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Commercial
Fisheries Newsline Vol. XVII, No. 1 • May 1998 By Ronald E. Kinnunen Abstract: Advisory/extension newsletter for keeping Great
Lakes commercial fishing and aquaculture industries informed of relevant regulations,
events, opportunities and workshops. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
HACCP Training Course Scheduled for May in Baraga, Michigan The Seafood Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation became mandatory on December 18, 1997. The regulation requires that certain enumerated HACCP functions be performed by an individual who has been trained in HACCP. The enumerated functions are: Developing/adopting the HACCP plan to fit the specific needs of a processor. The HACCP plan can be of a generic type. Reassessing/modifying the HACCP plan as a result of verification activities and any corrective actions that occur. Reviewing the HACCP records for adequacy. To assist in the implementation of the mandatory HACCP
regulation, representatives from Michigan Sea Grant Extension, MSU Extension, the Food and
Drug Administration, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture will conduct a three-day
AFDO/Seafood Alliance HACCP training course: May 26-28, 1998 Ojibway Casino Resort Baraga, Michigan Jim Thannum of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) has helped coordinate this HACCP training course and GLIFWC and will host this meeting to help us keep the course fee down. The training will be given to individuals that can influence seafood and/or aquacultured product safety. It includes a standardized course, training materials, and trained instructors. Persons that complete the AFDO/Seafood Alliance basic course will receive a Certificate of HACCP Course Completion from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). This certificate denotes completion of the standard HACCP training program for fish and fishery products as required in the regulation. A course fee of $90 will be charged and those that plan to attend the training should contact Ron Kinnunen at 906-228-4830 before the May 22, 1998 registration deadline. Those needing lodging can contact the Ojibway Casino Resort in Baraga at 906-353-7611 or the Super 8 Motel at 906-353-6680. Status of forage fish stocks in the upper Great Lakes At the recent Great Lakes Fishery Commission meetings fishery biologists from the USGS Biological Resources Division Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Ashland, Wisconsin, presented the following forage fish stock reports for the upper Great Lakes. LAKE SUPERIOR The strengths of the 1977-1996 lake herring year-class in Lake Superior have fluctuated by more than a factor of 2,000. The strongest year-classes were those formed in 1984 and 1988-1990. The 1996 year-class, like the five previous year-classes, was poor lake-wide compared with the strengths of the four strongest year-classes, and little significant recruitment to the fishable stock is expected in future years. However, a multi-aged spawning population has developed in most areas of the lake as the result of maturation of the 1988-1990 year-classes, and continued persistence of the 1984 year-class. Poor recruitment under conditions of large parental stock sizes suggests that environmental conditions are more important to recruitment than total egg deposition. Lake herring have been more abundant in Keweenaw Bay and Munising areas than in other areas of Michigan waters. Annual biomass estimates for rainbow smelt declined by more than 90% from 1978 to 1981 in U.S. waters. In 1982-1986, biomass increased until it had recovered to about 69% of that measured in 1978. From 1986 to 1994 biomass gradually declined but in 1995 it increased three-fold from 0.7 kg/ha in 1994 to 2.1 kg/ha. In 1996 rainbow smelt biomass declined 67% to a level of 0.7 kg/ha similar to that in the early to mid 1990s, and stabilized at that level in 1997. Rainbow smelt biomass in Canadian waters was 2-6 times higher than in U.S. waters in any one year in 1989-1997. Biomass in Canadian waters declined from its highest level of 5.4 kg/ha in 1989 to 1.5 kg/ha in 1992, increased dramatically in the next two years, and has since stabilized at levels near 3.0 kg/ha. Rainbow smelt biomass in Michigan waters remained stable during the late 1980s and early 1990s in contrast to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Biomass in Michigan waters increased twofold in 1995, but returned to less than 1 kg/ha in 1996 and 1997. Lake whitefish mean biomass in U.S. waters during 1978-1997 (3.4 kg/ha) ranked behind only lake herring (7.8 kg/ha). Although not an important prey fish for salmonines in Lake Superior, lake whitefish is commercially important. Biomass of lake whitefish was low in U.S. waters during 1978-1983, moderate in 1984-1987, and increasing or high in 1989-1995. Peak biomass occurred in 1995, but then it declined 84% in 1996 and increased in 1997 to 26% above the 20-year mean. Biomass in Canadian waters fluctuated little through time. In Michigan, biomass was <1 kg/ha from 1978 to 1984, but then increased to 2.6 kg/ha in 1985. Biomass decreased from 1985 to 1986, and then tended to increase annually until 1994, when biomass peaked at 4.1 kg/ha, and declined thereafter. LAKE MICHIGAN The biomass of age-1 and older alewife available to the
bottom trawls in Lake Michigan during 1997 was 38,500 metric tons, which was slightly
higher than the 1996 biomass of 30,000 metric tons. Biomass of age-1 and older bloaters
increased slightly from 262,000 metric tons in 1996 to 280,800 metric tons in 1997.
