Seafood NET NEWS. T he Seafood Processors News will be. New Look For Seafood Processor News. Dr. Vor Suvanich was. We would very much

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1 Seafood NET NEWS Louisiana Seafood Resources FALL 2000 New Look For Seafood Processor News We Are On The Web NOW!!...Michael W. Moody T he Seafood Processors News will be available only on the web (Seafood Net) beginning with this issue. Louisiana seafood processors should have received information and survey sheets in the mail that gives some details. If you have not done so, please forward or fax the survey sheet back to me. If you have not received a survey sheet, please contact me on the web at my address at mmoody@agctr.lsu.edu so that we can get your input. We are excited about the new web page. It will not only provide a wealth of seafood related information to processors, associations and consumers but will provide a means for us to economically and quickly disseminate the information to users. Take a look at the page at: wwwac/seafood/home_in dex.htm Note: There is an underline between home and index. Dr. Vor Suvanich was instrumental in development of the page. She is currently an Extension Associate with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and will be available to provide technical assistance to you if you encounter any problems. She can be reached telephonically at (225) or electronically at: vsuvanich@agctr.lsu.edu We would very much appreciate your comments and suggestions on ways that we may better provide you with information on the web. Our new mailing address is: Seafood Extension Department of Food Science Room 206 Food Science Building Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA Phone: (225) Fax: (225)

2 TMDL...What Does It Really Mean???...David Bankston. Here we go again - a bunch of letters strung together. This time they stand for Total Maximum Daily Load. What this means is that each water body (stream, river, lake, bayou) will be evaluated to determine the maximum daily load of various pollutants it can receive and still meet the standards for its intended use. In a sense, the TMDL is a pollution budget. That budget will be allocated among all sources - (parking lot runoff, sewage treatment plants, farmland, pasture land septic tanks etc. will be included in the budget.) - but how that allocation will be done has not yet been decided. There are many types of pollutants - chemicals, bacteria, silt, heavy metals, nutrients such as nitrogen and materials that deplete the oxygen level in the stream are some. One of the more stringent requirements for Louisiana is the requirement that a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration be maintained. The minimum concentration will depend upon the stream and its intended use. However, it is expected that many of Louisiana s waterways would have difficulty meeting the dissolved oxygen criteria. This is due to several factors. One is that the hotter the water, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold. Another is that organic matter consumes oxygen as it is broken down by microorganisms. Louisiana streams tend to have high levels of organic matter - much of it from natural, not man-made sources. Also, rapidly moving streams with rapids and waterfalls are best for absorbing oxygen into the water. Most Louisiana waterways are slow moving with gradual drops. What this means is that the allowable TMDL for oxygen consuming discharges is likely to be low, if any are allowed at all. And the allowable discharges will have to be divided up among all sources entering the water body. The preferred way of addressing this situation would be through adoption of BMPs (best management practices) for the particular operation which impacts the water body. Perhaps remarkably, elements of BMPs for cleanup operations are, for the most part, in agreement with SSOP (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures) for cleanup. The first step for both is a dry cleanup. In a dry cleanup surfaces are cleaned without the use of water and the waste is collected for proper disposal - composting, land application, further use or landfill as appropriate - but it does not end up in the water. The second step is to clean the surfaces with plenty of elbow grease and a minimum amount of chemicals. This is followed by a sanitation step in which a measured concentration of sanitizer is used. Cleaning first, then sanitizing greatly reduces the amount of sanitizer such as bleach, that is needed. In other words, you don t need to dump a bottle of bleach on a surface to properly sanitize it. Thus, the amount of biocides (sanitizer) that

