seafood
edible fish (broadly including freshwater fish) or shellfish or roe etc
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise seafood, assess its documented condition and suitability for an intended use, and identify permissible handling or disposition actions and unresolved checks.
Seafood is the commercial and dietary class of edible aquatic animals and their products - marine and freshwater finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, other aquatic invertebrates, and roe - taken by capture or aquaculture for human consumption, not a biological taxon and not including aquatic plants or aquatic mammals.
It can be Identify the seafood's animal source and edible part, and flag uncertain or conflicting labels.; Trace portions and mixed lots to their harvest or production evidence.; Inspect seafood condition and record temperature, thawing and live-holding observations.; Evaluate evidence against requirements for a specified raw, cooked or ready-to-eat use.; Select supported storage, thawing, preparation or processing actions for the seafood's current state.; Segregate, hold, release, reject or recall affected seafood while preserving the reason and lot boundaries..
Distinguishing features
The material is an aquatic animal or an edible part or product of one; an aquatic plant or imitation made without aquatic-animal material does not qualify.
Freshwater origin does not exclude fish from this entry: habitat alone cannot distinguish seafood from non-seafood.
Roe and edible tissues qualify without resembling a whole fish or shellfish; identity must be traceable to the source animal and part.
A live animal belongs here when it is held or supplied as food; the same species considered as wildlife or an ornamental animal belongs to a neighbouring model.
A mixed dish can contain seafood without the whole dish being modelled as seafood; the seafood component must remain distinguishable.
Scope
+ Species identity, market names and edible animal parts represented in an item or lot
+ Whole animals held as food, flesh, roe and other edible seafood tissues
+ Wild-capture or aquaculture origin and seafood-specific traceability
+ Live, raw, chilled, frozen, thawed and processed seafood states
+ Evidence of deterioration, seafood-specific hazards and suitability for an intended preparation
+ Handling, preparation, segregation and disposition decisions for the seafood
- Aquatic organisms considered as wildlife, populations or ecosystems
- Fishing vessels, fishing operations and aquaculture production systems themselves
- Seaweed, aquatic plants and plant-based seafood substitutes
- Recipes, complete mixed dishes and restaurant menu offerings beyond their seafood components
- Refrigerators, transport equipment and packaging systems as independently managed assets
- Human diagnoses, dietary treatment and individual allergy management
Characteristics
- Animal identity and identification confidence
- Scientific taxon where established; market name; identification method; confirmed, reported, disputed or unknown Common names may be insufficient to establish what animal is present or which checks apply.
- Edible part and presentation
- Whole animal, gutted animal, fillet, steak, picked meat, roe, organ or other specified part; shell-on, shell-off or mixed The part and presentation determine recognition evidence, preparation needs and relevant exposure questions.
- Source lot
- Links to harvest or production lot, supplier records and parent lots after splitting or mixing An assessment or restriction must apply to the seafood actually being handled.
- Production origin
- Wild-caught, farmed, mixed or unknown; recorded waterbody or production area Origin helps determine which provenance evidence and source-dependent checks are needed.
- Biological and processing state
- Live or dead where applicable; raw, cooked, cured, smoked, dried or otherwise processed An agent must distinguish current condition from treatments merely claimed or planned.
- Freezing and thawing history
- Never frozen, frozen, partly thawed, thawed, refrozen or unknown, with supporting events Current appearance alone does not establish the seafood's thermal history.
- Measured seafood temperature
- Degrees Celsius, with timestamp, measurement location and method A temperature observation supports a condition assessment only when its timing and relationship to the seafood are known.
- Elapsed time in a documented condition
- Hours or days associated with specified temperature, live-holding, thawing or opened-package conditions Handling decisions require exposure history rather than a single current-state reading.
- Sensory and physical condition
- Recorded observations of odour, colour, texture, surface condition, tissue integrity and species-appropriate live responses These observations support quality assessment while leaving unobserved hazards unresolved.
- Intended consumption route
- Raw, lightly treated, cooked before eating, ready-to-eat or undecided Suitability must be assessed against a specific intended use.
- Hazard evidence and disposition
- For each relevant hazard: unassessed, evidence pending, assessed against a named criterion or unresolved; released, held, rejected or recalled for a stated use Missing evidence must remain distinguishable from a supported decision.
Analytical facets
- substance
- material
- origin
- manufactured
- agency
- inert
- mobility
- portable
- scale
- handheld
- affordances
- graspable
Also called
+105
Where this came from
oewn:2024 · CC BY 4.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 31 questions.
Seafood identity and boundaries Establish which aquatic-animal material is present and what the modelled item includes.
Species, edible part and product boundary determine which seafood assessments are meaningful.
Animal identity
Connect market descriptions to supported animal identities.
