Fish-Rice Rotation Farming Program Act Law and Legal Definition
The Fish-Rice Rotation Farming Program Act (“Act”) is a U.S. federal law that authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish experimental stations to determine species of fish most suitable for culture on a commercial basis in shallow reservoirs and flooded rice lands, and to develop methods for the control of parasites and diseases. This Act was enacted in 1958. The rovisions of the Act are codified at 16 USCS §§ 778 through 778c.
The Act authorizes the Secretary to acquire land, construct buildings, employ workers, disseminate research and cooperate with the Department of Agriculture, different states, and other institutions and agencies to carry out the provisions of the Act. Congress also authorized funds that were necessary to carry out the purposes of the Act.
Pursuant to the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is directed to establish experimental stations for a program of research and experimentation to:
1. Determine species of fish most suitable for culture on a commercial basis in shallow reservoirs and flooded rice lands.
2. Determine methods for production of fingerling fishes for stocking in commercial reservoirs.
3. Develop methods for control of parasites and diseases of brood fishes and fingerlings prior to stocking.
4. Develop economical methods for raising the more desirable species of fishes to a marketable size.
5. Develop appropriate methods for harvesting the fish crop and preparing it for market, including a study of sport fishing as a means of harvest.
6. Determine, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, the effects of fish-rice rotations upon fish and other crops commonly grown on rice farms.
