Seafood Species Research Articles

Risk assessment of human Hg exposure through consumption of fishery products in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil

The contamination of fish and aquaculture products may prove an obstacle to achieve the economic potential of the fishery sector worldwide. Seafood is a key source of Hg exposure to human consumers. Thus, it is necessary to monitor current contamination levels and formulate future scenarios of exposure to pollutants as supporting measures to improve, in the short and medium term, the sustainability of the fishing sector and guarantee food safety. In the short term, players in the private sector and governmental agencies need to provide up-to-date production data and to follow international recommendations, as it relates to seafood quality and sustainable production chains. Here, we provide an assessment of the fishery production in Ceará State, Brazil, and synthetize the present knowledge on Hg concentrations in fisheries and aquaculture products associated with their relative economic and consumers' diet relevance. The present assessment serves as a model study to produce a regionalized inventory of Hg concentrations in accordance with the national and international food safety guides and to estimate the risk of exposure to Hg of human populations through fisheries consumption. We show that legal Hg limits does not represent safe consumption levels, as exposure risk is a combined effect of trophic level, a proxy of Hg concentrations, consumption rates, and consumer age/weigh group. Most seafood species in Ceará have no restriction to human consumption, with a few exceptions. Children at a subsistence level mainly consuming fish are at most exposure risk. The overall information is graphically presented aiming to increase public perception on the theme and proposition of mitigating actions by the respective stakeholders.

Metal pollution and potential human health risk assessment in major seafood items (fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods)

Global seafood consumers are increasingly concerned about and prefer safe, high-quality, and hazard-free seafood products. This study investigated various Pakistani processing plants supplying the international market and explored commercially important seafood species (fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods) for metal content, contamination, and potential health risks. The results showed that the metal concentrations differed significantly among species. The metals loads were as Fe > Cu > Zn > Mn > Pb > Ni > Cd > Hg. Contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), and metal pollution index (MPI), verified negligible contamination of seafood. As assessed by the estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient, hazard index, and carcinogenic risk, the potential human health risks associated with the contaminated seafood were lower than the perceived threat. In conclusion, seafood processing plants export products that meet international food safety standards and are safe for consumers worldwide.

Rapid PCR-lateral flow assay for the onsite detection of Atlantic white shrimp

The Atlantic white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) is of great economic importance to the United States and risk being substituted with imported species due to a shortage in domestic production. To improve the current methods used for the identification of the Atlantic white shrimp species, we designed and validated a robust multiplex PCR-lateral flow assay for the onsite identification of L. setiferus. The standardized assay was validated using a miniaturized, low-cost PCR instrument with 68 shrimp, prawn, and fish samples, spread over fourteen seafood species. L. setiferus was simultaneously amplified by the multiplex assay to give three visual bands, which distinguished it from other species having either one or two bands on the dipstick. The standardized assay showed 100% inclusivity for target L. setiferus samples, 100% exclusivity for non-target samples and can be completed in less than two hours. The assay standardized in this study can be used for onsite testing of L. setiferus samples at processing facilities, restaurants, and wholesalers' facilities.

Microplastics in surface water and tissue of white leg shrimp, <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>, in a cultured pond in Nakhon Pathom Province, Central Thailand

<abstract> <p>The presence of microplastics in commercially important seafood species is a new issue of food safety concern. Although plastic debris has been found in the gastrointestinal tracts of several species, the prevalence of microplastics in edible shrimp tissues in Thailand has not yet been established. For the first time, the gastrointestinal tract (GT), heptapancreas (HEP), muscle (MU) and exoskeleton (EX) of farmed white leg shrimp (<italic>Litopenaeus vannamei</italic>) from commercial aquaculture facilities in Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand, were analyzed for microplastics (MPs). The number of MP items per tissue was 27.36±2.28 in the GT, 17.42±0.90 in the HEP, 11.37±0.60 in the MU and 10.04±0.52 in the EX. MP concentrations were 137.78±16.48, 16.31±1.87, 1.69±0.13 and 4.37±0.27 items/gram (ww) in the GT, HEP, MU and EX, respectively. Microplastics ranged in size from < 100 to 200–250 μm, with fragment-shape (62.07%), fibers (37.31%) and blue (43.69%) was the most common. The most frequently found polymers in shrimp tissue organs and pond water were polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). Shrimp consumption (excluding GT and EX) was calculated as 28.79 items/shrimp/person/day using Thailand's consumption of shrimp, MP abundance and shrimp consumption. The results of the study can be used as background data for future biomonitoring of microplastics in shrimp species that are significant from an ecological and commercial perspective. MP abundance in farmed <italic>L. vannamei</italic> may be related to feeding habits and the source of MPs could come from the aquaculture facilities operations.</p> </abstract>

Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Juvenile Small Abalone Haliotis diversicolor aquatilis (Obunjagi) to Gamma Irradiation

Jwa, M.S. and Hong, C.-Y., 2023. Abiotic stress tolerance of juvenile small abalone Haliotis diversicolor aquatilis (obunjagi) to gamma irradiation. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(1), 55–62. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. In South Korea, the small abalone (obunjagi), Haliotis diversicolor aquatilis, is a prominent commercial seafood species. However, summer circumstances frequently impede abalone productivity, emphasizing the need for suitable approaches to promote abalone viability. The purpose of this study was to see if the survival rate and physiological responses of juvenile H. diversicolor aquatilis changed after exposure to low-level 60Co-gamma irradiation under high temperature (HT) and low salinity (LS) stress conditions (20 Gy). For this research, juvenile small obunjagi, H. diversicolor aquatilis, were obtained from Jeju City fishing vendors, Korea. Before the experiment, all abalone samples were acclimated for 7 days in a seawater-filled tank at 23°C ± 0.3°C and 32 ± 0.2 psu under starvation conditions. Seventy abalones (20 male and 50 female) were gamma irradiated and 30 abalones (10 male and 20 female) were used as controls. After 6 weeks of malnutrition, abalone survivability and the quantity of cardiovascular hemocytes rose dramatically after 20-Gy exposure compared with the control (0 Gy). The viability of abalone was dramatically reduced by HT stress but not by LS stress. The initially improved immune response-mediated hormetic impact might be connected to abalone survival rate under famine and HT stress, and the hormesis-induced gamma radiation exposure strategy will successfully raise abalone productivity throughout summer.

Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration in Seafood Collected from Pattani Bay, Thailand.

A significant impact of marine pollution is the contamination of seafood which has raised concerns due to its potential human health risks. This current study investigated seasonal bioaccumulation of 9 heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 14 commercially important seafood species, including 4 fish, 5 molluscs, and 5 crustacean species. Samples were collected from Pattani Bay, Pattani province, Thailand, during the dry (July 2020) and wet (February 2021) seasons. The edible samples were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The bioaccumulation trend of heavy metals decreased in the sequence of molluscs > crustaceans > fish. The possible human health risks associated with heavy metal-contaminated seafood consumption were assessed. The parameters investigated for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic were target hazard quotient (THQ), total hazard index (HI), and target cancer risk (TR). The average ranges of THQs (7.79 × 10-8-8.97 × 10-3), HIs (4.30 × 10-5-1.55 × 10-2), and TRs (2.70 × 10-9-1.34 × 10-5) were observed in the studied seafood species. The results revealed no non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks from consuming these 14 kinds of seafood.

Comparison of the Gill Microbiome of Retail Oysters from Two Geographical Locations Exhibited Distinct Microbial Signatures: A Pilot Study for Potential Future Applications for Monitoring Authenticity of Their Origins

The oyster industry is a significant component of United States aquaculture and is vulnerable to various food frauds. In addition to species substitution, mislabeling of oyster geographical origin is performed for economic gains. The geographical origin misrepresentations are performed to claim a famed region of origin known for its unique flavor profile. DNA barcoding is the gold standard method for identifying seafood species but has limited resolution to the species level. This pilot study was conducted to characterize and compare the oyster gill microbiome as an alternative approach for tracking oysters’ origin. Commercially available raw east coast oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from two distinct geographical locations were purchased. Genomic DNA isolated from the gills was processed for microbiome analysis. The data revealed distinct microbiome signatures among the two sample sets. Oysters from Louisiana showed the presence of eighteen unique bacterial genera, whereas Maryland oysters showed a higher abundance of twelve genera. Findings from this study demonstrate the applicability of microbiome analysis as an emerging alternative approach for identifying geographical origin misrepresentations.

