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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY " 



programs. States, with the financial support of federal sources, would carry out 

 inspections and apply police powers to in-state fishing industry operations, by using 

 methods and procedures that meet or exceed federal standards. Monitoring and 

 certifying state programs to determine their eligibility for federal funding of such 

 operations would be the responsibility of the federal agency. Results would include 

 better use of state agencies and strengthening their role in inspection, rather than 

 depending solely on a federal agency to perform nationwide inspection. The federal 

 agency should have overall responsibility for coordinating the national program and 

 carrying out those functions that states cannot or will not undertake, as well as 

 ensuring the training of state personnel. Organoleptic inspection must be recognized 

 as inadequate and of little value for seafood safety because it is unable to identify risks 

 to humans. 



Where new legislation is being considered in relation to the problems of seafood 

 safety, the following important points should be considered: (1) the need to facilitate 

 closure of harvesting areas on the basis of human health hazards, (2) the need for a 

 strong state role in inspection that will require federal support, (3) the desirability of 

 regulating vessels and dock facilities in relation to human health, (4) the collation of 

 current regulations in easily available form, and (5) the need to train state and federal 

 regulatory personnel. 



POTENTIAL IMPACT OF PROPOSED OPTIONS 



The proposed options outlined above will have the following impact on seafood 

 and the consumer: (1) they will improve the general health of the public by focusing 

 on the cause of disease, thus reducing the cases of seafood-borne diseases; (2) they 

 will produce a quicker, more effective response when the public is subjected to 

 unacceptable risks; (3) they will promote compliance through increased and improved 

 communication among the involved agencies and industry, and through increased public 

 knowledge; and (4) they will require the appropriation of funds to develop a 

 comprehensive system incorporating the above recommendations. 



DIRECTION FOR DATA COLLECTION AND FUTURE RESEARCH 



Inasmuch as accurate risk identification is the first step in risk-based control 

 programs, stronger epidemiologic data are needed to assess the extent of public health 

 risk in terms of incidence, severity, vehicle, and setting. The two major viable data 

 bases for seafood-borne illnesses from CDC and NETSU are too limited in scope and 

 have discrepancies related to methods of surveillance and reporting that prevent 

 consistent correlation of the outbreaks of some pathogens. In addition, more basic 

 research is necessary to understand why and how certain pathogens or toxins cause 

 Bness. For example, there are bacterial pathogens, such as Vibrio vulnificus, or non- 

 01 K cholerae that are commonly isolated from shellfish, that cause only a small 

 ■umber of clinical cases; we need to understand why only a minority of persons 

 become ill after exposure to these organisms. Similarly, a better understanding is 

 nquired of how natural toxins and chemicals are processed by fish, so that we can 

 belter predict when and where human illness will occur. Rapid, nondestructive, and 