Species behind the market name
Record the claimed animal identity, evidence supporting it and any unresolved ambiguity.
- Which scientific taxon and market names identify this seafood, and how precise is the identification? definition
- What label, supplier record, anatomical observation or analytical result supports that identity? provenance
Tissue and product boundary
Identify the animal parts and separate seafood material from surrounding product components.
Edible material represented
Specify whether the item represents a whole food animal, flesh, roe, another tissue or a mixture.
- Which animal parts are present, and in what whole, cut, extracted or mixed presentation? definition
- Does this record cover seafood alone, a distinguishable component of a mixed food, or a derived product whose inclusion needs clarification? boundary
Harvest origin and lot lineage Connect seafood to its production waters, harvest events and subsequent lot transformations.
Seafood assessments can depend on origin and must remain attached to the relevant material after processing or mixing.
Capture or farming origin
Record how, where and when the seafood entered the food supply.
Documented source event
Represent capture or aquaculture origin at the precision supported by the available records.
- Was this seafood wild-caught or farmed, and which waterbody, harvest area or production site is documented? provenance
- Which harvest, landing or production dates are known, and which are estimates or missing? provenance
Seafood lot transformations
Preserve identity through heading, filleting, shelling, roe extraction, splitting and mixing.
Portion-to-source link
Connect the current seafood unit to its contributing lots and identify traceability gaps.
- Which source lots contributed to this fillet, picked meat, roe batch or mixed seafood lot? provenance
- If a source lot is restricted or recalled, which current portions can be identified and segregated? action
Seafood condition and handling history Represent present condition alongside the thermal, physical and live-holding history needed to interpret it.
Seafood that looks similar at inspection may have different handling histories and different unresolved suitability questions.
Thermal and processing history
Distinguish current temperature from past chilling, freezing, thawing and treatment events.
Documented state transitions
Record seafood state changes with their supporting times, temperatures and evidence gaps.
- What temperatures and durations are documented for chilling, freezing, thawing and any subsequent holding? measurement
- Which cooking, curing, smoking, drying or other treatments actually occurred, and what records support them? provenance
Observed seafood condition
Capture presentation-appropriate observations of tissue quality and, where relevant, live condition.
Condition observation and limits
Separate observed sensory or physical condition from conclusions that require other evidence.
- What odour, texture, colour, surface, shell or tissue-integrity observations were made, using which method and at what time? measurement
- For seafood supplied live, what species-appropriate evidence supports its live condition, and what remains uncertain? measurement
- Which quality or suitability conclusions are supported by these observations, and which require further evidence? boundary
Seafood hazards and evidence Identify relevant hazard questions and connect each assessment to evidence for this seafood and intended use.
A single freshness label cannot represent the distinct evidence needed for seafood hazard decisions.
Species, tissue and source hazards
Determine which hazard checks follow from the identified animal, edible tissue and production origin.
Applicable hazard profile
Record the supported applicability of checks for parasites, marine biotoxins, histamine, contaminants and other relevant hazards.
- Which hazard checks are relevant to this species, tissue and origin according to an identified source? boundary
- What harvest-area information, supplier evidence or sampling results apply to this particular lot? provenance
Handling and allergen evidence
Assess handling-dependent concerns and preserve the identity of seafood allergens and possible cross-contact.
Unresolved exposures and controls
Connect handling history, ingredient identity and control records to explicitly bounded assessments.
- Which microbial or other handling-dependent concerns remain after reviewing the seafood's time, temperature and treatment records? boundary
- Which fish, crustacean, mollusc or other seafood ingredients are documented, and what cross-contact information is available? provenance
- What additional evidence or control is required before deciding suitability for the intended use? action
Intended use and disposition Translate seafood identity, condition and evidence into bounded preparation and disposition decisions.
An agent needs an actionable decision tied to an intended use, with unresolved prerequisites kept visible.
Preparation route
Specify the planned consumption state and assess the operations needed to reach it.
Use-specific prerequisites
Identify supported requirements for raw service, cooking, ready-to-eat use or further processing.
- Will the seafood be eaten raw, lightly treated, cooked before eating or consumed as a ready-to-eat product? definition
- Which requirements apply to that route in the intended setting, and what evidence establishes that they are met? boundary
- Which seafood-specific preparation steps, such as shelling, deboning or tissue removal, are needed for the planned use? action
Release, hold or reject
Record a disposition with its scope, supporting evidence and conditions for reassessment.
Evidence-bounded disposition
Make handling decisions explicit without treating missing records or a proposed treatment as resolved evidence.
