25 



So it is an ongoing part of our program as well, looking at it 

 from the consumer exposure point of view. 



Mr. Hamburg. But just for an example, if you had a pulp mill 

 that had a certain amount of effluent going into a bay where there 

 were oysters and clams and various fish being — various seafood 

 being harvested, would you be monitoring that on a routine basis? 



Mr. Billy. Normally that is done by the State, and it is part of— 

 if it involves 



Mr. Hamburg. Because it is within the three miles? 



Mr. Billy. Yes, and if it is related to molluscan shellfish, it is in 

 the requirements to the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. 



So there is a system in place and it just depends on the area that 

 you are concerned about. 



Mr. Hamburg. Thank you very much. 



Mr. Manton. The gentleman from Mississippi. 



Mr. Taylor of Mississippi. Thank you. If I am repeating anyone 

 else's questions, please forgive me. First off is, some of the seafood 

 producers in my area point to the demise of the oyster canning in- 

 dustry in particular and say that they were the victim of a double 

 standard in that in their instance the oysters had to come from ap- 

 proved waters, be processed in an approved plant, and then the 

 final product was judged as far as its content. 



I point to an oyster that was grown in Korea in waters they said 

 wouldn't pass and a plant they say wouldn't pass, but you never 

 look at that. All you do is look at the can, and if the final product 

 is OK, then everything is OK. They don't have to worry about step 

 one and two. 



How would you respond to that and how are we going to prevent 

 something like that from happening again with this piece of legis- 

 lation? 



Mr. Billy. Korea is one of the countries that we have a coopera- 

 tive agreement with, and under the terms of that agreement, the 

 Korean government monitors the waters from which molluscan 

 shellfish are harvested or exported to the U.S. 



Our concern is that the possibility exists that in some instances, 

 particularly with countries where we do not have agreements, that 

 they could, through the canning operation, mask the possibility of 

 certain types of microbiological contamination. 



For that reason, we are considering that problem. We have con- 

 sidered that problem and we have identified an approach under 

 our HACCP proposal that will address that very specifically so that 

 there is a level playing field for the domestic industry. 



Mr. Taylor of Mississippi. How would you address that? 



Mr. Billy. Like I said earlier, all hazards associated with any 

 species will have to be considered and addressed by the processor 

 and by the importer and in doing it that way and then verifying 

 that, in fact, that is the case, we believe we will be focusing right 

 in on — for molluscan shellfish, the waters from which they are har- 

 vested in assuring that the same types of water quality require- 

 ments are met in that instance as they are domestically. 



Mr. Taylor of Mississippi. I find a double standard in that in 

 that I recently attended a meeting under the present shellfish laws 

 where my home State is being considered for removal from the list, 

 and that you are willing to take a Korean inspector at his word 



