New York Sea Grant's "Seafood Technology" site features a variety of the program's education efforts and research projects.

Research and Extension Initiatives

Sea Grant extension specialists work to put together various workshops and educational materials aimed at providing accurate science based information to consumers, industry and regulators. These resources can be used by consumers, producers, processors and regulatory agencies to guide them in making educated wholesome decisions with regard to seafood purchasing, handling and regulation.  The Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) internet training courses aid industry in assuring compliance with current FDA regulations. A variety of publications and websites have been prepared to help consumers, industry professionals and regulators stay informed on trending topics surrounding seafood. Links to these can be found in the “Publications” and “Resources” section of this Web site. 

Partnerships and Collaborations  
       
NYSG's Seafood Technology program works with many other partners and groups including industry organizations, federal and state regulatory agencies, universities and other Sea Grant programs. Links to many of the Web sites for these organizations can be found in the “Resources” section. New York Sea Grant’s past Seafood Specialist, Ken Gall, has collaborated with Dr. Martin Weidmann of Cornell’s Department of Food Science for over ten years to help producers of RTE seafood products such as smoked fish, crab meat, crawfish, cooked shrimp, seafood salads that will not be cooked before they are eaten to control the food-borne illness causing bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes.

Research, collaboration and outreach efforts with university and industry partners led to the development of a national Smoked Seafood Working Group, Listeria Control Manual (click here). Additional employee training programs focused on Listeria control are also available at this  Many of the suggestions outlined in this control manual have been included in the “Guidance for Industry on the Control of  Listeria monocytogenes in Refrigerated or Frozen Ready-to-Eat Foods” that was issued by FDA in 2008 (click here). FDA is currently conducting a risk assessment for control options for Listeria monocytogenes in smoked fish, and expert consultations were provided by both Ken Gall and Dr. Weidmann in collaboration with the smoked seafood industry.
 
Sea Grant Funded Research

NY Sea Grant has funded a variety of research projects on issues related to seafood safety and NY seafood products and their effective utilization. For more on this topic, search "Seafood" in our research database at www.nyseagrant.org/researchprojects.

Two New York Sea Grant funded projects designed to understand contamination patterns in smoked seafood operations in NY were conducted in the late 1990s. Following this initial work, Dr. Weidmann’s laboratory received over $1 million in funding support from the USDA/CSREES National Food Safety Competitive Research program to develop research and outreach activities to help producers of these products control Listeria. Collaborators were from the Universities of Delaware and Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Louisiana State University, the National Fisheries Institute and the National Food Processors Association.

Technical Support

Many individual seafood businesses, regulators, and other professionals involved in the implementation of science-based seafood safety controls need technical help and guidance. NY Sea Grant’s Ken Gall has provided technical assistance to over 500 seafood businesses and numerous regulatory agencies from NY and other states on HACCP, food safety issues, and HACCP training. His successor Mike Ciaramella has taken on this role as a technical adviser and industry liaison as needed.