Demographic and geographic patterns of cetacean-based food product consumption and potential mercury exposure within a Caribbean whaling community

Russell Fielding,Jeremy J Kiszka,Catherine Macdonald,Meaghan A Mccormack,Jessica Dutton,Alison D Ollivierre,James A Arnett,Molly Elkins,Niko A Darby,Hannah-Marie Garcia,Suzanne Skinner,Haley Tucker,Vincent Reid

doi:10.1080/10807039.2020.1870865

Abstract

Exposure to mercury (Hg), especially methylmercury (MeHg), through the consumption of seafood is a major public health concern. St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Eastern Caribbean) supports two related whaling operations, which produce food from cetaceans for human consumption. Recent data suggest that Hg concentrations in cetacean tissue samples exceed recommended consumption limits. Our objective was to determine the role of cetacean-based food products in the diet of the Vincentian population as a proxy for exposure to MeHg using interview surveys (n = 921). Based upon provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) guidelines for MeHg from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), we determined safe weekly consumption amounts for specific cetacean-based food products, based upon reported consumption patterns. We found cetacean-based food products to be included in the diet of 77.4% of respondents. Respondents’ gender and geographical home region are the most important factors influencing cetacean consumption. Frequency and amount of consumption vary, but generally exceed calculated safe weekly limits. The consumption of cetacean-based food products may represent a public health risk, as a large portion of the population may be exposed to high MeHg concentrations.

Highlights

Exposure to mercury (Hg) through the consumption of seafood is a major public health concern
Cetacean-based food products are highly popular among consumers in St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG), with 77.4% of all respondents indicating that they do consume at least one of the following products: small cetacean meat, small cetacean blubber, small cetacean oil, humpback whale meat, humpback whale blubber, or humpback whale oil
We found no significant preference for cetacean-based food products among those of lower socioeconomic classes, nor by respondents who reported being unemployed at the time of the survey

Summary

Introduction

Exposure to mercury (Hg) through the consumption of seafood is a major public health concern. The archipelagic Caribbean nation of St. Vincent & the Grenadines supports two related whaling operations, which produce food from cetaceans for human consumption. Cetacean-based food products are consumed globally at varying levels, and their consumption has been increasing in several regions around the world during recent years (Clapham and Van Waerebeek 2007; Robards and Reeves 2011). In some cases, this increase is in response to food shortages exacerbated by climate change and other human impacts (Alter et al 2010). The two whaling operations in SVG produce meat that is consumed fresh, dried (often rehydrated), or “doved” (cooked and stored in its own oil); blubber, which is consumed after having been “rendered” or heated until it expresses—and is fried in—its oil; and oil itself, which is bottled and used as a health tonic and treatment for colds

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