Freshwater/land-based aquaculture licence under the Fisheries Act

On this page

• Freshwater/land-based aquaculture licence under the Fisheries Act
• Part A. Definitions
• Part B. General conditions of licence
  1. Introduction or transfer of finfish
  2. Introduction or transfer of shellfish
  3. Fish health and mortalities
  4. Escape prevention and reporting
  5. Annual aquaculture statistical report (AASR)
  6. Records
  7. Fish health
  8. Transfer of fish
  9. Fish stocking, fish health, and therapeutant use
• PART C. Appendices
• Appendix I: Map of salmonid transfer zones
• Appendix II: Salmonid and non-salmonid finfish diseases of regional, national or international concern
• Appendix III: Shellfish transfer zones
• Appendix IV: Shellfish diseases of regional, national or international concern
• Appendix V: Urgent notification (and 10-day follow-up report) of mortality
• Appendix VI: Escape notification form
• Appendix VII: Annual aquaculture statistical report
• Appendix VIII: Elements of a salmonid health management plan (HMP)
• Appendix IX A and B: Fish stocking, fish health and therapeutant use
1. Appendix IX A: Stocking and fish health activity
2. Appendix IX B: Use of therapeutants

Freshwater/land-based aquaculture licence under the Fisheries Act

This licence is issued under the authority of the Fisheries Act and confers, subject to provisions of the Fisheries Act and Regulations made there under, the authority to carry out aquaculture activities including cultivation and harvest of fish and prescribed activities under the conditions included herein and/or attached hereto.

It is the responsibility of the licence holder to obtain all other forms of authorization from federal or provincial agencies that may have jurisdiction for marine finfish aquaculture facilities. As well, it is the licence holder's responsibility to be informed of, and comply with, the Fisheries Act and the regulations made there under, in addition to these conditions.

A copy of this licence shall be kept on site at the licensed facility and be available for inspection by a fishery officer or fishery guardian.

The above licence holder is authorized by this licence to carry out aquaculture activities at the following location and for the following species:

Required record keeping and reporting: Details are contained within the attached conditions of this licence.

Compliance advisory: No person carrying out any activity under the authority of this licence must contravene or fail to comply with any condition of this licence.

The licence holder is legally required to ensure that annual fees for this licence are paid each year not later than the anniversary date of this licence. The annual licence fee must be calculated as set out in section 3 of the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations.

A copy of this licence must be kept on site at the licensed facility and be available for inspection by a Fishery Officer or Fishery Guardian.

This licence includes further conditions that are included herein and/or attached hereto. These conditions form part of the licence and may not be removed.

Part A. Definitions

"Attestation"

means a written declaration made by a qualified individual who bears witness to, confirms or authenticates;

"Containment structures"

means net pens, bag cages, tanks and similar structures used to contain finfish for the purposes of aquaculture;

"Containment structure array"

means a group of containment structures physically attached to each other, or in the case of circular structures, up to a maximum of 60 m apart;

"Department"

means Fisheries and Oceans Canada;

"Disease"

means an abnormality of form or function and can be caused by a suite of infectious, noninfectious and inherent factors. Specifically:

• "Clinical disease"

  is a stage of the disease continuum that reflects anatomic or physiologic changes that are sufficient to produce recognizable signs of a disease;

• "Infectious disease"

  means a disease caused by the invasion and growth of a microorganism in or on a fish in such a way that it affects the form or function of that fish; and

• "Infectious outbreak"

  means an occurrence of disease in a population as determined by the attending veterinarian with the indicating morbidity or mortality rate substantially higher than its normal level;

"Evidence of escape"

includes, but is not limited to, any visual or physical evidence that demonstrates a release of fish from the facility, including a significant decline in feed demand that is not otherwise explained or inventory discrepancies that are not otherwise explained;

"Facility"

means the collective structures used for the purposes of aquaculture, including but not limited to, net pens, walkways, barges, floats and living accommodations plus associated lines and anchors;

"Finfish"

means fish of the class Osteichthyes;

"Fish Health Event (FHE)"

means a suspected or active disease occurrence within an aquaculture facility that requires the involvement of a veterinarian and any measure that is intended to reduce or mitigate impact and risk that is associated with that occurrence or event;