Although the bloater recruitment index increased from 1996 to 1997, the 1997 bloater
year-class strength was low compared with bloater year-class strengths during the 1980s.
Lakewide biomass of age-1 and older rainbow smelt was estimated at 3,400 metric tons.
Thus, the rainbow smelt population biomass, as estimated using bottom trawls, has
continued to decline since 1992. Yellow perch reproduction was low for the seventh
consecutive year; only four age-0 yellow perch were caught in trawls. Estimated biomass of alewives decreased in 1997 to about
16,180 metric tons from 25,300 metric tons in 1996. However, adult alewife biomass
increased to 10,715 metric tons. Juvenile alewives were only 34% of the total biomass in
1997 whereas in 1996 juvenile alewives made up about 60%. Bloater biomass was estimated at
19,868 metric tons in 1997 compared to 19,317 metric tons in 1996. Adult bloater biomass
has declined overall since the early 1990s because of poor recruitment to the adult
population in recent years. The 1997 bloater year-class appears much stronger than those
observed since 1992 but is smaller than the year-classes that contributed to the
population buildup during the 1980s. Adult rainbow smelt showed no change in biomass in
1997; biomass was estimated at 8,990 metric tons compared to 8,523 t in 1996. Catches of
young-of-the-year rainbow smelt were smaller in 1996, but the 1994-1997 age-0 catches have
been the largest seen in recent years. Catches of lake whitefish were lower than those in
1996 and less than the 1992-1996 mean. Preliminary investigations by the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources indicate that in certain areas of Lake Michigan, up to 77% of subsampled
lake whitefish tested positive for bacterial kidney disease (BKD) using FELISA. Additional
testing is planned for 1998 and future years to determine if these levels are normal or
showing any trends. Past assessment results indicate that there are 14 siscowet for every lean lake trout in the U.S. waters of Lake Superior. Gill net surveys of siscowet populations throughout U.S. waters of Lake Superior were conducted again in 1997 in waters 50 to 720 feet deep. Although the survey has been very successful and provided the Lake Superior Technical Committee with insightful information, the committee decided not to conduct another coordinated survey of siscowet in 1998. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was encouraged to conduct a survey in Ontario waters of Lake Superior. The Lake Superior Technical Committee agreed to focus future
efforts at surveying the fish community in water deeper that 100 fathoms. The survey in
these waters will be a combination of bottom trawling and gill net surveys. The U.S.
Geological Survey has expressed an interest in sampling the open, deep portions of Lake
Superior. In recent efforts to develop a food market for sea lamprey,
Jeff Gunderson of the Minnesota Sea Grant Program reports that chemical analysis of sea
lamprey from northern Lake Huron shows that they are well within FDA safety guidelines for
human consumption. The University of Minnesota Trace Organics Analytical Lab of the
Natural Resources Institute analyzed the sea lamprey tissue and eggs for polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) as total aroclors, PCBs as specific congeners, and various pesticides
including toxaphene and technical chlordane. Scientists from Portugal and Spain plan to
visit the U.S. in June to present the results of their marketing analysis of sea lamprey. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans David Anderson announced April 1st that Canada will provide $6 million (Canadian) in fiscal year 1998-1999 to support the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's (GLFC) sea lamprey control and research program. Canada's contribution represents a $900,000 increase from last year and strengthens Canada's commitment to fund this successful and vital fishery management program. Canada's funds, combined with contributions from the United States, from the State of Michigan, and from other partners, ensures that sea lamprey control and research will continue in 1998 and that sea lamprey control on the St. Marys River will commence. Sea lamprey control on the St. Marys River is currently the
GLFC's biggest challenge. The large river produces more sea lampreys that all of the Great
Lakes combined. Recent innovations in sea lamprey control technology-- including trapping,
sterile male release, and a new formulation of the lampricide--will allow the commission
and its agents to achieve effective control on the river. The Sterile Male Release Technique Task Force has explored additional sources of male lampreys for use in the sterile male release technique. Male lampreys from the Atlantic Ocean have been proposed for use in the Great Lakes to supplement the supply of lampreys currently available. Use of Atlantic origin lampreys offer the following advantages:
The Task Force has determined that importation of Atlantic origin lampreys for sterilization and release in the Great Lakes is feasible and cost effective, but involves some risk. It is the consensus of the Task Force that the risk of importation of undesirable genetic traits is low enough to be acceptable. They are unsure of the potential to import disease and await a response from the Fish Health Committee. They do not expect significant opposition from the public. The Task Force recommends that any further planning and research be focused on resolution of potential risks until the Commission makes a decision on importation of Atlantic origin lampreys. If the Commission requests further research to define the level of risk, they ask that it provide some guidance on the level of risk that is acceptable. Lake Erie perch and walleye total allowable catch for 1998 Fishery managers from Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario gathered recently in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to focus attention on the state of the Lake Erie fishery and to decide the total allowable catch (TAC) for 1998. Based on research and reports from its technical committees and noting a poor 1997 yellow perch year-class, the Lake Erie Committee held the TAC for yellow perch steady in 1998 at 7.44 million pounds. The 1998 yellow perch fishery will depend on the 1995 year-class and a large, although slow growing, 1996 year-class. The 1997 year-class is weak and will not significantly add to the 1999 population. The Lake Erie Committee feels that because of these factors, it is important to hold the total allowable catch steady in 1998 and to closely monitor the situation for possible adjustment next year. The committee also agreed to a walleye TAC of 10.3 million
fish in 1998, a slight increase from 9.7 million fish in 1997. In this decision, the Lake
Erie Committee recognized that the walleye population is healthy and increasing, but also
recognized that sport fishing success has been reduced in recent years, particularly in
eastern Lake Erie. The existing walleye population in Lake Erie is healthy, though poor
walleye year-classes a few years ago have created a situation where recruitment remains
moderate. The committee is able to recommend a slight increase in the catch because the
1996 year-class will contribute approximately 30 million fish in 1998 and because the 1997
year-class is promising. Representatives from the five fisheries agencies on Lake Erie don't want changes to phosphorus target levels in Lake Erie until a more thorough scientific review of the situation can be undertaken. Fisheries managers noted that the significant reductions in phosphorus have benefitted Lake Erie but warned that further reductions could have a serious negative impact on the fish stocks in the lake. They also stated that it would be irresponsible to advocate a position of adding phosphorus to the lake to increase fish production until there is clear scientific evidence that this would be an appropriate strategy. The Committee strongly encouraged all relevant agencies to commit resources and to work together to undertake a scientific review of phosphorus management on Lake Erie. Phosphorus is the principal nutrient controlling primary productivity in freshwater ecosystems. Primary productivity has a direct and major influence on fish production. Too much phosphorus can lead to excessive amounts of algae while too little phosphorus can reduce the capability of a lake to support large amounts of fish. Recent declines in the abundance of some of Lake Erie's most important fish species, such as yellow perch, rainbow smelt and walleye, are thought to be strongly related to the combined efforts of reduced phosphorus loadings and the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels. A considerable amount of science needs to be devoted to understanding and unraveling the relative and cumulative effects of mussels and phosphorus concentrations on the fish production of Lake Erie. Further reductions in phosphorus levels may result in a
cleaner, clearer lake but could result in a change in the mix of fish species in the lake
and a reduction in the abundance of fish. Lake Erie currently supports a thriving sport
and commercial fishery that provides important economic and social benefits to both Canada
