Stone office, it is primarily conducted by Shoreline Survey Specialist Ms. Deborah R. Beuchelt, though the other Shellfish Specialists in the office also contribute. It is Ms. Beuchelt’s job to go door-to- door surveying every dwelling, farm or business along the shoreline to determine if there are any failing septic systems or if there are any point or non point sources of pollution. The existence, for example, of a boatyard or sewage treatment facility would require that a buffer zone be created to prevent shellfish harvesting in an area where contamination could occur under certain circumstances. Selected seawater samples taken from
local waters are also sent to other labs to be tested for the presence of algae blooms that could possibly produce toxins that might cause human illness. The DSS also tests for naturally-occurring Vibrio bacteria that are more prevalent in warm waters and are particularly dangerous for people who are immune-compromised as a result of chemotherapy or illnesses that weaken a person’s immune system. Vibrio can be contracted from seawater contacting an open wound or from eating raw oysters that are contaminated. Proper cooking of oysters will eliminate the risks of Vibrio. Plant inspections are a large part of the work of the DSS. In this part of their work, inspectors visit shellfish and crab processing plants at least once a month. Shellfish shippers, private shellfish harvesters and aquaculture operations are inspected quarterly. The “10/10” rule requires that all oysters harvested after April 30th and until September 30th of each year must be refrigerated down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celcius) in ten hours. The DSS mandate is to inspect,
document and track the oyster from the time it is harvested, where it is harvested, who shipped it, where it was shipped, at what temperature was it maintained and where it was sold. Oysters in the processing plants must be kept at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control point records are required so it can be determined where the oyster came from even when it is in the container ready for sale. Every container of oysters packaged in the State of Virginia carries a code from which the history of the product can be quickly determined.
DSS plant inspections also include the random samplings of shellfish and
The House & Home Magazine 73
Preparing samples for testing.
cooked crabmeat. These samples are processed at the lab to check for any contamination that could possibly render them unsafe for human consumption. DSS Senior Shellfish inspectors like
Richard M. Thomas and William A. McCarty III, as well as Field Director Carroll J. VanLandingham and Senior Shellfish Inspector David B Geeson all take processing water samples and do plant inspections. Water is used in shellfish plants to clean equipment, process shellfish and to make ice.
Lab technician Julie Pruitt testing water samples.
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