Determination of Organophosphate Ester Metabolites in Seafood Species by QuEChERS-SPE Followed by LC-HRMS

Organophosphate triesters are compounds widely used in industries and are ubiquitous in the environment, where they can be transformed into organophosphate diesters. Some organophosphate diesters are also used by industry. Several studies suggest organophosphate diesters can have toxic effects for reproduction, and hazardous and mutagenic properties. Due to the impact these compounds can have on marine biota and human beings through the consumption of fish and shellfish, it is necessary to study their presence in widely consumed seafood species. We therefore developed an analytical method for determining six of the most common organophosphate diesters in seafood. The procedure is based on the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe extraction method and a solid phase extraction clean-up, followed by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. The method was optimised and validated for seafood with different lipid content, providing satisfactory relative recoveries (from 89 to 138%) and limits of detection (1.0-50 ng g-1 dry weight), as well as repeatability values (RSD% (n = 5, 100 ng g-1 (dry weight)) lower than 15%. Eight seafood species were analysed using this method and two organophosphate diesters were detected and quantified in all the samples, demonstrating the suitability of the method.

Larval Thermal Tolerance of Kellet's Whelk (Kelletia kelletii) as a Window into the Resilience of a Wild Shellfishery to Marine Heatwaves

Marine heatwave (MHW) events are emerging as dominant and disruptive extreme disturbance events on the Pacific coast. These events are expected to have significant impacts on shellfish species and aquaculture operations. In general, thermal stress induced by MHW events has been documented to have impacts on the productivity and biodiversity of coastal marine ecosystems in California. Yet, there is limited understanding on how thermal stress will affect economically important shellfish species, especially at vulnerable early life stages. This study assessed the effect of high temperature stress that resembled recent local MHW conditions on the larval stages of the Kellet's whelk, Kelletia kelletii, an emerging seafood species from California temperate reefs. Adult whelks were collected at temperate reef sites in the Santa Barbara Channel, and larvae were sourced from egg capsules laid by adult whelks in the laboratory. Thermotolerance trials were determined for two stages of K. kelletii larvae: encapsulated veligers and veligers that had emerged from the capsules as hatchlings. During the trials, larvae were scored for two metrics: (1) mortality and (2) developmental abnormality. After exposure of larvae to a range of temperatures (15°C–37°C) in acute thermotolerance trials (1 h), the mortality of veligers and hatchlings occurred at similar temperatures. In contrast, temperatures that induced developmental abnormalities for both encapsulated veligers and hatchlings were lower than temperatures that caused mortality. And further, temperatures that induced abnormal development were different for the two stages. These results provide some of the first insights on effects of environmentally relevant MHW temperatures on larval forms of the Kellet's whelk, and suggest the potential decline of populations in situ in response to continued stress from local MHW events.

Effects of shipwrecks on spatiotemporal dynamics of metal/loids in sediments and seafood safety in the Bay of Bengal

Metal/loid pollution from shipwrecking activities has drawn significant concern due to their persistent threat to the marine ecosystem and human health. We investigated the spatiotemporal distribution, pollution characteristics, risks, sources, and potential impact of metal/loids in the sediments and seafood in the Bay of Bengal at nearby open beaching shipwrecking yards in Bangladesh. We collected 78 sediments and 208 seafood samples from the exposed and control sites from 2018 to 2020 during the dry and wet seasons. The concentrations of 16 elements, including cadmium, arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese, copper, zinc, iron, tin, antimony, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, selenium, and thallium were measured using validated inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods. Based on the pollution indices (enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, pollution index, and pollution load index), lead, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, copper, zinc, and tin from the dry season showed higher contaminations compared to the wet and their concentrations were increased from 2018 to 2020 with seasonal fluctuations. Sediment cadmium and arsenic posed relatively higher and moderate ecological risks. Health risk analysis indicated that lead, cadmium, and inorganic arsenic (estimated) in seafood species pose a possible health threat to the general population. Further, there were possible ecological and health risks for the metal/loids in combination based on the ecological risk index in sediment and the hazard index in seafood, respectively. Source apportionment suggested that anthropogenic activities through uncontrolled shipwrecking operations over the last four decades were the largest polluting dominator, contributing 55–77% of the metal/loid concentrations. Therefore, the data may inform mitigation strategies for emission control at the shipwrecking yards to protect marine ecosystems and their local population.

