All Aquaculture Certificates of Registration (“AQ cards”) will expire on June 30th. Renewal information will be mailed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Aquaculture, this includes a preprinted application and notice of $100 fee. Any applicant working with shellfish must complete the Harvester Education Training and submit a copy of their certificate of training along with the application. Applications and fees must be returned by June 30th to avoid a lapse in certification. They may be submitted via mail: FDACS, P.O. Box 6710, Tallahassee, FL 32314-6710, with a check or money order made payable to FDACS. Renewing applicants may submit their application, training certificate, and payment online here. Online renewals must include a signed application and harvester education training certificate.
The Harvester Education Training is an annual requirement for Aquaculture Certificate renewals and Saltwater Products Licenses (SPL) with a shellfish endorsement. The training can be taken online or in person. The online course is available at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website. Please note that the annual certification for Harvester Training resets April 1st of each year. Training taken prior to April 1st will generate a 2016-2017 certificate while training taken after April 1st will provide the 2017-2018 certificate.
A list of available workshops to complete the training can be found here.
Apalachicola Shellfish Center, Contact Joe Shields, Phone: 850-653-8317
3:00 pm every Tues & Wed in April
3:00 pm every Tue, Wed & Thur in May
3:00 pm Mon through Fri in June
Cedar Key Marine Lab, Contact Judy Johnson, Phone: 352-543-1084
3:00 pm on May 16 and 5:00 pm on May 18
Eastpoint Fire Department, Contact Erik Lovestrand, Phone: 850-653-9337
3:00 pm on Wed, Thur & Fri, June 14-16
Arrangements may also be made to complete the training in person at any of the DACS Division of Aquaculture’s offices. Contact the Division for more information (Phone: 850-617-7600) or to schedule an appointment.
