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In-shore Vessels

Inshore fishing vessels harvest fish and other seafood for sale both on the New Zealand market and for export. At present these vessels fall outside the jurisdiction of the Animal Products Act 1999, though any seafood they provide to the market must comply with the Food Act 1981, which prohibits the sale of any food that is unsound, unfit for human consumption or contaminated; or contains anything that is injurious to health, offensive or unexpected and unreasonable. In addition, inshore vessel operators who export seafood to the EU must comply with relevant EU Overseas Market Access Requirements.

Inshore fishing vessels are not required to operate under either a registered Risk Management Programme or the Limited Processing Fishing Vessels Regulated Control Scheme. In the absence of such regulation and following consultation with the seafood industry, NZFSA and NZ Seafood Industry Council have developed guidelines to promote safe fish-handling and hygiene practices, and temperature control. New Zealand has a history of histamine poisoning, particularly in the summer. The Guidelines highlight this problem and show how operators can prevent the development of histamine in vulnerable fish species and hence protect public health.

Link to the In-shore vessel guidelines on the Seafood Industry Council site.

• http://www.seafood.co.nz/n402,52.html

Link to the In-shore vessel guidelines on the Seafood Industry Council site and is available at the bottom of this screen under the title of Publications.