Trends and potential human health risk of trace elements accumulated in transplanted blue mussels during restoration activities of Flekkefjord fjord (Southern Norway)

AbstractThe monitoring of contaminants represents a priority to preserve the integrity of marine ecosystems, as well as to plan and to manage restoration activities in order to protect environmental and human health. In the present study, a 6-months active biomonitoring was performed to explore the levels of eighteen trace and toxic elements, including heavy metals (TEs; i.e. Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, and Zn), accumulated in soft tissues of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758) individuals transplanted at different depths (5- and 15-m depth) in five locations within the Flekkefjord fjord (Southern Norway). As this area suffered a long-lasting co…

Risk assessment of the biocontrol product Nemaslug 2.0 with the active organisms Phasmarhabditis californica (strain P19D) and Moraxella osloensis. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) in the stomach contents of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) sampled from Norwegian fish farms: Relationship between lice grazing and operational conditions

Cleaner fish are commonly used as a control measure against salmon lice infestations in salmonid farms. Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is the most common cleaner fish species used in Norwegian farms. However, little is known about how different operational, including environmental, conditions affect the salmon lice grazing efficacy by lumpfish. In this paper, we analyse salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) in the stomach contents of a large sample of more than 20,000 lumpfish from 80 different Norwegian farms. We investigate the proportion of lumpfish with salmon lice and the mean number of salmon lice in the stomach contents of the lumpfish. We further explore how the salmon lice contents …

Updated pest categorisation of Xylella fastidiosa

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Plant Health Panel updated its pest categorisation of Xylella fastidiosa, previously delivered as part of the pest risk assessment published in 2015. X. fastidiosa is a Gram‐negative bacterium, responsible for various plant diseases, including Pierce's disease, phony peach disease, citrus variegated chlorosis, olive quick decline syndrome, almond leaf scorch and various other leaf scorch diseases. The pathogen is endemic in the Americas and is present in Iran. In the EU, it is reported in southern Apulia in Italy, on the island of Corsica and in the Provence‐Alpes‐Côte d'Azur region in France, as well as in the Autonomous r…

Incidence of persistent contaminants through blue mussels biomonitoring from Flekkefjord fjord and their relevance to food safety

Dredging activities can lead to the re-suspension of contaminated sediments, resulting in a potential hazard for the whole ecosystem and also for human health. Six-month active biomonitoring was performed in order to monitor the trends of different classes of both legacy (organochlorine – OCPs – and organophosphate (OPs) compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls – PCBs) and emerging (polybromodiphenyl ethers – PBDE – and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – PFASs) organohalogen compounds, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in blue mussel (Mytilus edulis spp.) specimens transplanted at different depths in the Flekkefjord fjord. Such biomonitoring was performed to evaluate the…

Mind the depth: The vertical dimension of a small-scale coastal fishery shapes selection on species, size, and sex in wrasses

Small‐scale fisheries (SSFs) tend to target shallow waters, but the depth distributions of coastal fish can vary depending on species, size, and sex. This creates a scope for a form of fishing selectivity that has received limited attention but can have considerable implications for monitoring and management of these fisheries. We conducted a case study on the Norwegian wrasse fishery, a developing SSF in which multiple species are caught in shallow waters (mean depth = 4.5 m) to be used as cleaner fish in aquaculture. Several of these wrasses have life histories and behaviors that are sensitive to selective fishing mortality, such as sexual size dimorphism, paternal care, and sex change. A…

Legacy and Emerging Contaminants in Demersal Fish Species from Southern Norway and Implications for Food Safety

The present study aimed at measuring the levels of legacy and emerging contaminants in fillet samples from four demersal fish caught in two fishing sites from Southern Norway, in order to assess possible implications for food safety. Levels of organochlorine compounds (OCs), organophosphate pesticides (OPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDE), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in fillet from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), lemon sole (Microstomus kitt), and European flounder (Platichthys flesus) specimens. A negligible contamination by all the investigate…

Matproduksjon, mattrygghet og miljø - innspill om kunnskapsbehov til gjennomføringen av det grønne skiftet - Uttalelse fra hovedkomiteen i Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø (VKM)

Denne rapporten er utarbeidet av Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø (VKM), en uavhengig, tverrfaglig komité som utarbeider kunnskapsgrunnlag for den norske mat- og miljøforvaltningen på områdene matproduksjon, mattrygghet og biologisk mangfold. De siste tiårene har FNs klimapanel, Det internasjonale naturpanelet, Det internasjonale ressurspanelet og flere andre paneler og organisasjoner levert rapporter som dokumenterer at befolkningsvekst og menneskelig aktivitet fører med seg store og økende utfordringer på miljø-, klima- og ressursområdet. Endringer innen disse områdene påvirker matproduksjon, matsikkerhet, mattrygghet, folkehelse og naturverdier i alle deler av verden (UNEP, 2021). Sam…

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring

At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk. Paid open access