National Shellfish Sanitation Program

A third concern is the industry s ability to compete with clam products harvested from the East Coast, Canada, Japan and Korea. To successfully compete, we must establish a reputation for a safe and wholesome quality product. To this end, Alaska has become a member of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program which allows us to participate in interstate marketing. In addition, the state has instituted a seafood certification program. 

Selected references. These procedures were adapted essentially from AO AC Official Methods of Analysis [7s], The Society for Analytical Chemistry, Official, Standardised and Recommended Methods of Analysis [8g], UK Ministry of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 27 [21], Subcommittee on Procedures of the Chemistry Task Force of the (US) National Shellfish Sanitation Program [24] and Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission [125b]. Other pertinent references are 30i, 37a, 38d, 39d and 128b. 

Subcommittee on Procedures of the Chemistry Task Force of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, Collection, Preparation and Analysis of Trace Metals in Shellfish, USDHEW, PHS, FDA, Publ. No (FDA) 76-2006,1975. 

The mouse bioassay (MBA) was developed 70 years ago by Sommer and Meyer as part of their pioneering work that related the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella (Gonyaulax) as a causative agent of PSP (see Wekell et al ). At the time, the identity of the paralyzing toxic compounds was not known and the MBA remained for several years as a field test to help health officials manage toxic outbreaks in Alaska and British Columbia.Only after a purified saxitoxin dihydrochloride was made available in 1950 was it possible to calibrate the assay, and the AOAC accepted the new version of the MBA as an official method. Reasons for the sustained application of the MBA lie in its simplicity of application, relatively low cost, and availability of test protocols to calibrate mice strains to compare operator performance and to perform repeatability and reproducibility studies (National Shellfish Sanitation Program, USA ). 

NSSP, 2005. National Shellfish Sanitation Program, Guide for the Control of MoUuscan Shellfish. http //www.cfsan.fda.gov/ ear/nss3-toc.html... 

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