SEA 



SCIENCE 



The Hazard Analysis and Critical 

 Control Point (HACCP) food safety 

 monitoring program is used by dealers 

 and processors to protect their seafood 

 against bacterial, chemical or physical 

 hazards that could harm consumers. 



To comply with HACCP, dealers 

 first evaluate their seafood and their 

 processing operations to determine 

 where they are most vulnerable to food 

 safety hazards that can be chemical, 

 biological or physical. 



Next, processors identify as critical 

 control points (CCPs) the characteristics 

 of their seafood and the steps in their 

 manufacturing process where they 

 can apply specific controls to 

 prevent, eliminate or minimize 

 risk of food safety hazards. Typical 

 manufacturing CCPs are receiving, 

 cooking or storing seafood. 



Dealers then establish 

 maximum or minimum boundaries 

 or "critical limits" at given 

 CCPs. Time and temperature 

 measurements or rapid chemical 

 tests help monitor CCPs such 

 as the 40-degree F limit for 

 histamines. 



Processors must 

 implement corrective actions 

 whenever monitoring shows 

 that a CCP critical limit has 

 been violated. For example, if 

 a cooler fails, a dealer could 

 ice fish to keep it cold or 

 move it to another cooler. 



All wholesale seafood 

 dealers and processors 

 are subject to HACCP 

 regulations. 



"Fishermen are exempt from the 

 regulations," says Green. "But the industry's 

 cooperation is critical to ensure the quality and 

 safety of domestically harvested seafood." 



FISH HANDLING 



The Sea Grant histamine display includes 

 suggestions on using adequate tackle to ensure 

 proper handling and chilling of fish. Gaffing or 



TOP: Anglers use a sharp object to stun the fish. 

 MIDDLE: Gutting is preferred for some species. 

 BOTTOM: After gutting, fish need to be put on ice. 



spearing fish in the edible flesh is discouraged. 



Extension specialists recommend stunning 

 the fish with a club or mallet, making the fish 

 easier to handle and preventing bruising and 

 internal bleeding. Recreational anglers also 

 can follow these procedures for fish that will be 



brought back to dock. 



Aboard the boat, gutting the fish 

 is optional, but preferred for some 

 species, according to the display. "For 

 example, gutting large fish, such as 

 tuna, may be necessary to speed the 

 process." 



When packing and chilling the 

 fish, remove fish from ice water and 

 rinse off blood before packing with 

 clean, crushed or flaked ice. 



"Pack the belly of eviscerated 

 fish with clean ice," according to Sea 

 Grant experts. "Containers should 

 drain easily to prevent fish from sitting 

 in ice melt. The amount of ice depends 

 on the number and fish species, 

 air and water temperatures, and 

 the length of time fish will be 

 stored." 



Two pounds of ice per 

 pound of fish is recommended. 



"It is always better to have 

 too much ice than not enough," 

 the experts advise. 



HACCP guidelines also 

 recommend placing histamine- 

 forming fish in a cooling 

 container, depending on 

 species, and then rapidly 

 chilling to an internal 

 temperature of 40 degrees 

 F or less. 



"The amount of time 

 ■k for cooling depends on the 

 Kp chilling method, size of fish, 

 air and water temperature, 

 and whether the fish 

 was bled and/or gutted," 

 according to Green. 

 When harvesters follow these control 

 measures, they become a critical part of the 

 program that keeps seafood safe, adds Nash, a 



For more infomiation: visit the Web: 

 www.iceyourfish.seagrant.org. To set 

 up a workslwp in North Carolina, call 

 252/222-6334 or e-mail Barry Nash at 

 barry_nash@ncsu.edu or David Green at 

 dave_green@ncsu.edu. 



26 EARLY SUMMER 2005 