3 enters the water is minimized without compromising plant sanitation. This also makes it much more likely that a water treatment plant will operate properly since much of the treatment process involves biological treatment by microorganisms that could be killed by exposure to high concentrations of sanitizers. In addition to the previous measures, any BMP developed for seafood processing plants would probably include straining of waste water. This is routinely done by shrimp processors. If the waste water is treated before release, either on site or off, reduction in the volume of wastewater is beneficial. In this regards, manufacturers of processing equipment, such as Laitram, have developed methods of reducing the water usage while still satisfying FDA requirements. In summary, the TMDL requirements could have a serious impact on all who discharge into a water body. It deserves your attention. Hopefully, voluntary BMPs which are economically feasible will be sufficient or at least reduce the potential adverse economic impact of the regulations. Fish Processing Equipment-Depreciation Issues From Fishing Information News...Ken Roberts W hat is the depreciable life of fish processing equipment? Taxpayers who operate fish processing facilities are often faced with this question. Typically, these facilities sort and process fish, and packages, freezes and prepares the fish products form shipment. The processing lines operate under a complex combination of computer and manual controls and continuously function under severe conditions such as extreme temperatures and corrosive salt water. Fish processing equipment includes items such as belts and screw, conveyors, bins, holding tanks, washes, climate control devices, screens, separators, automatic deheaders and filleters, waste product recovery systems, refiners, plate freezers, packaging equipment, and a large number of standard motors and power transmission systems. It has been the long standing position of the Internal Revenue Service that fish processing equipment falls under the Asset Class 20.4 as food production and manufacturing equipment and should be depreciated over 7 years. Some taxpayers are erroneously treating these assets as special handling devices, as described in Asset Class 20.5, and are depreciating them over 3 years. The Office of Chief Counsel stated in Letter Ruling that a taxpayer s reliance on the economic life of the assets corresponding to the 3-year recovery period is unsupported since recovery periods are statutorily defined by class lives and do not correspond to economic lives. They also noted that the fact that a taxpayer s fish processing equipment is species specific does not justify a shorter recovery period.

4 Special handling devices such as returnable pallets, palletized containers, boxes, baskets, carts and flaking trays used in a taxpayer s fish processing facility may be classified under Asset Class 20.5 and be depreciated over 3 years. COMING SOON!!! Sanitation Control Procedures (SCP) Training...Michael Moody HACCP training for the seafood industry is an on-going effort begun in Most Louisiana processing plants have a HACCP trained individual as required by FDA regulations. In addition, most processing facilities have a HACCP plan in place as per the regulations. The LSU Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) has given approximately 25 HACCP courses state-wide to more than 1000 individuals. We continue to offer HACCP training but on a reduced scale. In the future the course will be offered only twice a year. The next course is scheduled for January 23-25, If you are interested in taking the three day HACCP course, refer to the Sea Net (web page) for up coming news about registration. As a result of the HACCP course, many seafood processors expressed interest in a more detailed training course in Sanitation Control Procedures (SSOP). As you know, Sanitation Control Procedures require that you maintain control over eight area of sanitation in your facility and that you maintain records to prove it. In the three day HACCP training course, only about one hour is used to discuss sanitation (SSOPs) and the required records. Many processors felt that this was not sufficient time and requested a separate SCP (SSOP) course. In response to industry request, a new SCP (SSOP) was developed and provided by the Seafood HACCP Alliance. This one day course is intended to assist the seafood industry and the respective inspection authorities in developing and implementing Sanitation Control Procedures as mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration (21 CFR 123). This regulation is commonly known as the Seafood HACCP Regulation which became effective in December Since this date, seafood processors have been required to monitor sanitary control procedures used during processing in order to show conformance with good sanitary conditions and practices. In addition to basic food sanitation and good manufacturing practices, the course features methods to address the regulatory monitoring requirements and encourages development of written SSOPs. Course participants will learn how to draft SSOPs and build monitoring programs for FDA s eight key sanitary conditions.

5 Unlike the course in HACCP principles, there is no mandatory training requirement for specific training in SSOPs. However, this course greatly assist processors in establishing a strong sanitation program in their facilities. We will cover the FDA recommended SSOP record forms and have detailed discussion about sanitation practices and recommendations. MEMORY FOR JUNE 2000 LOUISIANA SEAFOOD HACCP TRAINING... The course is one day in length and will be initially offered at three sites throughout the state. The cost for the course will be $55.00 per student. The fee covers the cost of the manual, registration and certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). Our Three LA HACCP Trainers: David Leray, Mike Moody, and David Bankston You should pre-register for these courses. Registration can information can be obtained from the Sea Net Web Page. If you prefer you may use the attached registration form. HACCP Classroom Instruction The locations of the SCP courses are as follows: October 16: November 1: November 8: LUMCON, Cocodrie, LA Lafayette, LA New Orleans, LA Graduates of the Seafood HACCP Training (June 2000)