Reserach news 2013

N I F E S e x a m i n e s t h e s e a f o o d y o u e a tRESEARCH NEWS

2013

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Research News from NIFES

Dear reader

NIFES does research on the seafood that weeat, and how it affects our health.

Seafood is an important component of abalanced diet. Fish and other types ofseafood contain marine omega-3, vitaminsand iodine, all of which are important in ourdiets. Both national and international healthauthorities recommend that we should eatmore seafood, due to this combination ofnutrients which is lacking in most other typesof food. Every time that you eat seafood fordinner, you are rejecting other foods thatmight well contain more saturated fats andsugars. This is important at a time whenlifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetesare among the most serious challenges to ourhealth.

At the moment, we know little about theeffects on health of seafood that is eaten aspart of a complete meal. The food that we eat

is more than just a series of individualsubstances like omega-3 or vitamin D.NIFES is about to commence a majorstudy of seafood and health, animportant aspect of which will be tolook at seafood as a whole, and what itcan mean to modify our diet. Twenty-six partners from four countries willinvestigate whether seafood can havepositive effects on obesity, diabetesand mental health. Fish InterventionStudies (FINS), which will last forfour years, will be the largest single researcheffort on the effects of seafood on healthever undertaken by Norway.

The seafood that we eat also needs to be safe.One important aspect of NIFES’ research isto survey and investigate the content ofenvironmental toxins and other undesirablesubstances in wild and farmed fish, and inthe feed given to farmed fish. The health andwelfare of these fish are affected by changesin their feed. These in turn affect the nutrient

content of the seafood that we eat, and thusour own health. Everything is interconnected,and this is the subject of NIFES’ research.

This brochure offers you an up-to-dateoverview of the research we do at NIFES. Ihope you enjoy reading it.

Øyvind Lie,Director

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ContentsSustainable aquaculture development 7

Alternative feed raw materials 7

– Raw materials of vegetable origin 7– Fish need more nutrients 9– Genetically modified raw materials for fish feed 10– Animal by-products in fish feed 12– By-products from fish and other marine raw materials13– Insect meal as a raw material for fish feed 15

Climate and nutrition 17

– What happens to fish when the climate changes? 17– Can feed be adapted to climate change? 17– Ocean acidification affects mackerel 18– Iodine requirements of fish 18– Rising sea temperatures affect cod eggs 18

Fish welfare 20

– Sterile salmon as a means of dealing with escaped farmed salmon 20

– Salmon delousing agents 21– Oil pollution 22

– Hungry herring 22– Fish-milt in virus vaccines 23– Bone health 24

Ballan wrasse farming 25

– The Ballan wrasse’s ability to produce phospholipids 26

Cod farming 27

– Feed for cod larvae 27– Bone development in cod 29

Drawing up regulations for safe fish-feed and seafood 31

– Toxaphene in feed and fish 32

Status of undesirable substances in Norwegian seafood 35

Baseline studies of undesirable substances in important fish species 35

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Follow-up of the baseline investigations 41

– Greenland halibut in the Norwegian Sea 41– Norwegian spring-spawning herring and mackerel 42

Monitoring on behalf of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority 43

– Veterinary border inspections of imports 43– Undesirable substances in wild fish

from coastal areas 45– Environmental contaminants in fish and

fish products 48– Fjords and harbours 49– Salmon are safe, and delousing agents

have been demonstrated in wild fish 49– Fish-feed monitoring 51– Monitoring farmed fish 52– Medicines in farmed fish 53

Shellfish and crustacean monitoring 55

– Parasite monitoring 56

– Roundworm 57– Low levels of environmental toxins in eels 58

Monitoring shipwreck sites and sunken ships 59

– Monitoring in the vicinity of the U864 near Fedje 60

Management plans 61

Research on mussels 62

Interactions between undesirablesubstances and nutrients 65

Selenium counteracts the effects of mercury 65

Better understanding of the interaction between contaminants and nutrients in fish 66

Omega-3 and methyl mercury 67

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The use of omega-6 in fish feed should be restricted 69

Seafood in the diet and its effects on health 71

Obesity and diabetes 72

– Significance of nutrients 72– Significance of environmental contaminants 72

Mental health 75

– Can seafood help to overcome post-partum depression? 75

Back and joint pain 77

Effects on health of oxidised fish-oils 78

Iodine 78

– Do children, adults and pregnant women get sufficient iodine? 78

International collaboration 81

– Mauritius 81– Cuba 81– Russia 82

NIFES is a national reference laboratory 85

Aquaculture Nutrition 86

Teaching and training 87

Teaching at the University of Bergen 87

Contents

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Current prognoses suggest that in2030, aquaculture will beproducing as much seafood as ourfisheries, which suggests that theavailability of resources for theproduction of feed will become asignificant challenge. Today,commercial fish feed can include asmuch as fifty per cent vegetable oiland a similar proportion of plantprotein as alternatives to rawmaterials of marine origin.Alternative sources of raw materialsfor feed include vegetable oils,

plant meal, genetically modifiedplant material, animal by-productsand krill-meal. Major changes inthe composition of feed rawmaterials, such as largerproportions of vegetable rawmaterials, require better knowledgeof minimum requirements fornutrients and upper tolerable levelof undesirable substances in themodified feed. This is needed toensure good growth, fish healthand welfare and the sustainabledevelopment of the aquacultureindustry.

