Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Strengthens Safety Inspections for Shellfish Toxins

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 8th that it will strengthen safety inspections this year to ensure the safe supply of shellfish.

Shellfish toxins mainly spread from the southern coast starting in March and then to the east and west coasts. Consumption can cause risks such as muscle paralysis, amnesia, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will expand the inspection points and items this year, and advance the regular inspection period, which usually starts in March, to February.

First, for inspection points where shellfish toxins below the standard were detected in last month's sample survey, inspections will be conducted twice a week to thoroughly check in advance whether the toxin levels exceed the standard. From March to June, when shellfish toxins spread intensively, the number of inspection points will be expanded from the existing 102 to 109, and inspections will be conducted once every 1 to 2 weeks. From July, when shellfish toxins disappear, until February of the following year, monthly 1 to 2 sample inspections will be conducted at 50 major coastal inspection points to continuously manage safety.

The inspection items for shellfish toxins will also be expanded. Until last year, only paralytic and diarrhetic shellfish toxins were inspected, but from this year, amnesic shellfish toxins will also be included in the inspection items. For ark shells shipped throughout the year, a special monthly shellfish toxin inspection will be conducted from this year to ensure safety.

If shellfish toxins are detected above the standard in the safety inspection results, ▲ the sea area within the inspection point will be designated as a 'shellfish shipment prohibited area,' and ▲ shellfish farming households wishing to ship from the prohibited area will be required to undergo prior inspection and only shellfish meeting the standards will be allowed to be shipped.

Lee Suho, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Shellfish toxins are not removed even if shellfish are heated or cooked, so special caution is required," and added, "We ask shellfish farming households to actively cooperate with the inspections and ship only verified shellfish to do their best for a safe supply."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.