Enhancing NOAA Fisheries Seafood Safety, Quality, and

Outreach Programs

Acknowledgment of Team Participants

Linda Chaves Usha Varanasi Walt Dickhoff Tony Lowry Tim Hansen Tom Hom Spencer Garrett Calvin Walker Eric Staiger Brian Vaubel

NOAA’s Mission Implies…

A healthy and sustainable seafood supply

Information about the seafood supply that is available and understandable

Contribution to seafood safety research, inspection, education and trade

Seafood Challenges…

From 150 countries 80% from foreign

sources Seafood safety

problems common Seafood economic

fraud is common Federal resources to

address the problem have been limited

Consumer perception not always factual

Current Seafood Inspection Activities

FDA—regulators (mandatory)

NOAA SIP—(voluntary)

Farm Bill FSIS—regulators

(mandatory) for catfish and farm-raised fish

AMS—(voluntary) for catfish and farm-raised fish

NOAA Fisheries Resources…

Not closely coordinated Seafood Inspection Partnership and

Communication staff Trade staff National Seafood

Inspection Laboratory Science Centers

(NWFSC and PIFSC)

TRENDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SEAFOOD SAFETY AND

QUALITY The consumer

demand for fish and shellfish continues to grow

Domestic demand for safe seafood will continue to exceed domestic supply from wild stocks

U.S. SEAFOOD SUPPLY AND DEMAND: PAST AND PROJECTED

(Round Weight)

- 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Million MT

Demand = Per capita consumption x population

U.S. Supply = Harvest - Exports

U.S. Harvest

Demand based on new dietary guidelines:2 seafood meals per week

TRENDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SEAFOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY The contribution

of aquaculture to supply fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic resources will continue to grow

GLOBAL SEAFOOD PRODUCTION

'50 '55 '60 '65 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '050

20

40

60

80

100

Million MT

'70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '050

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Million MT

World (excluding US)

United States

- Global and US wild catch stable- Aquaculture production growing

WORLD WILD CATCH

WORLD AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION

Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Production

Source: FAO FishStat

'71 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '05

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Capture

Aquaculture

Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Production

TRENDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SEAFOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY Increasing seafood

consumption and demand are exceeding capacity for seafood inspection

Economic fraud in the nation’s seafood supply is increasing

TRENDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SEAFOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY Consumer

confidence in seafood safety is declining

The human health benefits of seafood consumption are becoming increasingly apparent

FINDINGS # 1

Current Federal Government resources are inadequate to ensure safety and quality of seafood

Situation will probably worsen with increased aquaculture production

FDA inspects seafood product imports at port; NMFS inspects seafood products in domestic

commerce

Importshipments

Importer/Retailer

Importer/Retailer

FDA inspects approx. 1% of shipments at point of entry (GAO Jan. 2004)

NOAA inspects “lots” of product for firms supplying customers. Statistical expansion of inspected lots represents 1.9 billion pounds annually (one-third of annual consumption)

Consumer

Domestic supply

NMFS inspections2006

Processing Firms

GradeA LBS

PUFILBS

No MarkLBS

Lot Inspection

LBS

TotalLBS

377 51,733 150,487 67,034 1,624,293 1,893,566

OPTIONS

# 1 Work closely with the

Food and Drug Administration and provide support for regulatory activity as well as assisting the seafood industry in understanding food law compliance issues

FINDINGS

# 2

Adequate inspections of imported seafood are not practical given the amount of resources available

OPTIONS

#2

Increase analytical capacities to support seafood monitoring programs in NOAA Fisheries Service at the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and certify NOAA accredited third party laboratories

OPTIONS

# 3

Establish systematic monitoring programs for the U.S. seafood supply for contaminants and species substitutions

OPTIONS

# 4

Develop new and automated technologies for more rapid, timely, and cost-efficient analyses of contaminants and antibiotic residues

OPTIONS

# 5

Increase enforcement of contaminant and drug residue regulations and economic fraud cases based on monitoring programs

OPTIONS

# 6

Increase the capacity of the Seafood Inspection Program to inspect foreign seafood processors to meet U.S. standards

Finding #3 Economic fraud

from species substitution and mislabeling is decreasing consumer confidence

Findings & Options

Option #7 Improve methods

and increase capacity for DNA-based and other chemical methods for species identification

Findings & Options Finding #4

Consumer confidence in the sustainability of the nation’s seafood supply is decreasing

Option#8 Create and apply

sustainability standards for U.S. wild caught fisheries and place a sustainability logo on seafood products deemed by NOAA to come from sustainable fishery stocks

FINDINGS

#5

The U.S. public is unsure of how to balance the benefits and risks of seafood consumption

OPTIONS

# 9

Augment research directed at evaluating benefits versus risks of seafood consumption, including contemporary assessments of mercury, selenium, banned chemical contaminants, emerging chemicals of concern, and omega-3 fatty acids

OPTIONS

# 10

Augment research to better understand human requirements for beneficial factors in seafood and health impacts of seafood contaminants

OPTIONS

# 11

Improve public outreach and communication by providing up-to-date information and descriptions of programs to protect seafood consumers (e.g., NOAA Fisheries Service Fish Watch web page, conferences, and correcting media inaccuracies).

OPTIONS

# 12

Develop and make available to the public databases that track beneficial nutritional content of seafood products such as Omega 3 fatty acid, selenium as well as micro contaminants.

Findings & Options

Finding #6 Established US Product

Quality and Safety Standards are obsolete and do not reflect the capability of modern processing technology although there is a great demand for the use of these standards by the retail trade. International product quality and safety standards are still being developed Option #13

Revise US Grade Standards for Fish and Fishery Products to be more useful in describing high quality and desirable consumer products that will increase demand for seafood products

Option #14 Increase NOAA

Fisheries’ involvement in the Codex Committee for Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) beyond the current level of providing an Alternate US delegate

Findings & Options Finding #7

In order to best address some of the problems of seafood safety and quality NOAA will need to organize and coordinate these activities more closely.

Option #15 To enhance NOAA Fisheries seafood

safety and quality capability the function will need specific direction from an Office or staff at the headquarters level. The components that could be brought together for closer collaboration are the Seafood Inspection Program, The National Seafood Inspection Laboratory, Trade staff and Partnership and Communication (with the exception of Recreational Fishing) staff and the addition two positions a trade coordinator and a seafood research coordinator.

Strategic Considerations

Fact: There are real and perceived problems with seafood safety, quality, sustainability and economic integrity

Fact: Seafood Offers vital nutritional benefits to the consumer

How should NOAA react?

By enhancing and coordinating the activities of Seafood Inspection, Partnership and Coordination Staff, Trade Staff, the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory and Seafood research within the science centers (NWFSC & PIFSC)

Possible Effects…

The upside NOAA appears

responsive Addresses political

issues May attract funding Supports intent of

Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act

The downside Should stay within

bounds of mission Will need funding Should attempt to

augment FDA not encroach on FDA mission

Discussion??