(1) Any person who wet stores a commercial quantity of shellfish or any quantity of shellfish for sale for human consumption must have a written plan of operations, approved by the department, completely describing the activity.

(2) A person licensed as a harvester may wet store only in a natural body of water that is part of the same growing area as the harvest site of the shellfish.

(3) Any person who operates a recirculating or flow-through wet storage system must possess a wet storage permit issued by the department. A wet storage permit will be issued to a person for a recirculating or flow-through wet storage system if the person:

(a) Possesses a valid shellfish operation license;

(b) Submits a completed written application and plan of operations to the department completely describing the procedures of the wet storage operation;

(c) Documents that the water used for the operation meets the requirements of the NSSP Model Ordinance;

(d) Passes an inspection by the department; and

(e) Pays the department a wet storage application fee or renewal fee as required by this chapter.

(4) If a person uses a natural body of water for a wet storage operation, the person must possess a valid harvest site certificate listing the body of water.

(5) If a person uses artificial seawater for a wet storage operation, the chemicals used to make the seawater must be approved food grade.

(6) A person operating under a wet storage permit must follow all procedures in the plan of operations approved by the department.

(7) A person's wet storage permit expires on the same date as the person's shellfish operation license.