Wild fish and seafood species in the western Mediterranean Sea with low safe mercury concentrations

A total of 1345 specimens belonging to 58 different species of wild fish and seafood from the western Mediterranean Sea were analyzed to assess total mercury levels and to estimate which species meet the EU recommendations for human consumption (0.5 μg g−1 ww) in all cases. All fish species were caught off the Mediterranean coasts and intended for human consumption. All specimens were collected from local markets located in Spain, Italy and France that sell fish caught by local fishermen (Eivissa, Menorca, Mallorca, Alacant, L'Ampolla, Ametlla de Mar, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Alghero) at different time periods. Mercury concentrations were measured by thermal decomposition-gold amalgamator-atomic absorption spectrometry.Only thirteen species were found that did not exceed 0.5 μg g−1 ww in any specimen analyzed. These safe species were sardines (Sardina pilchardus), anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), picarel (Spicara smaris), blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo), gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), pearly razorfish (Xyrichtys novacula), surmullet (Mullus surmuletus), painted comber (Serranus scriba), brown meagre (Sciaena umbra), salema (Sarpa salpa), common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and squid (Loligo vulgaris). These species occupy different trophic levels, have different lengths and average weights, but show a low mercury concentration than others living in the same environments.Potential human consumption of these species as sole source of fish would imply estimated weekly intakes representing between 49% and 70% of the recommended provisional tolerable weekly intake of methylmercury in the worst case.Health authorities should pay specific attention to species that do not meet EU thresholds and make appropriate precautionary health recommendations, especially for pregnant women and children.

MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION TOOLS FOR BIVALVES: A REVIEW

The Bivalvia class constitute an important molluscan class that exert its effect on human society an important food component and sentinel organism indicating environmental contamination. Accurate species identification is a prerequisite for management of aquaculture, diversity studies and for human consumption. Presence of different species of bivalves on the global markets for human consumption has given rise to several commercial frauds based on species substitution. Reliable and rapid techniques are required to identify seafood species in different products and thus prevent wilful or unintentional fraudulence. This article reviews the molecular tools used by different researchers in the last two decades. By reviewing virtually all genetic markers used during the last two decades of bivalve molecular research, it is obvious that the best tools for bivalve molecular study are mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS2.

Assessing seafood nutritional diversity together with climate impacts informs more comprehensive dietary advice

Seafood holds promise for helping meet nutritional needs at a low climate impact. Here, we assess the nutrient density and greenhouse gas emissions, weighted by production method, that result from fishing and farming of globally important species. The highest nutrient benefit at the lowest emissions is achieved by consuming wild-caught small pelagic and salmonid species, and farmed bivalves like mussels and oysters. Many but not all seafood species provide more nutrition at lower emissions than land animal proteins, especially red meat, but large differences exist, even within species groups and species, depending on production method. Which nutrients contribute to nutrient density differs between seafoods, as do the nutrient needs of population groups within and between countries or regions. Based on the patterns found in nutritional attributes and climate impact, we recommend refocusing and tailoring production and consumption patterns towards species and production methods with improved nutrition and climate performance, taking into account specific nutritional needs and emission reduction goals.

Effect of Storage Temperature and Time on Biogenic Amines in Canned Seafood.

Biogenic amines in canned seafood are associated with food quality and human health. In this study, a total of nine biogenic amines (histamine (HIS), phenylethylamine (PHE), tyramine (TYM), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), tryptamine (TRY), spermine (SPM), spermidine (SPD), and octopamine (OCT)) were used as standards. The biogenic amines of five canned seafood species (canned mud carp, canned sardine, canned mantis shrimp, canned scallop, and canned oyster) were investigated every three months for 12 months at different storage temperatures (4, 10, 25, and 30 °C). The biogenic amine contents were determined by the ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction method combined with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (UADSPE-RPLC-PDA). These results showed a detection rate of 100, 60, and 40% for HIS, PHE, PUT, and TYM; CAD, SPM, and SPD; OCT in all the samples, respectively. The contents of histamine and tyramine exceeded the recommended maximum limits (50 and 100 mg kg−1) in the canned mud carp and canned scallop when stored at 30 °C, indicating their potential health risks (p < 0.05). This result also indicates that low temperatures could inhibit the BAs content of canned seafood during storage. Overall, storage temperature and time can be used as the primary means to monitor and control the quality and safety of canned seafood.

