Chain of custody as an organizing framework in seafood risk reduction

Changes in the terms and direction of international trade in seafood, an increased understanding of and concern for the public health risk imposed by seafood products, and advances in information management technology combine to open opportunities to manage more effectively seafood-borne risk. Present regulatory mandates and programs lack sufficient integration for effective risk mitigation and do not adequately reflect the trans-national nature of seafood trade or the increased complexity of seafood production. This paper argues that the concept of a "chain of custody" - from the ocean to the final consumer - provides a useful integrating framework for understanding and refining efforts to reduce public health concerns surrounding the consumption of seafood.     

Assuring fish safety and quality in international fish trade

International trade in fishery commodities reached US 58.2 billion dollars in 2002, a 5% improvement relative to 2000 and a 45% increase over 1992 levels. Within this global trade, developing countries registered a net trade surplus of US 17.4 billion dollars in 2002 and accounted for almost 50% by value and 55% of fish exports by volume. This globalization of fish trade, coupled with technological developments in food production, handling, processing and distribution, and the increasing awareness and demand of consumers for safe and high quality food have put food safety and quality assurance high in public awareness and a priority for many governments. Consequently, many countries have tightened food safety controls, imposing additional costs and requirements on imports. As early as 1980, there was an international drive towards adopting preventative HACCP-based safety and quality systems. More recently, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to food safety and quality throughout the entire food chain. Implementation of this approach requires an enabling policy and regulatory environment at national and international levels with clearly defined rules and standards, establishment of appropriate food control systems and programmes at national and local levels, and provision of appropriate training and capacity building. This paper discusses the international framework for fish safety and quality, with particular emphasis on the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) strategy to promote international harmonization and capacity building.     

Distribution and concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons associated with the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,Gulf of Mexico

We examined the geographic extent of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in sediment, seawater, biota, and seafood during/after the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (April 20–July 15, 2010; 28.736667°N, −88.386944°W). TPH, PAHs, and 12 compound classes were examined, particularly C1-benzo(a)anthracenes/chrysenes, C-2-/C-4-phenanthrenes/anthracenes, and C3-naphthalenes. Sediment TPH, PAHs, and all classes peaked near Pensacola, Florida, and Galveston, Texas. Seawater TPH peaked off Pensacola; all of the above classes peaked off the Mississippi River, Louisiana and Galveston. Biota TPH and PAHs peaked near the Mississippi River; C-3 napthalenes peaked near the spill site. Seafood TPH peaked near the spill site, with PAHs and all classes peaking near Pensacola. We recommend that oil concentrations continued to be monitored in these media well after the spill has ceased to assist in defining re-opening dates for fisheries; closures should be maintained until hydrocarbon levels are deemed within appropriate limits.     

Total and organic mercury concentrations in the muscles of Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

Muscles of 115 North Pacific albacore (ALB, Thunnus alalunga) and 75 Pacific bigeye tuna (BET, Thunnus obesus), collected from 2001 to 2006, were analyzed. No ALB, but 13 large BET had organic mercury (OHg) concentrations exceeding 1 μg g⁻¹ wet weight. For both ALB and BET, total mercury (THg) and OHg concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with fork length (FL) and body weight. The muscle Hg bioaccumulation rates of BET were higher than those of ALB, particularly in the adult fish. Moreover, the lines had crossover points among the two species that imply the young BET (FL < 110 cm) contains lower muscle Hg concentrations than ALB of the same size. The suggested weekly dietary intake of ALB and small-BET meats is 340 g, and of BET meat it is 150 g for a 60-kg person based on the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) of methylmercury set by the WHO.     