"Fish health staff"

means the designated personnel, with veterinary oversight, responsible for: identifying, managing, and minimizing the impact of risk factors; making health-related decisions; and routine monitoring of health, lice and disease parameters;

"Grow-out"

means the rearing of juvenile fish to market size;

"Harvest"

means removal of live fish for market;

"Introductions and Transfers Committee”"

means any wild fish from within the facility caught during harvest, movement of fish between or within facilities, or net removal;

"Licence holder"

means the Federal-Provincial joint committee responsible for accepting and reviewing applications for the introduction and transfer of fish and providing recommendations regarding issuance of the associated licence;

"Mortalities"

means fish that have died within the containment structure array during a production cycle but does not include cultivated fish killed during harvest activities;

"Mortality event"

means:

1. Fish mortalities with losses exceeding 4% of the current facility inventory within a 24-hour period; or
2. Fish mortalities exceeding a 4% cumulative loss within a 4-day period;

"Qualified individual"

means an individual employed by or contracted by an aquaculture company, who possesses a combination of knowledge, expertise and experience necessary to complete the task and who can provide an attestation to the integrity of new or amended facilities;

"Screen"

means a physical barrier to the passage of the smallest fish in containment while still allowing water to flow. Weirs or stop-logs are not considered screens for the purpose of this licence;

"Stock"

means a group of fish from one production cycle that are defined by the system of origin, species, and run timing;

"Tonnes (t)"

means 1000 kg;

"Transfer"

means the movement of live fish to or from a licensed facility or hatchery;

"Veterinarian"

means a veterinarian licensed in the Province of B.C.

Part B. General conditions of license

Freshwater/land-based condition of license

1. Introduction or transfer of finfish

1.1 Under this licence, the licence holder is permitted to transfer fish to this facility from another facility possessing a valid aquaculture licence issued pursuant to section 3 of the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations provided that the following conditions are met:

1. The fish are live Atlantic or Pacific salmonids;
2. The species being transferred are the same as those licensed by this document;
3. For salmonid species, transfers occur within the same Salmonid Transfer Zone as described in Appendix I; and
1. The mortalities, excluding eggs or larvae, in any stock reared at the source facility have not exceeded 1% per day due to any infectious diseases, for any four consecutive day period during the rearing period;
2. No stock at the source facility is known to have had any disease or disease agent listed in Appendix II.

1.2 The licence holder shall not discharge water from any shipping container into public waters when transporting fish overland.

2. Introduction or transfer of shellfish

2.1 Under this licence, the licence holder is permitted to transfer live seed, spat, juvenile shellfish (except Geoduck, Sea Cucumber or Sea Urchin) to or from the licensed facility and another licensed facility possessing a valid aquaculture licence provided that;

1. The species being transferred are the same as those licensed by this document;
2. The receiving facility possesses a valid aquaculture licence for the species;
3. The licensed facility(ies) are within the following Shellfish Transfer Zones (as identified in Appendix III (Figure 1 Map of Shellfish Transfer Zones) and are licensed for:
1. Manila Clam (Venerupis philipinarum) – may transfer within all Zones; to Zone 5 from any zone; or between Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4;
2. Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) – may transfer within or between Zones 1 and 2;
3. Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) - may transfer within or between Zones 3, 4, and 5;
4. Kumamoto Oyster (Crassostrea sikamea) – may transfer within Zone 4 only;
5. For all other licensed species – may transfer within the same Zone only; and
4. The shellfish at the source licensed facility do not display any observable symptoms of significant diseases as listed in Appendix IV (Shellfish Disease of Regional, National or International Concern) or other infectious agents of concern to the Introductions and Transfers Committee.

3. Fish health and mortalities

3.1 The licence holder must ensure that the fish cultivated in the licensed facility are given care and attention consistent with their biological requirements.

3.2 The licence holder must undertake reasonable and lawful husbandry practices to minimize infections, predator interactions and control disease.

3.3 The licence holder must keep complete and accurate records of animal health in the licensed facility, including: outbreaks of disease, resulting treatments and preventative measures.

