Skip to main content

Certification Information - Seafood and Aquatic Life

Texas Shellfish

A Texas Shellfish Certificate of Compliance is required by any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity that buys molluscan shellfish (oysters, clams, or mussels) from a harvester and ships them in the shell, or shucks and packs them, or repacks molluscan shellfish (either shucked or in the shell) in the State of Texas. All certified shellfish shippers are listed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publication Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Training

Texas is a major commercial supplier of molluscan shellfish products. It is essential for both industry and consumers that molluscan shellfish be harvested, processed, and distributed safely.

To reduce illness from molluscan shellfish and other seafood products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adopted regulations (Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123) effective December 18, 1997. The regulations require all processors to implement HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) systems to prevent, eliminate, or reduce seafood safety hazards to an acceptable level.

Successful implementation of HACCP requires training of both industry and regulators. HACCP training is available from various associations, private consultants, and the Seafood Alliance. The Seafood Alliance includes representatives from Sea Grant, National Fisheries Institute, National Food Processors Association, National Marine Fisheries Institute, Interstate Shellfish Shippers Conference, FDA, and the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO).

The three day course offered by the Seafood Alliance is recognized in the regulation as meeting training requirements.

There is now an internet course called Seafood HACCP Alliance Internet Training Course that covers the first two-days of the three-day course. In order to complete the training, however, a one-day face-to-face training course, called Segment II, must be taken. For more information on the three-day course, the two-day internet course, and the one-day Segment II course, visits the AFDO Web site.

For additional Seafood HACCP resources:

Texas Crabmeat

A Texas Crabmeat License is required by any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity who cooks, backs, picks, packs and/or pasteurizes Crabmeat in the State of Texas.

Seafood and Aquatic Life Group

Seafood and Aquatic Life Group