and the United States. Middle-aged men who eat a weekly meal of "fatty" fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel or shellfish cut in half their risk of suffering a sudden, deadly heart attack. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston studied 11 years worth of data on the dietary habits and health of 20,551 male physicians, aged 40 to 84 years, and found that those who ate seafood containing the n-3 fatty acid at least once a week had a 52 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death compared to those who ate fish less than once a month. Approximately 250,000 sudden cardiac deaths occur in the United States each year, and more than half the victims did not have any previous history of heart disease. The health benefits enjoyed by consumers of fish may partly be attributed to their healthier habits in general, as they were more likely to exercise regularly and take antioxidant vitamins, the report said. However, the data gleaned from the Physicians' Health Study, begun in 1982, did not show any beneficial relationship between fish consumption and the overall risk of heart attack, coronary heart disease death or non-sudden cardiac death, the report written by the hospital's Christine Albert said. Also, the protective heart benefit from eating fish did not increase for subjects who ate more than one meal of fish a week, indicating a threshold effect, Albert wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A previous study of 1,800 Western Electric workers that began in 1957 showed regular meals of fish lowered the overall risk of heart disease by 38 percent and of heart attack by 60 percent compared to men who ate red meat. The disparity regarding heart disease between the two studies may be due to differing criteria for what constitutes ''sudden death,'' Dutch researcher Daan Kromhout wrote in an accompanying editorial. ''The existing evidence suggests that consumption of fish once a week will help prevent coronary heart disease and therefore should be a component of a healthy diet,'' concluded Kromhout of the Netherlands' National Institute of Public Health and the Environment. ''It also appears justified to advise patients with cardiac disease to consume two fish servings per week. These levels of fish consumption not only may help reduce coronary heart disease mortality but also may favorably influence all-cause mortality,'' Kromhout wrote. Help available to answer those difficult HACCP questions If you have Seafood HACCP questions for the FDA you can call 202-418-3150 during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST) or you can E-mail questions to: seafood@bangate.fda.gov. The questions that are received and their answers will be used to update the "HACCP REGULATIONS FOR FISH & FISHERY PRODUCTS, QUESTIONS & ANSWERS" location on the FDA web site. To get to this site just go to: www.fda.gov then to Foods, then to seafood. This site contains the answers to many questions at this time and I recommend that you take a look at it if you have access to the Internet. Monitoring of sanitation control procedures required by law Most of you who participated in one of our recent Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) workshops should now have your HACCP Plan up and running. You should also be aware that you must address sanitation control procedures at your facility. Although not required by law, each processor should have and implement a written sanitation standard operating procedure (SSOP) or similar document that is specific to each location where fish and fishery products are produced. The SSOP should specify how the processor will meet those sanitation conditions and practices that are to be monitored. The law does require each processor to monitor the conditions and practices during processing with sufficient frequency to ensure, at a minimum, conformance with those conditions and practices that are both appropriate to the plant and the food being processed and relate to the following:
The processor shall correct in a timely manner, those conditions and practices that are not met. Each processor shall maintain sanitation control records that, at a minimum, document the monitoring and corrections prescribed by the eight areas listed above. Sanitation controls may be included in the HACCP plan; however, to the extent that they are monitored in accordance with eight areas listed, they need not be included in the HACCP plan. If you have any specific questions regarding your HACCP plan
or sanitation standard operating procedure, feel free to contact Ron Kinnunen
(906-228-4830). The following scenarios provide clarification on several
issues specific to aquaculture producers who are involved in "custom processing"
on a small scale directly to end-users (customer-consumers) and live fish haulers. These
practices are EXEMPT from the FDA federal HACCP regulations, but may need to comply with
specific state and/or local regulations. Also clarified is the seafood HACCP regulatory
status for aquaculture producers who box and ice whole fish for delivery or pick-up for
marketing purposes. One issue that can trigger the need to comply with the federal seafood
HACCP inspection regulations is "holding." Although there is no clear definition
of this term in the final rule, holding product on ice for extended periods (i.e., more
than 24 hours) during times when markets are open, can be considered "holding."
3 a. There are circumstances involved in the harvest, boxing,
icing, transporting and/or marketing of whole, cultured fish whereby the producer engaged
in any of these activities can be considered a processor and subject to seafood processor
inspection regulations.