3.4 The licence holder must notify the AQFF.FishHealth@dfo-mpo.gc.ca immediately upon discovery a mortality event, with as much of the detail set out in Appendix V as possible.

3.5 The licence holder shall provide a complete written report of the mortality event reported under Section 3.4 not later than 10 calendar days following the event to AQFF.FishHealth@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, using the form in Appendix V.

3.6 The licence holder must put in place and follow the procedures set out below to deal with mortality events, including:

1. The regular collection of carcasses and transfer to sealed containers;
2. The regular collection of stored carcasses and transfer to approved disposal or processing facilities, or abide by requirements for safe disposal on private land; and
3. Sanitation of carcass storage containers or other handling equipment according to direction available from the Department or Veterinarians.

4. Escape prevention and reporting

4.1 All equipment, materials and structures employed at the facility must be designed, constructed, installed, inspected and maintained in a manner intended to prevent escapes from the facility.

4.2 The licence holder must ensure that inlet and outlet screens are designed, installed, and maintained in such a manner as to prevent the entrapment, entrainment, or impingement of wild finfish.

4.3 The licence holder must ensure that employees, agents and contractors, take all reasonable measures to prevent the escape of any cultivated fish from the facility and must take immediate corrective action to control, mitigate, remedy, and prevent further escape from the facility.

4.4 The licence holder must ensure that any escape, or evidence of escape of cultivated finfish from the facility, or during transport, is reported within 24 hours to AQFF.fishescapes@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, with as much of the detail set out in Appendix VI as possible.

4.5 The licence holder must provide a complete written report of the event reported under Section 4.4 not later than seven (7) calendar days following the event to AQFF.fishescapes@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, using the form in Appendix VI.

5. Annual aquaculture statistical report (AASR)

5.1 Not later than January 25th annually, the licence holder must complete and submit to the Department, the Annual Aquaculture Statistical Report (Appendix VII) for the previous calendar year to the following email address: fishstats@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

6. Records

6.1 The licence holder must maintain written or electronic records relating to the licensed aquaculture activities throughout the species growing cycle, for all licensed species. The records must contain the elements listed in Section 6.2.

6.2 The licence holder must record, within 24 hours, the importation or introduction of fish to the licensed area, the transfer of fish from the licensed area and harvest for market sale. The licence holder must record:

1. Aquaculture Licence Number and Facility Reference Number;
2. Activity date;
3. Species common name;
4. Lifestage;
5. The nature of the activity (i.e. Activity Code (IP – Importation) (IN – Introduction) (TS – Transfer) (H – Harvest for Market Sale));
6. Quantities of fish being imported;
7. Average container weight OR total estimated weight OR estimated number of individuals;
8. Source of fish arriving at the site (source Facility Reference Number or other); and
9. Destination of fish leaving the site (destination site licence number, facility number, buyer, or market sale processor).

6.3 Records shall be produced upon request by a fishery officer or fishery guardian.

Requirements pertaining only to facilities rearing finfish for marine grow out

Note 1 - Licence conditions 7, 8, and 9 apply only for facilities rearing finfish for marine grow out

7. Fish health¹

7.1

1. Until December 30, 2015 only, the licence holder culturing salmonids must have in place and follow a Health Management Plan (HMP) containing the elements listed in Appendix VIII.
2. From December 31, 2015 and thereafter, the licence holder culturing salmonids must have in place and follow the Health Management Plan (HMP) appended to this licence containing the elements listed in Appendix VIII.

7.2 The licence holder must seek veterinary service availability and options. The Veterinarian, in conjunction with facility fish health staff, is responsible for overall fish health management, for leading responses to fish health events and for disease diagnoses and writing prescriptions.

7.3 No finfish shall be introduced to the facility except in accordance with the HMP and the requirements set out in Sections 1 and 8 (Transfer of Fish).

7.4 The HMP must be kept current by the licence holder and any amendments to the HMP must be submitted to AMDReferral.XPAC@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

7.5 The licence holder must ensure that the fish cultivated in the facility are given care and attention consistent with their biological requirements.