Harnessing the Full Power of Chemometric-Based Analysis of Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectral Data to Boost the Identification of Seafood Provenance and Fishing Areas.

Provenance and traceability are crucial aspects of seafood safety, supporting managers and regulators, and allowing consumers to have clear information about the origin of the seafood products they consume. In the present study, we developed an innovative spectral approach based on total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy to identify the provenance of seafood and present a case study for five economically relevant marine species harvested in different areas of the Atlantic Portuguese coast: three bony fish—Merluccius merluccius, Scomber colias, and Sparus aurata; one elasmobranch—Raja clavata; one cephalopod—Octopus vulgaris. Applying a first-order Savitzky–Golay transformation to the TXRF spectra reduced the potential matrix physical effects on the light scattering of the X-ray beam while maintaining the spectral differences inherent to the chemical composition of the samples. Furthermore, a variable importance in projection partial least-squares discriminant analysis (VIP-PLS-DA), with k − 1 components (where k is the number of geographical origins of each seafood species), produced robust high-quality models of classification of samples according to their geographical origin, with several clusters well-evidenced in the dispersion plots of all species. Four of the five species displayed models with an overall classification above 80.0%, whereas the lowest classification accuracy for S. aurata was 74.2%. Notably, about 10% of the spectral features that significantly contribute to class differentiation are shared among all species. The results obtained suggest that TXRF spectra can be used for traceability purposes in seafood species (from bony and cartilaginous fishes to cephalopods) and that the presented chemometric approach has an added value for coupling with classic TXRF spectral peak deconvolution and elemental quantification, allowing characterization of the geographical origin of samples, providing a highly accurate and informative dataset in terms of food safety.

Organotin contamination in seafood from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: Is there a potential risk for the health of consumers?

Since seafood is considered an important source of organotin compounds (OTCs), the present study assessed the potential risk to human health of ingesting butyltins (BTs) and phenyltins (PhTs) along with this type of food. Seafood samples were collected at five fishing sites in the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico) during February and March 2018. In general, organotins were detected in all samples, suggesting a widespread occurrence of these compounds in the investigated region. The average concentration of total organotins in the muscle of demersal fish (Lutjanus synagris, Lutjanus campechanus, Calamus pennatula, Haemulon plumierii, Rhomboplites aurorubens), pelagic fish (Euthynnus alletteratus, and Opisthonema oglinum), gastropods (Melongena bispinosa and Strombus pugilis), oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) was 146.7 ± 76.2, 93.1 ± 92.6, 61.0 ± 53.0, 76.7 ± 2.6, and 28.8 ± 2.7 ng Sn g−1 dry weight, respectively. Overall, MPhT among PhTs was the dominant compound in fish, while TBT among BTs was the dominant compound in shellfish. Regarding the toxic OTCs, TBT followed by DBT were the predominant compounds in all seafood species, while TPhT was below the quantification limit in most samples. The estimated daily intake values were lower than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the sum of organotins established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Furthermore, the hazard quotients (HQ) and hazard indices (HI) values were all lower than 1, suggesting that daily exposure to these levels of organotins is unlikely to cause any harm to the human health of seafood consumers at the Yucatán Peninsula. Thus, consumers may not be at risk through the inclusion of these investigated seafood species in their normal diet. However, due to the increasing coastal urbanization, maritime activities, and the likely illegal use of tin-based paints in Mexico, additional monitoring is needed to assess organotin levels in other regions along the Mexican coastal zone and using other seafood species.

Reassessment of adipocyte technology for cellular agriculture of alternative fat.

