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Safe Harbor© Certified Seafood
Safe Harbor© certified seafood is the first brand developed under San Rafael, California based Micro Analytical Systems, Inc. (MASI). Seafood bearing the Safe Harbor seal is tested for overall mercury content ensuring that product meets the strict mercury standards set by Safe Harbor. Every large fin fish is individually tested by MASI personnel so that the maximum mercury level in that fish does not exceed the limit set for that species. Fish that are not individually tested (fish known to be lower in mercury, two lbs and under) are batch tested using an ANSI approved sampling algorithm ensuring a 95% confidence rate that the respective lot being tested falls under the Safe Harbor standard set for that species.

In 2002, Micro Analytical Systems, Inc. developed an exclusive technology for testing seafood for its mercury concentration. MASI can handle virtually any production volume in almost any environment. In contrast to most testing methods which are quite costly and require complete homogenization of the sample and multiple days to get results, MASI needs only a very small tissue sample extracted with a modified biopsy needle (between 50 to 70 milligrams, about the size of a grain of rice) to get the overall mercury concentration of any sample with accurate, quantitative results in less than a minute. In addition, the cost of MASI testing is virtually pennies per portion. To date, MASI has conducted over 200,000 tests on seafood to determine its mercury concentration, more than any other company, government or testing agency in the world. Simply put, MASI has more data and a unique insight into the mercury in seafood contamination issue that no other entity in the world can claim.

The issue of mercury in fish is more salient and widespread (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-08-19-fish-mercury_N.htm ) than the FDA and the fishing industry wants to let on. In recent tests, MASI discovered that FDA-posted averages of mercury content in different fish are, in a number of cases, a poor basis for determining which fish contain the most mercury and are a very poor indicator of the frequency with which one should eat them. MASI believes the public must get this crucial information about the seafood they buy—not just generalized species averages—to make truly informed choices. Such choices can be the sole determining factor between enjoying the health benefits of a diet rich in fish and seafood and experiencing the debilitating effects of elevated blood mercury levels.

Currently MASI installs and operates their mercury analyzers with MASI employees at seafood processing and distribution facilities across the nation and abroad.

Mercury in fish
Mercury is a naturally occurring element and is found in many rocks including but not limited to coal. When coal is burned (mainly in coal-burning power facilities), mercury is released into the environment. Mercury in the air eventually settles into water or onto land where it can be washed into waterways. Once deposited, certain microorganisms change it into methyl mercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that consume fish. Certain species of fish such as swordfish, shark and king mackerel are known to be higher in mercury on average, while some other types of fish are known to be generally lower in mercury. The level of mercury bio-accumulation in any given fish can be associated with such factors as what the fish eats, how long they live and how high they are in the food chain. Highly migratory fish species (such as swordfish) can build up more mercury than others as they can swim thousands of miles in their lifespan, therefore accumulating differing mercury levels as they swim through foreign waters and through ocean currents subjecting themselves to varying amounts of toxins. Fish that live extraordinarily long lives (such as Orange Roughy) can also accumulate comparatively high mercury levels as they simply absorb more toxins over time. Finally, predatory fish that consume other fish bio-accumulate mercury at higher levels than fish who consume solely plankton and microorganisms. Unfortunately due to the amount of mercury pollution now present in fish globally, expecting mothers, pregnant women and small children should simply stay away from certain species of fish. Even though Safe Harbor certifies high risk species such as Swordfish, Shark, King Mackerel, and Tilefish well below the 1.0 ppm action level set by the FDA, for the aforementioned demographics those species are still not considered “safe” for regular consumption. In fact, based on the levels of mercury Safe Harbor has found in some of the aforementioned species (up to 5.0 ppm for certain species), it is not recommend as safe for any demographic to consume regularly unless it has been tested and the actual mercury concentration of that fish is known. FDA averages for a species as a whole are inadequate as mercury levels can vary dramatically from fish to fish even within the same species; each fish must be tested, and at present Safe Harbor is the only company in existence that can uphold such a rigorous screening program.

Testing Locations
MASI tests fish to sell under the Safe Harbor© Label at these following locations:


 * General Santos City, Philippines
 * Coquimbo, Chile
 * Toronto, Canada
 * Los Angeles, CA, USA
 * Seattle, WA, USA
 * Emeryville, CA, USA