Alternative feed rawmaterials

Raw materials of vegetableorigin

In the course of the past ten years, the use offish-meal and fish-oil in feed for farmedsalmon has fallen significantly, due to risingprices and limited availability. Growingpressure to reduce the use of marine rawmaterials in fish feed means that it isimportant to be aware of the effects ofalternative raw materials on fish.

Salmon can be a net produced ofmarine omega-3 fatty acids When more of the marine raw materials arereplaced by plant-based raw materials, theproportion of the marine omega-3 fatty acidsEPA and DHA in feed is reduced. Previousstudies have shown that when feed contains

Sustainable aquaculture development

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«In the course of the past ten years, theuse of fish-meal and fish-oil in feed forfarmed salmon has fallen significantly»

low levels of marine omega-3, fish begin tostore marine omega-3 fatty acids moreefficiently, and may also produce these fattyacids themselves.

NIFES wants to find out just how much EPAand DHA salmon actually need and to whichextent low dietary levels of marine omega-3in feed will influence how much is stored inmuscle tissue. It takes a long time for salmonto use up their reserves of fatty acids, whichmeans that long-term feeding experimentsare needed to study marine omega-3requirements.

To determine the minimum requirement ofmarine omega-3 fatty acids five groups ofAtlantic salmon were fed diets withincreasing levels of EPA and DHA. After sixmonths the fish were divided into twotemperature groups per feed type, one kept at6 oC and the other at 12 oC, in order to findout whether temperature influences EPA andDHA metabolism in the fish.

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After the fish had been slaughtered, theresults showed that their flesh containedmore DHA than they had received in theirdiet. DHA production also increased as theamount of DHA in the feed fell. We alsolooked at whether low content of DHA andEPA in feed can have negative consequencesfor fish welfare. Research done so far do notindicate any severe negative effects onhealth, whereas fatty acid composition of thered blood cells was clearly affected bydietary fatty acid composition.

Collaboration: Skretting ARCFinancial support: Western RegionResearch Fund

Amino acid requirements in salmonVegetable raw materials in feed havedifferent concentrations of amino acids thanfish-meal. To find out what the compositionof fish feed ought to be, we need to identifythe consequences of amino acid imbalance in

farmed salmon, and whether this can affectthe health of the fish. A feeding experimenton salmon showed that insufficient amountsof methionine, lysine and arginine result inonly minor changes in growth, but do haveconsequences for fat metabolism.

This experiment studied how methionine,lysine and arginine interact. Salmon were feda plant-based feed, to which lysine wasadded to meet what were presumed to betheir requirements, while increasing amountsof arginine were given to both large andsmall salmon. Cells were also isolated fromthe livers of the large salmon for a cell study.Growth experiments were also performed onjuvenile salmon that were fed plant-basedfeed with graded methionine supplements.

An imbalance in these amino acids led tochanges in how liver and muscle storedprotein and fat. Changes were also registeredin individual amino acids; for example, morearginine led to an increase in a marker that

shows an increase in fat metabolism in theliver. More research is needed to identify theeffects of these changes on fish health andgrowth.

Collaboration: EWOS, Nofima, Universityof Bergen, EvonikFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs, EWOS Innovation,Research Council of Norway

Fish need more nutrients

Vegetable raw materials make up a growingproportion of the feed given to farmed fish.In order to improve our knowledge of theirrequirements for micronutrients such asvitamins and minerals, NIFES has carried outfeeding trials on salmon in their freshwaterphase. The fish were given a feed that had ahigher content of plant raw materials than isusual in current commercial fish feeds. Thecontent of these nutrients gradually increased

in a series of seven different diets. Thenutrients included 12 vitamins, six minerals,two essential amino acids, taurine andcholesterol.

Preliminary results suggest that the fish grewbest that were given higher concentrations ofnutrient supplements than what hadpreviously been regarded as necessary. Thefish given dietary supplements that wereexpected to meet their needs displayedreduced growth, and an in fact grew at asimilar rate to those whose supplement wasless than what was believed to be therequirement. The results regarding theweights of the liver and viscera displayed asimilar picture. This suggests that salmonneed more of these nutrients than waspreviously believed. Further studies will becarried out to identify the nutrients whoselack held back growth in these tests.