Alternative proteins, such as cultivated meat, have recently attracted significant attention as novel and sustainable food. Fat tissue/cell is an important component of meat that makes organoleptic and nutritional contributions. Although adipocyte biology is relatively well investigated, there is limited focus on the specific techniques and strategies to produce cultivated fat from agricultural animals. In the assumed standard workflow, stem/progenitor cell lines are derived from tissues of animals, cultured for expansion, and differentiated into mature adipocytes. Here, we compile information from literature related to cell isolation, growth, differentiation, and analysis from bovine, porcine, chicken, other livestock, and seafood species. A diverse range of tissue sources, cell isolation methods, cell types, growth media, differentiation cocktails, and analytical methods for measuring adipogenic levels were used across species. Based on our analysis, we identify opportunities and challenges in advancing new technology era toward producing "alternative fat" that is suitable for human consumption.

Microplastic in oysters: A review of global trends and comparison to southern Australia

Microplastics have been documented in a plethora of marine environments and organisms. These small plastics threaten ecosystem health, with implications for seafood species’ health. Oysters are an important cultural and economic aquaculture species globally. Due to their filter feeding mechanisms, they can act as an indicator species and proxy for environmental contamination. This makes them an ideal organism for investigating microplastic pollution. Here, we first systematically reviewed the global literature investigating microplastic in oysters. Globally, 94.4% of all oysters had microplastics, with an average of 1.41 ± 0.33 per gram of soft tissue wet weight (gww). The review showed that wild-caught oysters contained more than double the amount of microplastic than aquaculture raised specimens, likely reflecting the clean and productive waters in which oyster aquaculture systems are commonly located. Second, we quantified microplastic presence and polymer type in commercially farmed oysters (Crassostrea gigas and Saccostrea glomerata) across a broad spatial scale, covering eight sites in southern Australia. Microplastics were present in 49.4% of all sampled oysters, with specimens from all locations containing microplastics. On average, whole oysters contained 0.83 ± 0.08 microplastics per individual or 0.09 ± 0.01 microplastics gww. Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, we identified that 62% of the verified microplastics were vexar plastic netting, a low-density polyethylene commonly used in aquaculture production. Understanding the abundance and source of microplastic in these key seafood species is essential to determine if oysters are vulnerable to these contaminants and pose a risk to the oyster aquaculture industry as an important food resource.

Are bivalves a source of microplastics for humans? A case study in the Brazilian markets

Microplastics (MPs) are a ubiquitous contaminant worldwide, damaging the environment and human health. These particles have been identified in important seafood species, which are a possible source of contamination for humans and must be investigated. This study therefore aimed to identify the concentrations of microplastics in four important species of bivalves commercialized in Brazilian markets. The presence of microplastics was identified in all bivalves, with an average concentration of 1.64 MPs/g and 10.69 MPs/ind. We concluded that bivalves are a source of microplastics for the Brazilian population. However, further studies must evaluate other species sold in different regions of the country, estimating microplastics ingested by this population through bivalves. Finally, this contamination must be controlled by regulations such as mandatory depuration, in which can effectively minimize this problem.

Plenty more fish in the sea? - is there a place for seafood within a healthier and more sustainable diet?

Fish and other seafood species play an important nutritional, economic and social role within current diets worldwide, providing significant amounts of protein and micronutrients for an estimated 3billion people. Advice to consume fish is a common feature of dietary guidelines globally, including in the UK. However, increased global demand for seafood has led to overfishing and environmental damage linked to aquaculture expansion; issues, which are exacerbated by climate change. This raises the question of whether future demand for seafood can be met sustainably. In this article, we provide professionals working in diet, nutrition and health with an insight into the challenges facing the seafood sector and offer advice on how consumers may include seafood within a healthier and more sustainable diet. While a complex and multi-faceted challenge, fisheries scientists estimate that successful implementation of better management practices (for farmed and wild-capture fisheries) can meet future demand, allow fish stocks to rebuild to sustainable levels, help mitigate environmental effects of aquaculture, and ensure profitable fisheries to support the ~60million people employed by the seafood sector globally. Those working within the UK food system, including nutrition and health professionals, and businesses, can support the transition towards a more sustainable future for seafood by: encouraging consumption of a wider variety of species by UK consumers; increasing awareness of and knowledge about 'ecolabel' certifications designed to help consumers identify more sustainable choices; and engaging with multi-stakeholder initiatives addressing sustainability challenges facing the seafood sector.