AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Michael James Thompson for the degree of Master of Science in Marine Resource Management presented on February 4, 2005. Title: Integrating Traceability with Onboard Handling to Enhance Product Quality and Marketability of Eastern Pacific Troll­caught Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga). Abstract Approved:______________________________________________________ Gilbert Sylvia The fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest is a dynamic and highly competitive industry that must constantly respond to rapidly changing resource, regulatory and market forces. These forces have already had a significant impact on our fisheries and will continue to do so as we learn more about the biology and ecology of harvested species, and how this information can be used to effectively manage our fisheries. In addition, market forces, both here and abroad, including the push by some governments to improve food safety and consumer confidence, are also having an impact on the U.S. seafood industry. In an attempt to address these issues, the European Union (E.U.) recently enacted traceability legislation, now mandatory for seafood, which will require all U.S. businesses exporting to the E.U. to provide adequate traceability documentation on their products. This legislation will have an impact on many U.S. fisheries, including the troll­caught albacore fishery in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which, after losing its traditional market, has recently relied heavily on exporting. Although the term traceability has been around for some time it is relatively new to the U.S. food industry and many in the seafood sector, who now face the possibility of mandatory traceability, have not yet considered all its implications. Another issue facing the Eastern Pacific albacore fishery is that of product quality. Traditionally, this fishery has concentrated on producing albacore for the high­volume cannery market, which does not require the same stringent quality control standards as other market sectors. Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga), members of the Scrombroid family, are capable of thermoregulation and can exhibit internal temperatures of more than 15º C above ambient seawater. High internal temperatures, if sustained, and residual blood content can stimulate bacterial growth, which can eventually lead to scrombroid poisoning in humans. This makes the time immediately after landing critical in attaining and preserving important quality traits. In order to develop new markets for Eastern Pacific troll­caught albacore, quality needs to be improved and/or maintained within the industry at a sufficient level to supply market demands. This would require at least a portion of the industry to implement a set of onboard handling procedures designed to preserve and maintain quality. Although guidelines for handling albacore are available there is no industry “standard” for producing high quality products and only limited research presently exists into preserving quality traits of albacore onboard a vessel. The first paper in this thesis explores the concepts of traceability, current traceability legislation, and the potential applications of traceability systems to improve quality and marketing of U.S. seafood products. The second paper evaluates different onboard bleeding and handling techniques, which can affect product quality, currently used in the albacore industry and their ability to remove blood from the muscle tissues. Thirty­two different combinations of handling techniques and their affect on residual blood content were investigated by examining blood concentrations within the muscle tissue, using spectrophotometry methods, and cutaneous blood vessel coverage, by computer­aided digital color analysis. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that three of the five factors investigated had some influence on residual blood content. The third paper in this thesis evaluates the design and development of a computer­based onboard traceability system with integrated barcode technology, capable of efficiently recording capture and handling data. Two system trials were conducted, during normal fishing operations, where a total of 450 albacore tuna were successfully entered into the traceability database through the use of the Fishery Data Interface application. Documentation supplied by this system, which includes both spatial and temporal data, as well as information on product activities, will enable businesses to meet existing traceability requirements while also providing a new tool for the marketing of seafood products produced in the United States. ©Copyright by Michael J. Thompson February 4, 2005 All Rights Reserved Integrating Traceability with Onboard Handling to Enhance Product Quality and Marketability of Eastern Pacific Troll­caught Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga) By Michael J. Thompson A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Presented February 4, 2005 Commencement June 2007 Master of Science thesis of Michael J. Thompson presented on February 4, 2005 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Marine Resource Management Dean of College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Dean of Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Michael J. Thompson, Author AKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my wonderful mother for putting up with me and always being there when I needed her. Without her support and love throughout my life, many of my accomplishments would have been much more difficult. My gratitude also goes out to my friends and advisors, Gil Sylvia and Michael Morrissey, who gave me the opportunity to achieve this lifetime goal. They were there to give me plenty of good advice (well sometimes?), support (definitely) and more work than I thought I could handle (always). Thanks also to OSU, COAS and the Marine Resource Management crew (in particular Jim Good, Laurie Jodice, Joy Burck, Ronda Bullis) and all the others for providing an excellent atmosphere and program. I greatly appreciate the help of my research assistant, and more importantly my friend, Sean for braving the open oceans and feeding many fish on our adventures ­ not to mention keeping me sane or insane depending on the need. Thanks also go out to the vessels, F/V Hans Halvor and F/V EZC, which were vital to accomplishing this research. I greatly appreciate the funding from the Community Seafood Initiative and the other members of this dynamic and enjoyable team (Diane, Michael and Dave). Recognition definitely goes out to all the people at the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station and the Astoria Seafood Laboratory for their kindness and support. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge all my friends that made it a pleasure throughout ­ especially for those who were so vital in destroying my house and keeping the fire burning. Without you this would not have been as enjoyable as it was. Thanks. THAT’S ALL FOLKS! CONTRIBUTION OF AUTHORS Dr. Gilbert Sylvia and Dr. Michael Morrissey provided the funding and assisted in the initial re­write and final proof of the first paper in this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction……………………………………………………………………... 1 Seafood Traceability in the United States: Current Trends, System Design, and Potential Applications……………………………………………………… 7 Introduction………………………………………………………………. 8 Legislation………………………………………………………………... 11 Traceability………………………………………………………………. 14 Software Solutions……………………………………………………….. 21 Discussion………………………………………………………………... 24 References………………………………………………………………... 26 Onboard Handling of Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga): Bleeding Methods to Improve Quality in the Pacific Northwest Troll Fishery…………... 30 Introduction………………………………………………………………. 30 Materials and Methods…………………………………………………… 37 Sample Collection……………………...………………………….. 37 Sample Preparation…………...…………………………………… 42 Statistical Analysis…………………...……………………………. 46 Results……………………………………………………………………. 48 Discussion………………………………………………………………... 58 References………………………………………………………………... 67 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Design and Development of an Onboard Electronic Traceability System in the Eastern Pacific Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga) Fishery……………. 72 Introduction…………………………………………………………....... 72 Materials and Methods………………………………………………….. 78 Results…..………………………………………………………………. 85 Discussion…………………………………………………….................. 90 References……………………………………………………….............. 99 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………. 101 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………… 104 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 Digital image of tuna loin with reference tile before cropping (A) and after (B)…………………………………………………………. 44 2.2 2003 Digital image visual analysis with medians (●) and standard deviations (in parentheses)…………………………………………... 49 2.3 Calibrated digital images of loins before color contouring (A,B) and after (C, D) with residual blood is shown in black………………….. 50 2.4 2003 Spectrophotometry results with median (●) and standard deviations (in parentheses)…………………………………………... 53 2.5 2004 Digital image analysis results with medians (●) and standard deviations (in parentheses)…………………………………………... 56 2.6 2004 Spectrophotometry results with medians (●) and standard deviations (in parentheses)…………………………………………... 57 3.1 Locations of albacore captured onboard the F/V Hans Halvor……… 86 3.2 Locations