National Seafood Inspection Laboratory Division (SF 7)

The National Seafood Inspection Laboratory (NSIL) services National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) Saltonstall Kennedy Act of 1954 (SK Act) Seafood Product Quality and Safety mandates. This is accomplished through provision of seafood: product quality and safety analyses, import/export certifications and support, interstate and international commerce/trade support, expertise to governmental, industry, and international food safety entities regarding use of the latest science in developing/modifying seafood safety standards, regulations, and processing. NSIL works closely with the USDOC Seafood Inspection Program, which services NMFS Agricultural Marketing Act mandates and as the U.S. competent export certification authority. NSIL provides the seafood safety analyses for SIP?s: audits of seafood processors HACCP (food safety monitoring program), and verification that US exports meet importing governments food safety requirement. NSIL also adapts new analytical technologies to produce faster, cheaper, better seafood safety analytical capacities for the US and globally. NSIL also conducts surveys and studies to address information gaps relating to seafood safety in order to generate the science needed to improve the effectiveness of regulatory policies in protecting the public, and supporting commerce and trade. NSIL also provides International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) with import/export monitoring data for Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, Toothfish, Big Eye Tuna, which is used for fishery management purposes.

The mission of NSIL is to serve as one of the last federal laboratories dedicated exclusively to supporting seafood commerce and trade. This is accomplished by conducting activities and programs that booster seafood product quality and safety by way of providing analytical expertise and fill in information gaps.

NSIL is funded by the Product Quality and Safety (PQ&S) NMFS budget line.