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BULLETIN

No. 19        99/01/15

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TO: All Holders of the Facilities Inspection Manual

SUBJECT: INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION OF FISH LANDED BY VESSELS OF CANADIAN AND FOREIGN ORIGIN

N.B. This bulletin supersedes and replaces Bulletin nos. 4 and 14. Please remove these Bulletins from your manual.

This bulletin is intended to guide inspectors in the inspection, product certification and use of the "Product of Canada" designation for fish landed in Canada by Canadian and foreign vessels.

1. GENERAL

1.1 All Canadian vessels used for fishing or for transporting fresh round or dressed unfrozen, frozen, salted or pickled fish intended for further processing at Canadian federally registered processing establishments and/or for export shall meet the requirements of Schedule III of the Fish Inspection Regulations (FIR).

1.2 Fishing vessels shall be inspected in accordance with the frequencies prescribed in the local workplan to ascertain compliance with the FIR.

1.3 In accordance with section 14(1.1) of the FIR, all shellfish and crustaceans, excluding live lobster and live crab, landed by fishers must be processed in Canadian federally registered processing establishments if destined for export. Federally registered establishments may include enclosed processing facilities onboard Canadian-flagged freezer-factory ships or shore-based processing facilities.

2. LANDINGS OF LIVE OR FRESH FISH MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF SCHEDULE III ONLY

The following criteria apply to fresh round or dressed unfrozen fish, live shellfish and crustaceans, including landings of shucked scallops:

2.1 Canadian Vessels

Landings by a Canadian fishing vessel are:

a) subject to inspection, may be exported directly, or may be destined for further processing in federally registered fish-processing establishments in accordance with Section 14 of the FIR;

b) eligible for "Product of Canada" designation; and

c) eligible for product certification.

2.2 Foreign Vessels

a) Foreign vessels importing, processing or otherwise handling live molluscan shellfish must comply with the provisions of the National Shellfish Shippers Program and must appear on the approved list of establishments contained in the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL).

b) Landings by foreign vessels intended for further processing at registered fish-processing establishments or for direct sale to consumers are to be considered imports.

c) Fish inspectors shall deal with these imports in accordance with FIR import requirements and charge appropriate fees.

d) To be eligible for certification and designation as "Product of Canada", the lots of fish landed by foreign vessels must have undergone substantial transformation during processing in federally registered fish- processing establishments.

e) Compliance and certification of lots for export is to be in accordance with QMP procedures.

3. LANDINGS OF FROZEN WHOLE, DRESSED OR HEADED & GUTTED FISH OR SALTED OR PICKLED FISH

The following criteria apply to the harvesting of fish, other than shellfish or crustaceans, which is frozen-at-sea in a whole or dressed form, or is salted or pickled:

3.1 Canadian Vessels

a) all landings requiring certification must be delivered to Canadian federally registered fish-processing establishments, and all fish must be treated as "Incoming Fish" under the establishment's QMP;

b) compliance and certification of these lots of fish is to be evaluated in accordance with QMP procedures; and

c) all fish is eligible for a "Product of Canada" designation.

3.2 Foreign Vessels

Foreign vessel landings of sea-frozen fish, salted fish or pickled fish shall be dealt in accordance with section 2.2 of this Bulletin.

4. FISH INCLUDING COOKED AND FROZEN SHRIMP AND OTHER CRUSTACEANS OR SHELLFISH HARVESTED AND PROCESSED BY CANADIAN REGISTERED FREEZER-FACTORY VESSELS

4.1 Canadian Vessels

The following criteria apply to processing on-board Canadian freezer-factory vessels, including all freezer-factory vessels which process raw material to final product form, without recourse to further processing in shore-based establishments:

a) the vessel must be registered as per Section 15 of the FIR, have a QMP and pay applicable fees;

b) certification of lots will only be considered when the lots are made readily available to the inspector and where suitable inspection facilities exist;

c) owners and operators or captains of processing vessels shall permit CFIA to station designated fish inspectors onboard for such periods of time to adequately and properly conduct at-sea inspections of factory processes and products, and shall provide suitable "officer level" food and accommodations, unrestricted radio room access, and when reasonable, facilitate mid-sea transfers of Inspection personnel to inbound or outgoing vessels;

d) certification of lots is to be conducted in accordance with QMP procedures, or upon a lot-by-lot inspection performed by a fish inspector, and where the fish is found to meet the requirements of the FIR; and

e) all landings are eligible for a "Product of Canada" designation.

4.2 Foreign Vessels

4.2.1 Foreign vessel landings of fish including cooked, sea-frozen shrimp and other crustaceans or shellfish shall be dealt with in accordance with section 2.2 of this Bulletin.

4.2.2 Notwithstanding section 4.2.1 above, CFIA may register foreign factory-freezer vessels as Canadian fish processing establishments provided that they meet all requirements of section 4.1 of this Bulletin.

Cameron Prince
Director
Fish, Seafood and Production Division