CHAPTER I

SUBJECT MATTER, SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

Definitions
Article 3
For the purpose of this Regulation the following definitions shall apply:
1. “
aquaculture
” means the rearing or cultivation of aquatic organisms using techniques designed to increase the production of the organisms in question beyond the natural capacity of the environment, where the organisms remain the property of a natural or legal person throughout the rearing and culture stage, up to and including harvesting;
2. ‘open aquaculture facility’ means a facility where aquaculture is conducted in an aquatic medium not separated from the wild aquatic medium by barriers preventing the escape of reared specimens or biological material that might survive and subsequently reproduce;
3. ‘Closed aquaculture facility’ means a land-based facility:
  1. where:
    1. aquaculture is conducted in an aquatic medium which involves recirculation of water; and
    2. discharges do not connect in any way to open waters before screening and filtering or percolation and treatment to prevent the release of solid waste into the aquatic environment and the escape from the facility of farmed species and non-target species that might survive and subsequently reproduce;
  2. and which:
    1. prevents losses of reared specimens or non-target species and other biological material, including pathogens, due to factors such as predators (e.g. birds) and flooding (e.g. the facility must be situated at a safe distance from open waters following a proper assessment made by the competent authorities);
    2. prevents, in a reasonable way, losses of reared specimens or non-target species and other biological material, including pathogens, due to theft and vandalism; and
    3. ensures appropriate disposal of dead organisms;
4. ‘aquatic organisms’ means any species living in water belonging to the animalia, plantae and protista kingdoms, including any part, gametes, seeds, eggs or propagules of their individuals that might survive and subsequently reproduce;
5. ‘Polyploid organisms’ means artificially induced tetraploid organisms (4N). These are aquatic organisms in which the number of chromosomes in the cells has been doubled through cell manipulation techniques;
6. ‘alien species’ means:
  1. a species or subspecies of an aquatic organism occurring outside its known natural range and the area of its natural dispersal potential;
  2. polyploid organisms, and fertile artificially hybridised species irrespective of their natural range or dispersal potential;
7. ‘locally absent species’ means a species or subspecies of an aquatic organism which is locally absent from a zone within its natural range of distribution for biogeographical reasons;
8. ‘non-target species’ means any species or subspecies of an aquatic organism likely to be detrimental to the aquatic environment that is moved accidentally together with an aquatic organism that is being introduced or translocated not including disease-causing organisms which are covered by assimilated law which transposed Directive 2006/88/EC;
9. ‘movement’ means introduction and/or translocation;
10. ‘introduction’ means the process by which an alien species is intentionally moved to an environment outside its natural range for use in aquaculture;
11. ‘translocation’ means the process by which a locally absent species is intentionally moved within its natural range for its use in aquaculture to an area where it previously did not exist because of bio-geographical reasons;
12. ‘pilot release’ means the introduction of alien species or translocation of locally absent species on a limited scale to assess ecological interaction with native species and habitats in order to test the risk assessment assumptions;
13. ‘applicant’ means the natural or legal person or entity proposing to conduct the introduction or translocation of an aquatic organism;
14. ‘quarantine’ means a process by which aquatic organisms and any of their associated organisms can be maintained in complete isolation from the surrounding environment;
15. ‘quarantine facility’ means a facility in which aquatic organisms and any of their associated organisms can be maintained in complete isolation from the surrounding environment;
16. ‘routine movement’ means the movement of aquatic organisms from a source which has a low risk of transferring non-target species and which, on account of the characteristics of the aquatic organisms and/or the method of aquaculture to be used, does not give rise to adverse ecological effects;
17. ‘non-routine movement’ shall mean any movement of aquatic organisms which does not fulfil the criteria for routine movement;
18. ‘the appropriate authority’ means—
  1. in relation to England, the Secretary of State;
  2. in relation to Wales, the Welsh Ministers;
  3. in relation to Scotland, the Scottish Ministers;
but the appropriate authority is the Secretary of State if consent is given—
  1. in relation to Wales, by the Welsh Ministers;
  2. in relation to Scotland, by the Scottish Ministers;
19. ‘constituent GB territory’ means England, Wales or Scotland, as the case may be.
Substituted by Regulation (EU) No 304/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007 concerning use of alien and locally absent species in aquaculture.
Art. 3(1) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Aquatic Animal Health and Alien Species in Aquaculture (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/451), regs. 1, 9(3)(a); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 3(8) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Aquatic Animal Health and Alien Species in Aquaculture (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/451), regs. 1, 9(3)(b); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Art. 3(18) substituted (31.12.2020) by S.I. 2019/451, reg. 9(3)(c) (as substituted by The Aquatic Animal Health and Alien Species in Aquaculture, Animals, and Marketing of Seed, Plant and Propagating Material (Legislative Functions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1463), regs. 1(2)(a), 2(2)(b))
Art. 3(19) substituted (31.12.2020) by S.I. 2019/451, reg. 9(3)(d) (as substituted by The Aquatic Animal Health and Alien Species in Aquaculture, Animals, and Marketing of Seed, Plant and Propagating Material (Legislative Functions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1463), regs. 1(2)(a), 2(2)(b))
Word in Art. 3(8) substituted (27.2.2025) by The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/82), reg. 1(2), Sch. 15 para. 75(2)(a)