On consumption patterns in oyster markets: The role of attitudes

Achieving a low-carbon and sustainable economy is a long-term goal that EU aims at achieving in the next few decades: the potential role of bioeconomy is likely to make the difference, and in particular, the EU aquaculture and the seafood processing industry has the potential to contribute substantially to the emergence of bioeconomies (for instance through new – niche - markets for bio-based products such as algae, etc). In this particular framework, understanding how to enhance cleaner and more sustainable consumption patterns is preliminary to the transition towards more equitable and sustainable markets. The present analysis investigates the role of consumers’ attitudes with respect to sustainable attributes (namely food safety and respect of the environment) in order to suggest on their potential role to catalyze the transition toward bioeconomies. Up to date, empirical investigations on this issue are limited to few markets, and studies on aquaculture are particularly scant. The gap is reduced by the present analysis: it has been implemented a survey on fish consumers to investigate how their attitudes toward food safety and environmental issues tend to influence consumption choices, and it is shown that those attitudes are important determinants of consumers choices. Put differently, a cleaner and more sustainable supply chain (i.e through a safer, and environmental friendly product) is likely to enhance consumption of oysters. To the extent that policy makers, producers, and taxpayers are interested in enhancing sustainable bioeconomies, understanding the relevance of attitudes toward food safety and environmental sustainability is an important and pressing goal. The analysis, novel in its application to a high quality product, speaks in this direction and will help understanding how to accelerate the transition to sustainable bioeconomies.     

Restructuring the Chinese seafood industry,global challenges and policy implications

This article discusses how the Chinese seafood industry will affect the rest of the world's fishing industries. The analysis is based on theories of economic comparative advantage, the international division of labour and the internationalization process related to trade activities. Given the increasing domestic demand for fish in China, the limited availability of domestic fish stocks and less success for farmed marine fish in China are considered some of the most important factors in restricting the growth in Chinese seafood production. The necessity of raw fish imports into China may increase pressure on global fish stocks and international fish prices, resulting in tighter supplies worldwide and higher seafood prices for the Chinese. Sustainable fish harvests and trade require stronger fishery management, in particular in the relations between seafood companies and governments along the entire international value chain supplying China. Such structural changes may allow new value-added possibilities for fish farming and the upgrading of certain fish species for human consumption that were previously utilized purely for fish feed.     

Methods matter: Improved practices for environmental evaluation of dietary patterns

Making food systems more sustainable is one of humanity’s largest challenges. Over two decades of life cycle assessment research on the environmental performance of food systems has helped to inform efforts to address this challenge. In recent years, there has been much interest in aggregating the results of these studies at scales of national production, dietary patterns, and future food scenarios. The process of comparing impacts of diverse products based on extant literature presents numerous challenges which have been inadequately addressed. Drawing upon examples of greenhouse gas emissions and seafood systems, we suggest best practices to support more complete, consistent, and comparable aggregation practices. Ultimately this would lead to more robust industry and consumer decisions and public policy. We suggest to: 1) define product groups reflecting impact drivers and in accordance with study goals, 2) select studies in a transparent way whose methods are consistent, and 3) assess results in the context of actual production or consumption patterns. Applying these practices would strengthen food life cycle assessment aggregation studies as a tool guiding towards sustainable food systems.     

Towards a typology of interactions between small-scale fisheries and global seafood trade

Fish and fish-related products are among the most highly traded commodities globally and the proportion of globally harvested fish that is internationally traded has steadily risen over time. Views on the benefits of international seafood trade diverge, partly as a result from adopting either an aggregate national focus or a focus on local market actors. However, both views generally assume that the trade in question is characterized by export of fisheries resources to international markets. This is potentially misleading as empirical evidence suggests that import of seafood can also have impacts on local SSF dynamics. A systematic analysis of the different ways in which local production systems connect to international seafood markets can therefore help shed more light on why small-scale fisheries exhibit such differences in outcomes as they engage in an increasingly global seafood trade. This paper conducts a synthesis across 24 cases from around the world and develops a typology of small-scale fisheries and how they connect to and interact with international seafood trade. The analysis is based on key features drawn from trade theory regarding how trade interacts with local production. The implications of the findings for social and ecological sustainability of small-scale fisheries are discussed with the aim of identifying further research topics which deserve attention to better inform trade policy for more sustainable fisheries and more just wealth distribution from their trade.     

The Global Seafood Market Performance Index: A theoretical proposal and potential empirical applications

The objective of this paper is to create the Global Seafood Market Performance Index (GSMPI) in order to compare fisheries-related impacts of different countries across spatial and temporal scales. The article presents the first effort to investigate the trade-offs among marine ecosystems, seafood markets, poverty alleviation, food security and governance at worldwide level by creating the GSMPI. The GSMPI will provide relevant information on environmental, governance, socioeconomic, food security, corruption, seafood market, and corporate social responsibility issues for individual decision-makers and scientists, national governments, and stakeholders as well as international fishing and aquaculture industries.