Virginia Code 28.2-803: Examination, analysis and inspection.
A. The State Health Commissioner may in his discretion, or shall at the request of the Governor, the Marine Resources Commission, or the Commissioner of Marine Resources, conduct an examination or analysis of crustacea, finfish and shellfish, whether on the planting grounds, in an establishment, or in any other place in this Commonwealth, from which the products are to be taken or sold for food purposes.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 28.2-803
- Commission: means the Marine Resources Commission. See Virginia Code 28.2-100
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Marine Resources. See Virginia Code 28.2-100
- Crustacea: means all edible species of crab, lobster and shrimp, whether raw or processed. See Virginia Code 28.2-800
- Establishment: means any vehicle, vessel, property or premises where crustacea, finfish or shellfish are transported, held, stored, processed, packed, repacked, or pasteurized in preparation for marketing. See Virginia Code 28.2-800
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Finfish: means any cold-blooded, strictly aquatic, water-breathing craniate vertebrate with fins, including cyclostomes, elasmobranchs and higher-gilled aquatic vertebrates with cartilaginous or bony skeletons or any parts thereof. See Virginia Code 28.2-800
- Shellfish: means all species within the phylum Mollusca including but not limited to oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, conchs and whelks, whether raw or processed. See Virginia Code 28.2-800
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. The State Health Commissioner in making such examination may analyze the water and bottom sediment in and adjacent to the crustacea, finfish, or shellfish growing areas for evidence of pollution, and he may survey the sanitary conditions and pollution hazards adjacent to shellfish growing areas, both in the water and on shore.
C. The State Health Commissioner in conducting his analysis shall examine the establishments in which crustacea, finfish and shellfish are handled and the sanitary conditions surrounding the establishment. At that time, he may analyze the crustacea, finfish and shellfish in the establishment.
Code 1950, § 28-159; 1962, c. 406, § 28.1-175; 1992, c. 836.