Hong Kong - Export requirements for fish and seafood

Eligible/Ineligible product

Eligible

All fish and seafood products

Product specifications

Maximum levels of chemical contaminants

Inorganic Arsenic:

Aquatic animals, other than fish: 0.5 mg/kg ^Footnote 2 ^Footnote 3 ^Footnote 4 ^Footnote 5
Fish: 0.1 mg/kg ^Footnote 1
Fish oil: 0.1 mg/kg
Seaweed: 1 mg/kg

Antimony:

Fish: 1 mg/kg ^Footnote 1
Crab, prawns and shrimps: 1 mg/kg ^Footnote 2
Oysters: 1 mg/kg

Cadmium:

Fish: 0.1 mg/kg ^Footnote 1
Crustaceans: 2 mg/kg ^Footnote 2
Bivalve molluscs: 2 mg/kg^Footnote 4
Cephalopods: 2 mg/kg ^Footnote 3
Gastropods: 2 mg/kg ^Footnote 6

Chromium:

Fish: 1 mg/kg ^Footnote 1
Crab, prawns and shrimps: 1 mg/kg ^Footnote 2
Oysters: 1 mg/kg

Mercury (methyl-mercury):

Fish: 0.5 mg/kg ^Footnote 1

Mercury (total mercury):

Aquatic animals, other than fish: 0.5 mg/kg ^Footnote 2 ^Footnote 3 ^Footnote 4 ^Footnote 5

Lead:

Aquatic animals, other than fish, crustaceans and bivalve molluscs: 1.0 mg/kg ^Footnote 5 ^Footnote 6
Fish: 0.3 mg/kg ^Footnote 1
Crustaceans: 0.5 mg/kg ^Footnote 2
Bivalve molluscs: 1.5 mg/kg ^Footnote 4

Tin:

Canned foods, other than canned beverages 250

Production controls and inspection requirements

Storage and transportation requirements for seal meat

Consignments of seal meat must be transported under proper refrigeration.
If the consignment is transshipped through a country other than the country of origin, the following conditions shall apply:
1. For consignments conveyed in Sealed Refrigerated Containers:
  1. The consignment shall be loaded for the shipment in sealed refrigerated containers in the country of origin and be kept under refrigeration throughout its way to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
  2. The original refrigerated container seal number(s) shall be officially recorded and shown on the official certificate issued by the CFIA.
  3. A written statement shall be given by the shipping company certifying that the refrigerated container seal is intact and has not been tampered with in any way during the stay and transit at the country of transit.
  4. All records registering the temperatures at which the contents of the refrigerated container have been maintained throughout the voyage to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be produced for inspection by inspectors of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
  5. A certificate should be obtained from the surveyor(s) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, confirming that he/they has/have inspected the refrigerated container(s), and that the seal(s) has/have been found intact and not tampered with in any way. Such certificate shall be produced for retention by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
2. For consignments conveyed other than in Sealed Refrigerated Containers:
  1. A transshipment certificate issued by the competent health authority of the country of transit, certifying that the goods were properly imported into the country of transit and that during the time there they did not suffer any spoilage or deterioration, shall be produced for inspection.

Documentation requirements

Certificate

Certificate of Origin and Hygiene (CFIA/ACIA 5003)
Applicable to all fish and fish products. Additional statements/information must be included on the certificate for the following products only:

For molluscs (bivalve molluscs, cephalopods and gastropods):

"Harvest area(s): XXX, Province, Canada"

XXX = DFO Area and sub area
Province = enter province where harvesting of product took place

For seal meat:
- "The product was processed at an establishment operating in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Harvest, Transport, Processing and Export of Seal Products for Human Consumption",
- "The product is fit for human consumption"
- "Canada has not reported any animal contagious diseases listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH; founded as Office International des Épizooties (OIE)) in seals, and there are no associated health restrictions required for Canadian seal meat for human consumption"
- The scientific name (Latin name) of the seal species from which the meat is derived.