DMR Address Discolored Urchin Roe

by Fishermen's Voice staff

A letter received by a Maine processor this summer, from the Tokyo Tsukiji Market, confirms that the Japan Ministry of Health will continue to test Maine urchins for canthaxanthin. The additive is believed to be responsible for discoloration and off tastes in urchin roe. Fishermen’s Voice photo

In a September letter sent to all Maine Sea Urchin harvesters, tenders, buyers, and processors the Maine Department of Marine Resources addressed the discoloration and “off” taste discovered this past spring in urchins marketed in Japan. The discovery was made in sea urchin roe tested last spring by the Japan Ministry of Health. That roe was found to have unacceptably high levels of canthaxanthin by the standards used in Japan.

Urchin industry members strongly expressed concern that continued sale of these urchins could threaten Maine’s position in the very important Japanese market. “It is believed that these urchins are harvested under salmon aquaculture pens in eastern Maine and are picking up a compound that is used as a dye in the salmon aquaculture industry”, the letter stated.

Canthaxanthin is an FDA-approved additive used in feed for animals, including cultured salmon. The letter from commissioner George Lapointe’s office went on to say that the sea urchins in question were likely harvested from under salmon pens in Washington county.

Maine fishermen in the past have expressed concerns about waste from salmon pens, both the dense concentrations of excrement and the many chemicals and biologicals used in the pens. A Winter Harbor lobster lobster fishermen noted in response to the letter that the waste from pens drops to the bottom, but more important, he said, is that the tides drag the waste down the bays covering a much larger area of the bottom.

The DMR letter said,”within the industry there is information Japanese will stop buying Maine sea urchins if high levels of canthaxanthin are found in them again.” With the DMR letter was enclosed a translated letter received by a Maine processor this summer, which confirms that Japan will continue to test Maine urchins for canthaxanthin.

That letter appears here:
To All Involved in the State of Maine Sea Urchin Industry

In the past years, we have enjoyed the high quality sea urchin products that you have exported to The Japanese markets. Thank you very much for consistently exporting high quality seafood products.

Now Japanese F.D.A. has introduced a list of unacceptable levels of food additives that includes canthaxanthin. The Japanese FDA will inspect all sea urchin products exported to Japan. If this additive, canthaxanthin is present in the seafood, it muse be at the level below 0.1 ppm. Otherwise, the products will not be accepted for sale in the Japanese market

Currently, the U.S. FDA has approved the use of additive, canthaxanthin in farm raised salmon industry. This additive gives salmon orange color. But the additive, canthaxanthin is not acceptable in Japanese markets on the level at or above 0.1 ppm in any imported products.

The Japanese PDA believes that the additive, canthaxanthui is added to sea urchin roe voluntarily by the seafood processors. Japanese FDA doesn’t have any data how much canthaxaihin the wild sea urchin contains in the salmon pens. Therefore, the seafood processors are required to comply with the Japanese F.D.A. guidelines and not to harvest sea urchins underneath Salmon pens.

For all reason, we advise if you are harvesting sea urchins under the faun salmon pens, you are taking extremely high risk of harvesting contaminated sea urchin.

Tokyo Tsukiji Auction Market