17 



2. SAMPLING AND TESTING PROCEDURE 



A. All fish received from Areas III and IV weighing over 100 pounds must be 

 tested by a qualified laboratory for Mercury content. 



B. Fish will be tested by lots and Food and Drug Regulations concerning lots 

 and sample sizes will prevail. Copy of these regulations attached. 



C. If a lot tests 0.4 ppm or less, the lot may be marketed. If the test results are 

 between 0.45 ppm and 0.49 ppm the lot should be re-tested twice. 



If the average of the three tests is 0.49 ppm or below, the lot may be marketed 

 provided no single analysis is 0.5 ppm or greater. 



Any lots found to contain 0.5 ppm Mercury or greater, must be sampled on a 

 fish by fish basis and any individual fish found to be under 0.5 ppm may be 

 marketed. 



C. Any fish testing 0.5 ppm Mercury or greater, must not be marketed in the 

 United States market. 



All lots of lish ill the over 100 pound size category must be tested. 

 Size graduations to be used when testing Halibut should be as follows : 60 to 80, 

 80 to 100. 100 to 125, 125 to 150. and 150 and up. 



D. More care must be taken in filling out the Halibut Data Sheets used for 

 reporting results of testing. If needed, additional Halibut Data Sheets may be 

 obtained from the Halibut Association's oflBce. 



.3. EXPORTING HALIBUT CONTAINING OVER TOLERANCES OF MERCURY 



A. Halibut containing 0.5 ppm or more must either be retained by the owner 

 or disposed of by a method approved by the Food and Drug. 



B. Food and Drug will allow over-tolerance Halibut to be exported under the 

 following provisions : 



1. The buver of the fish must be advised regarding the Mercury level in the 

 fish. 



2. The seller must have a written statement from some one in Government 

 authority stating that country's position on Mercury tolerances. 



3. The shipper must furnish the Halibut Association or the Food and Drug 

 copies of all documents of sale, bills of lading, etc. 



4. APPROVED LABORATORIES AND APPROVED METHODS OF ANALYSIS 



To reduce discrepancies in the findings of various laboral;iries, the Association 

 strongly recommends that whenever possible that testing be done by Laucks Test- 

 ing Lnboratory : Food. Chemical and Research Laboratory, Inc. ; or the New Eng- 

 land Fish Criini)any's laboratory. 



It will also be necessary that the Association develop a plan whereby cross 

 checks may be made of the laboratory being used to make certain that like 

 results are obtained from each laboratory. 



Please sign and return the enclosed acknowledgment form which will indi- 

 cate that your company received Halibut Association of North America's bul- 

 letin dated May 1, 1972 regarding procedure for handling and testing Halibut for 

 the 1972 season. 



Your Committee hopes that your fine cooperation will be continued. 



Sampling Procedures 



I. For packaged, labeled lots of processed product. 



A. A lot usually consists of one code. There may be exceptions. 



B. Tlie sample size is the square root of the number of cases in the lot. Ex- 

 ample : The sample from a lot of 25 cases is 5 cases ; the sample from a lot of 

 100 cases is 10 cases. 



C. A sub-snmple is taken from each case in the sample. Two sub-samples will 

 consist of at least one pound from each case. In a lot of 25 cases, 5 cases would 

 be pulled as a sample, and each case would contribute 2 to 4 steaks as sub- 

 samples. 



D. In the example above, each sub-sample would maintain its identity through- 

 out. For analysis all the steaks in a sub-sample would be composited. There 

 would be 5 analy.ses on a 25-case lot. 



