We must strive to provide better controls in handling and proc- 

 essing seafood from catch to point of sale, and we must work to 

 educate not only industry, but consumers themselves. Both the 

 Food and Drug Administration and the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service have sought to do this and they have made great strides. 

 The joint effort of these two agencies in developing the voluntary 

 Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Program or HACCP is a 

 step in the right direction, with government and industry working 

 together in a proactive rather than reactive manner. Now, it is our 

 job to evaluate their work and set our sights on the future. 



I thank the witnesses in advance for the testimony and the in- 

 sight they will provide on this very serious issue. I particularly 

 wish to thank my good friend and colleague, the Chairman of the 

 House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell, for being 

 with us today. Chairman Dingell has been a driving force behind 

 Congress' efforts to ensure a healthy and safe supply of seafood. I 

 look forward to working with him in the days ahead to address this 

 important issue. 



I now turn to the absent distinguished ranking member, the 

 Honorable Don Young for an opening statement, and perhaps we 

 will have an opportunity to hear from him in person later, but for 

 the moment without objection we will insert his statement for the 

 record, and we will do the same for the Honorable Jack Fields. The 

 gentlewoman from Washington. 



[The opening statements of Congressmen Young and Fields 

 follow:] 



Statement of Hon. Don Young, a U.S. Representative from Alaska 



Mr. Chairman, I see that the issue of seafood safety has once again come before 

 us. It will be interesting to see what has changed since the last time the House ad- 

 dressed this topic. 



We all would like to be assured that the food we eat does not make us sick. 

 Having safe seafood benefits the consumers, processors, and fishermen. The question 

 we face is how to reduce the risk of illness without destroying the fishing industry. 



While it is hoped that a mandatory seafood safety program might reduce the risk 

 of unsafe food products, success cannot be guaranteed. According to the National 

 Academy of Sciences, "most health risks associated with seafood safety originate in 

 the environment and should be dealt with by control of harvest or at the point of 

 capture. Inspection at the processing level is important to maintain safety of sea- 

 foods, but there is little evidence that increased inspection activities at this level 

 would effectively reduce the incidence of seafood-borne disease." A mandatory sea- 

 food inspection program may not eliminate all of the concerns related to seafood 

 safety. Furthermore, an extensive program that furnishes little additional protec- 

 tion at great cost needs to be carefully examined — especially during these times of 

 budgetary constraints. 



If we can ultimately provide a safer product for the consumer and reduce the inci- 

 dence of seafood-related illnesses, an expanded program may be extremely impor- 

 tant. However, if we are simply adding another layer of red tape for the producers 

 at increased prices for the consumers, then we may be better off leaving things 

 alone. 



Mr. Chairman, I look forward to hearing from the witnesses and to working with 

 you on this issue. 



Statement of Hon. Jack Fields, a U.S. Representative from Texas, and 

 Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 



Mr. Chairman, during the past several sessions, this Committee has examined 

 various pieces of legislation addressing seafood safety. 



