Standards for Collection of Fees

Revised January 2009

• Effective January 1, 2009 the established standard fee for the inspection services will be thirty-six cents ($.36) per fish shipped plus travel costs. Travel costs include mileage round trip to the site at twenty eight and a half cents per mile ($.285/mile), airfare, lodging, per diem, and miscellaneous expenses incurred at the standard government rate.
• A check for the appropriate amount will be written, and made payable to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Check information will include the following: the Producer or Company's name, address, and phone number; the Producer representative's signature; the date; reference to transaction receipt for a specified number of fish.
• If no Certificate can be issued by the Inspector (Examples: failed inspection, no diploid controls, Coulter Counter malfunctions, etc.) a fee plus (travel costs) will be collected by the USFWS Inspector, from the Triploid Grass Carp Producer, to defray the trip cost. Fees will occur in two ways--the first is called a Type-A Failure-(a true failure)-observance of a diploid during the inspection process. The second is called a Type-B Failure- caused by non-functional equipment or other producer non-compliance with the inspection process.
• The fee for failures will accelerate and is based on a pattern of non-compliance during a single calendar year (Jan 01 through Dec 31). The fee structure and associated actions will be administered according to the following guidance:
  • Type-A (true failure):
    • $100 for first failure plus travel costs.
    • $200 for the second failure plus travel costs.
    • $300 for the third failure plus travel costs and a letter of concern from the Inspector.
    • $400 for the fourth failure plus travel costs and a letter of concern from the Inspector.
    • $500 for the fifth and other failures plus travel costs and Official Notice Letter for consideration as non-participant in the Triploid Grass Carp Inspection Program.
  • Type-B (equipment or other non-compliance failure):
    • $100 for first failure plus travel costs.
    • $200 for the second failure plus travel costs.
    • $300 for the third failure plus travel costs.
    • $400 for the fourth failure plus travel costs.
    • $500 for the fifth and higher plus travel costs.
• If the USFWS Inspector makes an Inspection/Certification trip, and for some unusual reason the work results in the Certification of less than 1500-fish, then the fee to be collected by the USFWS Inspector will be $50.00, or the number of fish shipped x ($.36) (whichever is the greater amount) plus travel costs.
• Fees collected for Certification will be held for 7 days and then be deposited into separate Regional accounts as established by USFWS Washington Office and the Denver Finance Center.
• The USFWS Inspector will retain the Producer's check for 7-days to allow for adjustments of any purchase order cancellation. A canceled order qualifies that same number of certified triploid grass carp, to be available for another sale and shipment within the original "6-calendar day period."
• The USFWS Inspector will not credit accounts for Dead-on-Arrival fish. The Grass Carp Producer must assume the burden for safe shipping of the triploid grass carp.
• The USFWS desires to retain a standardized statistically valid 120-fish sampling protocol. However, should a State or fishery program absolutely require that the number of fish to be sampled be increased (above the standard 120-fish sample), the fee for Inspection services will increase from thirty-six cents ($.36) to one dollar($1.00) per fish shipped plus travel costs.

• Standards for Inspectors
• Standards for Producers
• Checklist for Inspectors and Producers