- Should this seafood be released for a stated use, held for investigation, redirected to a supported use or rejected? action
- Which portions or lots does the decision cover, and what new evidence or state change would require reassessment? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- finfish (marine and freshwater)
- crustaceans (shrimps, prawns, crabs, lobsters, crayfish)
- bivalve molluscs (oysters, clams, mussels, scallops)
- cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopus)
- gastropods (abalone, whelk, conch)
- echinoderms (sea urchin, sea cucumber)
- roe and caviar
- other edible aquatic invertebrates (jellyfish, sea squirts)
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Harmonized System (HS 2022) - Chapter 03 (headings 0301-0309: live, fresh, frozen, dried/salted/smoked fish; crustaceans; molluscs; other aquatic invertebrates); preparations typically 1604-1605 - The trade identity of seafood as a commodity class; aquatic mammals and inedible fish meal are out of Chapter 03.
- FAO ASFIS 3-alpha species code - three-letter species-item codes (e.g. species listed in FAO FishStat/ASFIS) - Production and catch statistics name individual aquatic animals, not the class "seafood" as a whole.
- FAO ISSCAAP - ISSCAAP divisions and groups for aquatic animals (finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc.) - Statistical grouping used in SOFIA production tables.
- Codex Classification of Foods and Animal Feeds - Type 8 aquatic animal products; group codes WD (freshwater fish), WS (marine fish), and parallel crustacean/mollusc groups - Residue and commodity classification, not a consumer label.
- Scientific (Linnaean) name - binomial or higher taxon of the source animal (e.g. Gadus morhua, Crassostrea spp.) - Species identity required for hazard tables, labelling, and CITES-listed taxa such as some sturgeons.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Codex Alimentarius CXC 52-2003 Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission)
- Codex CXS 292-2008 Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs, and related Codex fishery commodity standards (e.g. CXS 94-1981 canned sardines); contaminants via CXS 193-1995
- U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 123 Fish and Fishery Products (seafood HACCP), with 21 CFR 123 Subpart C and the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) for molluscan shellfish
- U.S. FDA Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance (current thinking on species- and process-related hazards)
- EU rules for fishery products and live bivalve molluscs under the hygiene package (notably Regulation (EC) No 853/2004) and third-country establishment listing
- CITES controls on listed taxa used as seafood (notably sturgeon caviar and some sharks), issued by the CITES parties
- FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (voluntary, FAO Committee on Fisheries)
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Sold live, fresh/chilled, frozen, dried, salted, smoked, canned, or as mince/surimi through retail, food service, and export; about 230 countries trade aquatic animal products.
- Eaten as a staple animal-protein food; Codex/FAO notes fish at about 17% of global animal-protein intake; U.S. Dietary Guidelines advise at least 8 oz seafood per week (8-12 oz in pregnancy from lower-mercury choices).
- Farmed as well as captured: aquaculture now supplies just over half of aquatic-animal production, while marine and inland capture remain the other half.
- A minority of landings is reduced to fishmeal and fish oil for feed rather than eaten directly.
- Raw molluscs (oysters, clams) are eaten live or raw under separate sanitary controls; sushi/sashimi and smoked ready-to-eat fish are high-care products.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- global aquatic-animal production (live-weight equivalent) - about 185 million tonnes (2022) to about 195 million tonnes (2024) - tonne/year
- global capture of aquatic animals - about 86-94 million since the late 1980s; about 92 million in 2022 and 2024 - tonne/year
- aquaculture production of aquatic animals - 94.4 million (2022) to about 103 million (2024) - tonne/year
- chilled product temperature - 0 to 4 - °C
- frozen storage temperature - ≤ −18 - °C
- histamine in scombroid-risk fish (Codex canned-sardine limit per sample unit) - not to exceed 20 - mg/100 g
- domoic acid in live/raw bivalves (Codex CXS 292) - ≤ 20 - mg/kg
- okadaic acid group in live/raw bivalves (Codex CXS 292) - ≤ 0.16 - mg/kg as OA equivalent
- U.S. recommended seafood intake - at least 8 (8-12 in pregnancy) - oz/week
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Time-temperature abuse of scombroid species produces histamine (scombroid poisoning); cooking does not destroy the toxin.
- Filter-feeding bivalves accumulate algal biotoxins (paralytic, diarrhetic, amnesic, neurotoxic, azaspiracid shellfish poisoning) that survive ordinary cooking.
- Ciguatera from reef fish; tetrodotoxin in some pufferfish if not expertly prepared.
- Bacterial and viral infection, especially of raw molluscs: Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus, norovirus, hepatitis A, Salmonella.
- Parasites (e.g. Anisakis) in wild fish unless frozen or adequately cooked.
- Methylmercury and other persistent contaminants concentrated in long-lived predatory fish.
- Major food allergens: finfish, crustaceans, and molluscs, including cross-contact in processing.
- Spoilage and, in poorly processed canned or smoked anaerobic packs, Clostridium botulinum.
