Hawai'i Fisheries Initiative - The Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs

Consumers of recreational and subsistence
fishery products are at risk both from
natural toxins and from environmental
contaminants. There is a risk of ciguatera
due to consumption of fish that feed on or
near tropical reefs and prey upon reef fish.
Ciguatera originates in certain algae, which
is consumed by marine finfish. Those
most commonly associated with ciguatera
are groupers, barracuda, snappers, jacks,
mackerel, and triggerfish. 74
Other health and safety concerns include
environmental contaminants (industrial
and municipal discharges, agricultural
practices, and storm water runoff),
chemical pollutants, and heavy metals,
such as mercury in swordfish. 75 Improving
the regulatory scheme through measures
such as HACCP programs provides a
near-term means of managing the safety
risks associated with seafood consumption;
longer-term solutions must be directed at
controlling and ultimately stopping disposal
of human and industrial waste into the
world’s fresh and marine waters. 76
Educating Seafood Consumers
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
began enforcing country of origin labeling
(COOL) requirements for seafood products.
The COOL law requires retailers to label
seafood with its country of origin and
whether it was wild or farmed. 77 There is
currently no USDA organic standard for
seafood; if labels read “organic,” this is
likely a certification by agencies based in
other countries. 78 Seafood labeling –
including COOL-required, safety, and
eco-labeling – have clearly become
important marketing tools that can work for
the benefit of Hawai‘i’s commercial fishing
industry through educating local consumers.
Cryofresh, marketed to be FDA HACCP and
European Union compliant, is a patented
“tasteless smoke” product developed
by Hawai‘i International Seafood to
suspend oxidation in seafood so it can
be frozen, stored, and later thawed. The
primary components of tasteless smoke
are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, and methane. In addition,
tasteless smoke contains trace levels
of various phenols and hydrocarbons.
Tasteless smoke is said to “capture the
fresh-like characteristics of color, taste, and
texture of just-caught seafood.” Seafood
can be stored in freezers and will maintain
its fresh look and marketability for three to
five days after thawing. 79
Fish must be distinguished – either through
a label or counter card – as containing
tasteless smoke or carbon monoxide to
promote color retention; fish can’t be called
“fresh” or “fresh frozen” if they contain
either of these preservatives. In the late
1990s, as the preservation processes were
becoming prevalent in the marketplace,
the FDA, Hawai‘i Department of Health,
and the fresh-seafood industry pushed for
labeling and notice measures, concerned
that unscrupulous importers could use CO
or tasteless smoke treatments to make old
fish appear fresher and dupe consumers .80
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