scientific Research/Resource Assessment License is required for any entity that will conduct scientific studies, experiments, removal, or importation of shellfish or to conduct a resource assessment of a CT shellfish population. If shellfish importation is included as part of the application, the applicant does not need to submit a separate seed importation license.
- Municipal shellfish commissions can submit an application to relay shellfish from an area classified as Restricted Relay or better (Conditionally Approved or Approved) to specified recreational shellfishing areas. Then the municipality submits an application to reopen the area after the required depuration period has elapsed and the DOAG has tested the relayed shellfish to demonstrate acceptable fecal coliform levels.
A Seaweed Producer license is required for operations that cultivate seaweeds like sugar kelp and sell seaweed as a Raw Agricultural Commodity.
A Fish Producer license is required for "commercial hatcheries" (as defined in the CT General Statutes) that grow finfish, lobsters, and/or blue crabs.