- Species substitution, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and harvest of depleted or protected stocks.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- English "seafood" is often heard as marine-only; Codex, HS Chapter 03, and CXS 222 treat freshwater fish as the same fishery-product class.
- U.S. FDA consumer advice uses "fish" for fish and shellfish together; UK and many EU texts say "fish and shellfish" or "fishery products," with live bivalves under separate rules.
- "Shrimp" versus "prawn" and market names for the same species differ between North America, the UK, and Asia.
- Kosher and some halal practice accept only fish with fins and scales and exclude shellfish; East Asian markets routinely include sea cucumber, jellyfish, and roe as everyday seafood.
- China and FAO "aquatic foods" reporting often put algae beside aquatic animals; Western retail "seafood" usually does not.
- Raw-eating traditions (oysters, sashimi) concentrate in some coasts and are rare or legally restricted in others; recreational catch is governed by local fish-consumption advisories rather than commercial HACCP.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- edible seaweeds and other algae - FAO and HS treat algae as a separate production class (not Chapter 03 aquatic animals); seafood in fishery-product law is animal material.
- aquatic mammals (whale, seal, dolphin) - FDA's fish definition excludes birds and mammals; HS places those animals outside Chapter 03. Seafood as used in Codex fishery products is fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.
- ornamental and bait fish - Intended use: food versus display or bait; inedible or non-food fish products move to HS 0511/2301 rather than food Chapter 03.
- surimi and imitation crab - A minced-fish preparation mimicking crustacean; identity is the source finfish species plus processing, not crab.
- amphibians and aquatic reptiles (frog, turtle, alligator) - U.S. 21 CFR 123 can sweep some of these into "fish" for HACCP, but trade, diet, and Codex fishery standards treat them as other meats, not seafood.
- terrestrial meat - Habitat and anatomy of the source animal; residue and hygiene codes are Type 8 aquatic animals versus terrestrial livestock.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of seafood this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (CXC 52-2003) - Scope of fish and fishery products (fresh, frozen, minced, smoked, canned, bivalves, crustaceans, cephalopods, caviar); hygiene and histamine-control practice; FAO/WHO Codex as the global technical reference.
- Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs (CXS 292-2008), Codex Alimentarius Commission - Product definition of live and raw bivalves; marine biotoxin maximum levels (okadaic acid, domoic acid, brevetoxin, azaspiracid); contaminants and hygiene cross-references.
- Standard for Crackers from Marine and Freshwater Fish, Crustacean and Molluscan Shellfish (CXS 222-2001), Codex Alimentarius Commission - Explicit inclusion of marine and freshwater fish plus crustaceans and molluscs in one fishery-product class.
- 21 CFR Part 123 - Fish and Fishery Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Legal definition of molluscan shellfish; mandatory HACCP for processors and importers of fish and fishery products; special controls for smoked fish and raw molluscs.
- Advice about Eating Fish, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (with EPA) - Regulatory use of "fish" to include shellfish; mercury-based choice lists; Dietary Guidelines seafood intake of at least 8 oz/week and 8-12 oz/week in pregnancy.
- Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, June 2022 Edition, U.S. FDA CFSAN - Species- and process-related hazards used in HACCP (pathogens, parasites, histamine, biotoxins, allergens, aquaculture drugs).
- FAO report: Global fisheries and aquaculture production reaches a new record high (SOFIA 2024 summary), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - 2022 production split of aquatic animals versus algae; aquaculture overtaking capture for aquatic animals; regional production shares.
- SOFIA 2026: Global fisheries and aquaculture production reaches new highs, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - 2024 figures: about 195 million tonnes of aquatic animals, capture plateau near 92 million tonnes, aquaculture aquatic animals over 100 million tonnes.
- Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins, CDC Yellow Book, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Ciguatera, scombroid, and shellfish-toxin syndromes; bacterial and viral infection risk of shellfish (Vibrio, norovirus, hepatitis A).
- HS Codes for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products, Harmonized System Nomenclature 2022, second edition, FAO and World Customs Organization - Customs identity of seafood as HS Chapter 03 (fish, crustaceans, molluscs, other aquatic invertebrates) and prepared products outside that chapter; exclusion of aquatic mammals and of inedible meals.
What the second pass must settle
- Where does the registry place boundary cases such as edible aquatic mammals, reptiles, amphibians and highly refined animal-derived oils or extracts?
- Which authoritative sources should establish species- and tissue-specific hazard applicability, including differences between freshwater and marine origins?
- Which validated sensory and live-condition assessment methods should be represented for different seafood groups and presentations?
- Which jurisdiction- and use-specific criteria should govern temperature history, raw consumption, processing evidence and release decisions?
- How should uncertainty propagate when seafood lots are mixed, species identification is disputed or harvest and treatment records are incomplete?