7.6 If a mortality event is evident, the licence holder must ensure that:

1. The Veterinarian, the fish health staff and AQFF.FishHealth@dfo-mpo.gc.ca are immediately notified as per Section 3.4;
2. Action is taken to manage and minimize the event;
3. Follow up measures are undertaken to determine the cause of the outbreak and the efficacy of the management measures; and
4. A response plan is implemented to contain an infectious disease, if suspected or diagnosed.

8. Transfer of fish¹

8.1 Under this licence, the licence holder is permitted to transfer live Atlantic or Pacific salmon or eggs to this facility from a facility possessing a valid aquaculture licence issued pursuant to Section 3 of the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations within the same salmonid transfer zone (Appendix I: Map of Salmonid Transfer Zones), provided that:

1. The species of live salmonid fish, including eggs, are the same as those listed on the face of this licence; and
2. The licence holder has obtained written confirmation, executed by the source facility’s Veterinarian or fish health staff or facility manager, that in their professional judgment:
1. Mortalities in any stock reared at the source facility have not exceeded 1% per day due to any diseases for any four consecutive day period during the rearing period;
2. No stock at the source facility is known to have had any disease or disease agent listed in Appendix II.

8.2 The written and signed confirmation, or a copy thereof, described in licence condition 8.1(b) must

1. Be kept at this facility and available for inspection by a fishery officer or fishery guardian; and
2. Except for movement of harvested fish, a copy must accompany all shipments of fish to and from this facility.

9. Fish stocking, fish health and therapeutant use¹

9.1 The licence holder must keep at this facility, unless otherwise indicated, complete, up-to-date and accurate written or electronic records of introductions, transfers and fish health activity for the facility. Records must include the following:

1. Introductions, transfers, and fish health activity for the facility as listed in Appendix IX-A; and
2. The use of all therapeutants and anesthetics as listed in Appendix IX-B.

9.2 The licence holder must provide training to site personnel to support accurate and consistent observations, recording of fish health information and maintain records of this training.

9.3 The licence holder must ensure fish health records are reviewed by the licence holder’s Veterinarian and/or fish health staff to look for patterns in fish health and disease. These reviews must be documented and kept as part of the fish health records.

9.4 The licence holder must ensure that fish health records for this facility are kept and made available upon request of the Department.

9.5 Archived records must be kept in a suitable location in a corporate office or securely stored off-site for a minimum of six years.

Appendix I: Map of salmonid transfer zones

Appendix II: Salmonid and non-salmonid finfish diseases of regional, national or international concern

The diseases and pathogens listed below are considered either exotic to British Columbia (B.C.) or, such as IHN, that is known to exist in B.C., have the potential to emerge from the ecosystem. These diseases can severely impact fisheries and affect regional and national trade and warrant urgent notification and immediate attention.

Reportable Diseases - http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/diseases/eng/1299156296625/1320599059508

Finfish

• Ceratomyxosis - causative agent: Ceratomyxa shasta
• Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis* - causative agent: a virus in the same family as European catfish virus [Ranavirus]
• Infectious Haematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) - causative agent: Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (rhabdovirus)
• Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN)* - causative agent: Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (birnavirus)
• Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA)* - causative agent: Infectious salmon anaemia virus (orthomyxovirus)
• Koi herpes virus disease*
• Spring viraemia of carp*
• Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) – other than the endemic VHS Genotype IVa - causative agent: Viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus (rhabdovirus)
• Whirling disease* - causative agent: Myxobolus cerebralis)
• White sturgeon iridoviral disease
• Any other filterable replicating agent causing cytopathic effects in cell lines specified by the Minister or is causative of identifiable clinical disease in fish

* Disease or host not found in British Columbia

Appendix III: Shellfish transfer zones

Figure 1 shows the five zones established for shellfish introductions and transfers in B.C. These zones are generally delineated based on definable oceanographic and ecographic discrete areas (e.g. oceanic vs. inside waters). Consideration is also given to historical movements of shellfish in the aquaculture and commercial fisheries sectors for trade and commerce

The terms of a General Shellfish Transfer Licence (GSTL) specify the conditions under which licence holders may move shellstock within and between zones.

