Seafood Selection and Safety: A Guide for Consumers

1. ENP Consumer Seafood Selection & Safety Presented by: J. Logan Respess Associate Director & Extension Program Leader Texas Sea Grant

2. J. Logan RespessAssociate Director & Extension Program Leader • BS Marine Biology, Texas A&M • MS Ed Tech, Texas A&M - CC • Joined TXSG in 1998 • Served as an agent in Matagorda, Aransas, and Travis Counties • Conducted Seafood Selection & Safety for Consumers (BLT program) • Conducted research aboard gulf shrimp vessels • Eat lots and lots of seafood!

3. Program Overview • Informal presentation – but fast & furious • **Handouts • What is seafood? • A bit about Sea Grant • A bit about the Seafood Industry • **Why Seafood?

4. Program Overview cont. • Seafood Safety – Things to Know • Seafood Selection • Value Seafood • Seafood Handling & Storage • Seafood Cooking Basics • Q&A

5. What is Seafood?

6. What is Seafood? • Basically everything that lives in the sea, lakes, and rivers! • Includes • Fish • Shellfish • Others (jellyfish) • Both wild caught and farm raised

7. A bit about Texas Sea grant

8. Meeting the Challengesof a Changing Texas Coast • TXSG forms the conduit which links people, communities and businesses with researchers to solve real-world problems.

9. Texas Sea Grant’s Areas of Expertise • Fisheries • Seafood Safety/HACCP • Aquaculture • Marine Business • Marinas/ Recreational Boaters • Marine Transportation • Environmental Quality • Marine Education • Aquatic Nuisance Species • Ecotourism • Habitat Restoration • Harmful Algal Blooms • Healthy Coastal Ecosystems • Coastal Resiliency • Coastal Community Development

10. Locations of Agents & Specialists • Agent • Vacant • Specialist

11. TXSG’s Marine Information Service

12. Texas Seafood Industry – Wild Caught and Farm Raised Shrimp is king! • Brownsville / Port Isabel fishermen landed $88.6 million worth of shrimp in 2000, making it the most valuable fish port south of New Bedford, Massachusetts and Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

13. Shrimp Life Cycle-It’s an annual crop!

14. Bay Shrimp Fishermen

15. Gulf Shrimp Fishermen

19. Ice Boats vs. Freezer Boats

21. Success Story:Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle • 1978 – 924 nests; 1985 - 710 nests; 2009 - >21,000 nests

22. Aquaculture = Farm Raised • Shrimp • Catfish • Redfish • Hybrid Striped Bass • Tilapia • Crawfish • Alligator

23. TX Shrimp Farms

24. U.S. Seafood Consumption • ~16 pounds/person • 11.8# fresh & frozen • 3.7# canned • 3.5 oz/week • ** 8 oz/week • #1 is Shrimp @ 4.1 pounds/person • 84% of all seafood consumed in US is imported • Image source Santa Clara University

25. U.S Seafood Consumption by Species

26. Why Seafood? Seafood isa wonderful food!

27. Seafood in a wonderful foodThere are just so many choices!!! • Omega – 3 fatty acids • EPA • DHA • Moderate evidence shows benefits @ ~8 oz per week • Fats in seafood are considered oils • Image source Penn State

28. Seafood Safety Things to know before your trip to the market

29. Seafood-Borne Illness Cases

30. Seafood Safeguards: Oysters • About 20 million people eat raw oysters annually. • However for some people eating raw oysters can cause serious injury or death. • The cause is a naturally occurring marine bacterium Vibrio vulnificus.

31. Liver disease Chronic Kidney Disease Diabetes Mellitus Stomach problems Cancer Immune disorders Long-term steroid use Older adults Seafood Safeguards:Oyster Risk Factors • Certain health conditions can put you at risk • from Vibrio infection. These conditions include:

32. Image source Univ. of MN • Image source Stockton College Seafood Safety Methyl mercury

33. Seafood Safety:Methyl Mercury • Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and can be released through industrial pollution (coal fired power plants) • Bacteria in the water convert mercury into methyl mercury • Bacteria are ingested by small aquatic organisms

34. Seafood Safety:Methyl Mercury • Fish ingest methyl mercury when they feed on these aquatic organisms • People can ingest methyl mercury when they eat certain long-lived species of fish • The longer the fish live the more they have eaten and stored within their bodies

35. Seafood Safeguards:Methyl Mercury • Nearly all fish contain trace amounts of methyl mercury, which are not harmful to humans • Evidence shows that health benefits from consuming seafood outweigh the health risks associated with methyl mercury

36. Seafood Safeguards: Methyl Mercury& Women Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding • Seafood is an important part of a balanced diet, especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women (Omega-3s, DHA, etc.) • Recommended that these women consume at least 8 oz and up to 12oz of a variety of seafood per week (typical serving size is 3-6 oz). • Concern arises over the fact that high levels of methyl mercury may harm a baby’s developing nervous system

37. Seafood Safeguards: Methyl Mercury& Women Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding • Select a variety of other kinds of fish- including: • Shellfish (shrimp, crabs, oysters, clams etc.) • canned fish • smaller ocean fish • farm-raised fish • Value seafood

38. Seafood Safeguards: Methyl Mercury& Women Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding • These women should avoid long-lived species such as: Sharks, Swordfish, King Mackerel (Kingfish), and Tilefish. • FDA also recommends (as a matter of public heath advise) that young children not eat these fishes. • It’s really easy to do…

39. A Special Note on Tuna

40. White Tuna - Albacore • For Women in aforementioned categories • Higher in Hg than light tuna • 6 oz. per week • One normal meal

41. Chunk Light Tuna • For women in aforementioned categories • Lower in methyl mercury than white tuna • 12 oz. per week

42. Seafood Safeguards: Methyl Mercury& Women Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding • Remember: There is no harm in eating more than 12 oz. (or 6 oz. of albacore tuna) in one week, just don’t do it on a regular basis. • If you eat more fish during one week cut back the next week or two to be just fine.

43. Seafood SafeguardsCiguatera • The most commonly reported marine toxin disease in the world is Ciguatera, associated with consumption of contaminated reef fish such as barracuda, grouper, and snapper. • Caribbean & tropics • Reef fish • “Big” fish

44. HOW added to HACCP Harvest Open Waters to assureSafe Gulf Seafood

45. Seafood Safeguards: Oil Spill • What do we know about seafood? • Aquaculture? • Imports? • What you may not know. • Marine life (seafood) metabolizes hydrocarbons

46. Seafood Selection The best way to catch fish in the store

47. Shelf Life Timetable for Beef Products(in hours)

48. Shelf Life Timetable for Wild-Harvested, Refrigerated Seafood Products (in hours)

49. Fresh FishLook at their Eyes & Gills • Look for • Clear, bright and protruding eyes • Reddish Gills • “Just-caught” look • Avoid • Clouded or sunken eyes • Slimy grey, greenish, or brownish gills • Image source Univ. of Delaware

50. Fresh FishCheck Color & Sheen • Look for • Shiny luster & distinct coloration • Avoid • Dull, slimy or “washed out” • Image source Univ. of Delaware