The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' and its Drug Approval Working Group...
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) — the organization that represents all of North America’s fish and wildlife agencies — promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a unified voice on important fish and wildlife issues.
The AFWA is the collective voice of North America’s fish and wildlife agencies at every level of government. The Association provides its member agencies and their senior staff with coordination services that range from migratory birds, fish habitat, and invasive species, to conservation education, leadership development, and international relations. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key conservation and management policies, and works to ensure that all fish and wildlife entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides management and technical assistance to both new and current fish and wildlife leaders.
The AFWA comprises several committees that are able to focus there attention on specific components of natural resource management. Relative to the areas of aquatic animal health and aquatic animal drug approvals, the Fisheries and Water Resources Policy Committee (FWRPC) is the most influential committee. The FWRPC has a broad charter. Its responsibilities relate generally to inland waters and to issues associated with water allocation, water quality, water resource development and especially with federal law, policies, and regulations concerning water uses. The Committee assesses problems and opportunities for improving resource use and management, and the protection and management of valuable marine and estuarine environments. It develops appropriate background documentation and outlines and recommends positions for AFWA consideration.
The FWRPC maintains several standing and ad hoc subcommittees or working groups, one of which is the Drug Approval Working Group (DAWG). The DAWG meets twice annually. It comprises members from state resource agency of each major US geographic region representing the interest of the FWRPC, technical representatives of USDA, USGS, USFWS, and USFDA, and the National Coordinator for Aquaculture New Animal Drug Applications. The overall objective of the DAWG is to provide a forum and mechanism for the oversight and coordination of collaborative research, field tests, data collection, data analysis, and data submittals to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine for approval of priority drugs for use in public and private aquaculture in the United States.
Numerous documents associated with or produced by the DAWG are offered below for your information.
AFWA MOA - A Memorandum of Agreement between several major DAWG member entities - January 2006
"Unmet Label Claims" Report - a report tabulating the results of a survey questionnaire sent to State natural resource agencies to determine if their need for new aquaculture drugs has been fulfilled by AFWA-sponsored drug approval activities and if not what are those needs - July 2006
Letters of Appreciation to:
U.S. Geological Survey - August 2007
Center for Veterinary Medicine - October 2007
U.S. Department of Agriculture - October 2007
Request for State assistance letter - summary of the "Unmet Label Claims" Report and solicitation of assistance to complete the required effectiveness studies for these unmet label claims - January 2007
The Aquaculture Drug Approval Process Brochure - a DAWG-sponsored brochure that briefly outlines the requirements necessary to gain an approval for a new aquaculture drug - May 2007