Only licensed shellfish growers will be free to move stock between licensed shellfish growing facilities within the same zone under the conditions of their Shellfish Aquaculture Licence as long as the receiving facilities are licensed for the species to be transferred (some exceptions apply).

Additional information and guidance on transfers of shellfish can be found at https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/moving-fish-deplacement-poissons-eng.html or contacting famitc@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Appendix IV: Shellfish diseases of regional, national or international concern

Reportable aquatic diseases - http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/diseases/eng/1299156296625/1320599059508

Oysters

• Mikrocytos spp.
• Nocardia crassostreae
• Bonamia spp.
• Haplosporidium spp.
• Marteilia spp.*
• Perkinsus marinus*
• Marteiloides chungmuensis

Clams

• Nuclear Inclusion X (NIX) of Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula)
• Haemocytic neoplasia of soft shell clams (Mya arenaria)
• Perkinsus spp.*
• Vibrio tapetis (cause of brown ring disease)*

Mussels

• Marteilia spp.*

Scallops

• Perkinsus qugwadi (SPX agent)

Crayfish

• Aphanomyces astaci (cause of crayfish plague)
• Psorospermium spp. (Protozoan Disease)*
• Thelohania spp. (Microsporidian Disease)*

Shrimp and prawns

• Sylon (Rhizocephalan Disease) of Shrimp and Prawns
• Hematodinium-like Organism of Pandalid Shrimp
• Rickettsia-like Infection of Pandalid Shrimp
• Various viral disease of Penaeid Shrimp (i.e. Taura syndrome, White Spot disease and Yellow head disease)*

Sea urchins

• Paramoeba invadens*
• Endoparasitic nematode infection*

Abalone

• Labyrinthuloide haliotidis
• Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensus (Rickettsiales-like prokaryote responsible for Withering Syndrome)*
• Margolisiella haliotis (Abalone kidney coccidia)*
• Perkinsus olseni*
• Terebrasabella heterouncinata (Sabellid polychaete invader)*

*Indicates pathogens that have not yet been detected in British Columbia

Appendix V: Urgent notification (and 10-day follow-up report) of mortality

Please email to: AQFF.FishHealth@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Reporting date and time of this emergency notification:

Farm name and facility reference number:

Contact name:

Phone number:

Circle the event(s) that occurred which requires immediate attention:

Date that event was discovered:

Cause and/or diagnosis:

5. Name of prescribing veterinarian

Appendix VI: Escape notification form

Please report all escapes upon discovery

SUBMIT the completed form to Fisheries & Oceans Canada inbox: AQFF.FishEscapes@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Appendix VII: Annual aquaculture statistical report

Introduction

In British Columbia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is the lead authority responsible for regulating the aquaculture industry. Production statistics collected through this form may be used for analytical and operational purposes and will be shared with other government partners for statistical use. These organizations agree to take appropriate steps to protect all sensitive personal and commercial information, and to release data only in aggregated form. In compliance with licences issued under the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, all aquaculture licence holders are required to complete the Annual Aquaculture Statistical Report (AASR) under Section 61 of the Federal Fisheries Act.

The completed forms for each calendar year are due no later than January 25 of the following year.

Instructions for completing the AASR

• This form is for use by shellfish, marine finfish and freshwater/land- based aquaculture licence holders.
• Complete all sections of this form, unless otherwise indicated
• Print in BLACK INK and using BLOCK LETTERS
• This form must be completed and submitted via email to fishstats@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or mailed to the address provided. To request an electronic spreadsheet version of this form, email fishstats@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
• Provide weights and measures using metric (e.g. kg, cm) unless other units are indicated.

Section 1 - Harvest for food market sales

Section 2 – “U-Catch-Em” sales

Note: Section 2 only applies tofFreshwater/landbased facilities

Section 3 – Processing information

Who processed your fish or shellfish?

Did you own the fish or shellfish after processing and sell to market (i.e. have your fish self- or custom-processed)?

