Country: United States

Title: Lissachatina fulica, formerly Achatina fulica (Giant African Snail) - APHIS Updates Regulated Areas in Miami-Dade County in Florida

Contact:
Melinda Sullivan, Field Operations Manager, at 970-494-4469 or Evelia Sosa, Pest Management Assistant Director, at 301-851-2217.

Report:

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is adding an additional area (referred to as Zone BB) of Miami-Dade County, Florida, to the list of quarantined areas for giant African snail (GAS). Program personnel have recently detected GAS in this area, which is outside of the existing regulated areas in Miami.

Also, effective September 14, 2016, APHIS removed regulated areas I, J, and N from the list of quarantined areas in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Subsequently, effective December 21, 2016, APHIS also removed areas A, P, K, and L. APHIS and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDCAS) collaborated to develop the protocol for removing areas from quarantine. Under the protocol, FDACS and APHIS use the following criteria to deregulate a quarantined area:

• Surveillance and treatment efforts for 17 months with no detection of live GAS;

• An additional 19 months of surveillance with no detection of live GAS;

• A minimum of one negative detector dog survey; and

• A minimum of one negative night survey, when snails can be more active.

APHIS determined the aforementioned areas met the protocol for removal from quarantine. APHIS and FDCAS will continue to evaluate GAS-infested areas to determine when they meet the criteria for eradication and deregulation. The revised map and descriptions of the areas that continue to be regulated for GAS are posted on the APHIS website at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/gas/downloads/gals-quarantinezone.pdf

In September 2011, APHIS confirmed the detection of GAS in a residential area of Miami, Florida. GAS is one of the most damaging snails in the world because it is known to eat at least 500 different types of plants including many vegetables, fruits, and ornamental crops. Since the initial detection, APHIS has actively worked with FDACS to conduct survey, regulatory, control, and outreach activities within the affected areas.

Under IPPC standards, Lissachatina fulica is considered to be a pest that is transient: actionable, and under eradication in the United States.

 

Posted Date: March 23, 2017, 9 a.m.