SCENARIO 3
SCENARIO 4
SCENARIO 5
Aquaculture research funds available through NCRAC The North Central Regional Aquaculture Center (NCRAC) will hold workshops on Sunfish Aquaculture (June 1, 1998) and Walleye Aquaculture (June 2, 1998) in Rosemont, Illinois. Individuals who have an interest in the subjects of these workshops are invited to attend. Representatives of the regional aquaculture industry are particularly welcome. Individuals interested in the project, but unable to attend, should send an alternate to articulate their interest. The purpose is to identify interested parties who are best qualified to work on project objectives by virtue of a demonstrated record of expertise and access to facilities required in the project. These people will form a Work Group for the purpose of writing a project outline that will be submitted to NCRAC by October 1, 1998 to obtain funding. NCRAC's Board of Directors has allocated funds to be spent on this program over a two-year interval September 1, 1999 to August 31, 2001. The workshop meetings will be chaired by Dr. Ted Batterson, NCRAC Director, Michigan State University. Anyone planning on attending the workshop must contact the director's office. This can be either in writing, telephone or fax. Dr. Ted Batterson Michigan's 41 commercial trout operations sold 628,000 pounds of trout during the year ending August 31, 1997. This was a decrease of 24 percent from last season. Sales were valued at $1.49 million, and included sales of foodsize trout (12 inches or longer), stockers (6 to 12 inches), fingerlings (2 to 6 inches) and eggs. Foodsize trout had sales of 540,000 pounds with an average liveweight of 0.98 pounds per fish. The major sales outlets were direct sales to fee fishing at 43 percent of total, 16 percent to live haulers, 12 percent to restaurants and retailers, and 10 percent to processors. Stocker trout sales totaled 75,000 pounds with an average liveweight of 0.34 pounds per trout. Fee fishing at 37 percent of sales, live haulers at 34 percent, and sales to other producers at 17 percent accounted for the majority of sales. Number of fingerling sold was 485,000, down 31 percent from last year. The value of sales also decreased to $70,000 and averaged $5.38 per pound. Losses of trout in Michigan amounted to 233,000 fish, weighing 54,000 pounds. Predators, disease, and theft/vandalism were among the leading causes of death, accounting for the majority of all fish lost. Red Lake Chippewa, Univ. of Wisconsin forge aquaculture alliance The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and the University of Wisconsin System Aquaculture Institute in Milwaukee have signed an agreement to study the potential for raising yellow perch at an aquaculture facility to be built on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. A $10,000 grant from the UW Sea Grant Institute and a matching $10,000 from the Red Lake Band will cover the cost of constructing a commercial-scale Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) unit at the UW Aquaculture Institute, which will be used to train Red Lake fisheries personnel. An additional $65,000 from Red Lake will fund the installation of a demonstration unit at Red Lake, as well as a commercial-scale system to be built in the near future. This unique cooperative effort is designed to help revitalize the tribe's fisheries industry, boost the local economy and offer a fish-farming model for other tribes and entrepreneurs to follow. If all goes according to schedule, the tribe could begin harvesting yellow perch in the fall of 1999. "Under the new agreement, we will combine our knowledge of the Red Lake perch biology with the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology," said Fred Binkowski, aquaculture director at the UW System Wisconsin Aquatic Technology & Environmental Research Institute (WATER). He explained the RAS unit involves raising fish in tanks, which requires extremely demanding standards of water quality and waste removal. Binkowski added that the RAS technology might prove to be the most efficient and cost-effective method of raising yellow perch in captivity. "At our Milwaukee facility, the Red Lake personnel will learn the engineering aspects, the water quality aspects and then, perhaps most importantly, they'll be learning about the biology and intensive aquaculture of yellow perch," he said. "If all goes according to plan, we will then construct the commercial-sized operation at Red Lake and hopefully begin harvesting in the fall of 1999." A successful RAS unit will help tribe members return to commercial fish production and will mean fish with the Red Lake label will once again grace the dinner tables of the north-central United States. Also, lessons learned through this project might open doors for others. "This is more than a one-time shot," Binkowski said. "We already have had some contact with other tribes as well as private groups from the state, region and country interested in yellow perch aquaculture." As the Aquaculture Specialist with UW Sea Grant Advisory Services, Binkowski also has done some work on whitefish aquaculture with the Leech Lake Band in Minnesota. Aquaculture drug approval progress in the United States
Source: Rosalie A. Schnick, National Coordinator for
Aquaculture New Animal Drug Applications, Michigan State University A recent issue of the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health included a report about stress response in rainbow trout. Marko A.W. Ruis and Christopher J. Bayne of Oregon State University studied the effects of acute stress on blood clotting and yeast killing in rainbow trout. The ability of blood to clot and kill foreign organisms can be important to the survival of trout immediately following an acutely stressful event --for example, the capture and release of a trout by an angler. Running somewhat contrary to the commonly held belief that stress is "bad," Ruis and Bayne discovered that acute stress actually decreased clotting times and increased the ability of trout blood to kill yeast cells. They explained the apparent contradiction by saying, "Persistence of stressors generally causes biological tolerance limits to be exceeded. Consequently, susceptibility to disease increases under chronic stress, when the individual is given no opportunity to escape. Stress responses to multiple acute disturbances were found to be cumulative, indicating that acute stressors probably also are immunosuppressive when experienced repeatedly, such as in routine fish hatchery procedures like handling and transport." Apparently, stress can be positive in small and infrequent doses. MICHIGAN SEA GRANT EXTENSION AGENTS
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