Section 4 – Sales for restocking or ongrowing purposes

Note: Include sales only – not purchases or acquisitions

Section 5 – In-zone introductions & transfers information

Note: Section 5 does not apply to any species on a marine finfish licence, geoduck, sea cucumber, sea urchin, white sturgeon, Nile tilapia, barramundi and signal crayfish. Transfers of these species are represented via other reporting mechanisms

If Yes, fill in the information below only for in-zone transfers that did not require a separate Introductions & Transfers Licence.

Please provide one line per species (i.e. all transfer data for each species should be aggregated and reported on a single line)

Section 6 - Stock on hand and future plans

Note: Section 6 only applies to freshwater/land based and shellfish facilities.

Section 7 - Subtidal shellfish (on/in bottom) seeding activities

Note: Section 7 only applies to facilities licensed for subtidal culture

Section 8 - Declaration

Declaration: I have read all information contained on this report and it is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Appendix VIII: Elements of a salmonid health management plan (HMP)

These plans will lay out measures related to:

• Keeping fish healthy
  • Fish handling techniques
  • Monitoring water quality and responding to water quality events
  • Predator exclusion
  • Use of vaccines
  • Keeping pathogens out
  • Biosecurity including protocols:
    • Site and staff disinfection
    • Visitor
    • Equipment disinfection
    • Supplier protocols
  • Minimizing disease within the site and transfer to the site
  • Management of fish disease outbreaks including but not limited to:
    • Quarantine and other response measures
    • Fish health sampling protocols for proper collection and shipping of samples and Lab work (on site, in house, referral)
  • Mortality collection, disposal and classification
  • Special reporting related to fish escape
  • Handling and storage of vaccines, medicated feeds and chemicals used in fish health (e.g., disinfectants)
• Monitoring fish health
• Euthanasia
• Fish health records management capturing:
  • Inventory records
  • Fish movement records
  • Feed consumption records
  • Mortality and morbidity records including cause
  • Fish health monitoring observations records
  • Records of biosecurity
  • Records and reports of fish health events, including outbreaks of significant diseases
  • Sampling and laboratory results of fish health
  • Surveillance and diagnostic sampling records
  • Water quality records
  • Medicated feed records
  • Therapeutic treatment records
  • Records of mitigative action (non-therapeutic)
  • Veterinary or fish health staff reports
  • Records of reporting fish health information to federal authorities.
  • Fish health training records of staff
• For sites holding broodstock, the following special considerations will be addressed:
  • Suitable rearing environment
  • Feed and nutrition
  • Biosecurity
  • Selection and handling
  • Treatment
  • Egg and milt collection
  • Disease screening
  • Egg disinfection
  • Egg (and/or) milt transport

Appendix IX-A: Stocking and fish health activity

Further to the definition of “Fish Health Staff (or Team)” in Part A, the designated staff are considered qualified for this role if they have adequate post-secondary or on-the-job training and experience in the recognition of disease signs. Veterinarians are the only professionals qualified to make diagnoses and prescribe treatment of fish diseases.

Records of stocking and fish health activity shall include the following:

• inventory records (including source, number, location and lot of fish at the facility);
• mortality records including classification and morbidity records;
• signs of increased morbidity;
• fish health monitoring observations (routine, during handling and other activities that may cause stress);
• biosecurity-related records;
• records of fish health events;
• records of major mortality events; water quality records;
• records of mitigative actions (other than therapeutants) taken to prevent or mitigate disease;
• records of samples taken and laboratory analysis related to fish health;
• all veterinarian or fish health staff reports; and
• records of reporting fish health information to Federal authorities.

Appendix IX-B: Use of therapeutants

Records of the use of all therapeutants shall include the following:

• the facility reference number and the name of licence holder;
• the species of finfish cultivated at the facility;
• the name of the prescribing veterinarian;
• a log naming all drugs administered (therapeutants,)and when;
• how therapeutants were administered and the dosage;
• the therapeutic schedule including the date treatment commenced;
• the final date of treatment;
• the name and signature of the person responsible for administering each treatment;
• the detailed records of in-feed medication administered;
• traceability information related to treated groups that allows them to be readily identifiable through treatment and withdrawal times;
• treated fish movement records; and
• any accidental mixing of treated fish and non-treated fish must be recorded; thereafter the mixed group will be considered tainted until the withdrawal period is reached.