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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 11
July 2007
Japan now requires wood in tuna coffins to be heat-treated
KENNEBUNK, ME – Bluefin tuna dealers who export fish in boxes known as “tuna coffins” need to be aware of a new international regulation.
On April 1, Japan implemented ISPM 15, which means that all solid wood products have to be heat-treated and certified with a mark on the wood prior to entry to the country.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s web site, the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15) is one of several International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures adopted by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
As of early June, about 40 countries, including the US, Canada, and Japan, had put into action the policy that is aimed at keeping out non-native insects and protecting forests worldwide.
“Even if you have heat-treated, certified coffins in inventory or in a warehouse for any length of time, be sure a bug hasn’t crawled into it,” said Glenn Larson, senior supervisor of Nippon Express USA Inc. in Boston.
Bluefin dealers also should be aware that the certification mark is basically a one-way stamp, added Larson.
Since the certification mark is tied to the country where the wood was shipped, a foreign tuna coffin or a box that contains wood will have to be recertified in the US in order to reuse the box for shipping abroad.
If you have tuna coffins that have not been heat-treated to kill insects and certified with a mark, then your options are to have them heat-treated or use the coffins only for domestic shipments.
“We have heat-treated banded tuna coffins with the packing material (not the fish) inside,” said Dick Perry, president of Lelanite Corp. of Webster, MA.
The coffins are placed in a kiln with the temperature monitored by three or so probes that go into the wood, explained Perry. The core temperature of the wood needs to reach 56°C or 133°F.
About once a month, the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA) audits Lelanite’s company. Other companies that heat-treat wood may be audited by NeLMA or other American Lumber Standard Committee Inc. accredited agencies.
“We give the customer a booklet with all the information on how long it took to heat-treat and to come up to temperature,” said Perry, who explained that it serves as a record of the process along with the certification.
More information on the Japanese ISPM 15 regulation is available online at <www.pps.go.jp/english/woodpack/index.html>. Anyone who needs to heat-treat and certify tuna coffins can contact Dick Perry at (508) 943-1968 or check out Lelanite’s web site at <www.lelanite.com>.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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