West Virginia Code 19-32-4 – Lead agency; powers and duties
(a) Aquaculture is a form of agriculture and thus the Department of Agriculture is designated as the lead state agency in matters pertaining to aquaculture.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 19-32-4
- Aquaculture: means the propagation, rearing, and/or use of aquatic species in controlled or selected environments for private and or commercial purposes related to food production, recreation, research, importation, exportation, marketing, transportation and science. See West Virginia Code 19-32-3
- Department: means the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. See West Virginia Code 19-32-3
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) The department shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To provide aquaculturalists with information and assistance in obtaining permits related to aquacultural activities;
(2) To promote investment in aquaculture facilities in order to expand production and processing capacity;
(3) To work with appropriate state and federal agencies to review, develop and implement rules, policies and procedures to facilitate aquacultural development;
(4) To facilitate the formation of an Aquaculture Advisory Board consistent with the provisions of section five of this article;
(5) To coordinate the development and implementation of a state aquaculture plan which shall include prioritized recommendations for research and development as suggested by the Aquaculture Advisory Board, the department, public and private research institutions and the West Virginia University Extension Service;
(6) To develop memoranda of agreement, as needed, with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Division of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and other groups as provided in the state aquaculture plan; and
(7) To develop and propose to the Legislature, if necessary, legislation required to implement the state aquaculture plan and to otherwise encourage the development of aquaculture in the state.