The experiment formed part of a newEuropean Union project in which the nutrient

requirements of Atlantic salmon, rainbowtrout, carp, sea bass and sea bream are beingstudied.

Collaboration: INRA (France), University ofStirling (Scotland), Institute of Aquaculture(Spain), ICCM (Spain), HCMR (Greece),IFREMER (France, HAKI (Hungary),University of Insubria (Italy), Biomar, andGIFAS (Norway)Financial support: European Union,Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs

Genetically modified rawmaterials for fish feed

Maize is used as a raw material for fish feed.Today, a large proportion of the maize andother raw materials available on the marketconsists of genetically modified (GM)products for use in fish feed. NIFESperformed salmon feeding trials that usedGM maize and soya, whose effects were

studied via a number of indicators of fishhealth. The results revealed no ill effects ofGM soya, but the results of the GM maizetrials were less clear. Attempts have beenmade to evaluate whether other factors, suchas contamination of the maize by myco-(fungal) toxins, might have produced theseresults.

Can mycotoxins affect fish?With the aim of improving our knowledge ofhow fish react to mycotoxins, zebrafish werefed the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) forthe lifetime of a whole generation. Growth,gene expression, reproduction and the qualityof larvae of the subsequent generation wereall studied.

Gene expression in the liver changed in linewith mycotoxin concentration, which alsoaffected reproduction, while the swimmingbehaviour of the next generation of larvaealso changed. Further studies must be carriedout on Atlantic salmon in order to determine

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whether the same genes are affected by thismycotoxin, and the significance of sucheffects for the fish.

GM maize is safe for zebrafishFor the first time, NIFES also looked at

intergenerational effects of geneticallymodified (GM) raw materials in fish feed.Two generations of zebrafish were fed GMmaize and unmodified maize in order todetermine whether GM maize could damagethe digestive system or affect growth, blood

health, reproduction or the quality ofoffspring.

The results found no ill-effects of GM maizeon zebrafish. However, the fish fedunmodified maize grew more slowly, andalso displayed minor changes in the liver.These effects are probably due to theunmodified maize containing mycotoxins.

This experiment demonstrates that GM maizeis safe for zebrafish, even when given overseveral generations. However, it is importantto remember that these genetic changes areunique to each type of GM plant, and theireffects must therefore be evaluated for eachindividual plant species.

NIFES does not know whether GM maize issafe for salmon. Several other experimentshave been performed on fish, but the resultsvary. Before we can conclude that GM maize

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in salmon feed is safe, we must performmore long-term experiments, in which weuse current types of feed containing highlevels of vegetable components in addition tothe GM maize itself.

Collaboration: Norwegian School ofVeterinary Science Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Animal by-products in fishfeed

Agriculture produces enormous quantities ofanimal by-products (ABP), and exploitingthese could contribute to an environmentallysustainable development of aquaculture. Forthis reason, we have studied the extent towhich selected ABPs might be suitable asreplacements for fish-meal and fish-oil insalmon feed.

The digestibility and suitability for use insalmon feed of a number of products derivedfrom chickens and pigs were checked. Theresults were used to design diets for a 16-week feeding trial of salmon in sea-cages, inthe course of which the effects of the diets ongrowth and health were studied. Theexperiments considered three feeds, in whicheither the protein, fat or both of thesecomponents were replaced by animal by-products. The control feed was based on amixture of plant and marine ingredients.

The salmon in all three groups grew equallywell. The two groups that were given mostABP protein had a somewhat higher feedfactor (the number of kilograms of feedneeded to put on a single kilo of weight),probably due to the higher ash content of thatfeed. There were few obvious signs ofwelfare problems such as sores, deformitiesor cataracts among the fish. Nor were thereobvious differences in their immune systemor gut health. Animal fat reduced the fat

content of the liver in the salmon, which isregarded as a good thing for the health of thefish. These results argue in favour of thesafety of using raw materials based onanimal by-products.

The use of ABPs as raw materials in feedsdoes not encompass products derived fromruminants, due to the risk of bovinespongiform encephalitis (BSE or ”mad cowdisease”) infection. It is therefore importantto be able to identify any illegal admixture orcontent of material from ruminants in feedsand feed ingredients. A method for doing sohas been developed.

Another challenge presented by ABPs is thepossible presence of traces of medicines usedin animal husbandry. In 2012, a method wasadopted for identifying the antibioticenrofloxacine and its metaboliteciprofloxacine in by-products and feedsbased on ABPs. A study using salmonshowed that low concentrations of this

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antibiotic are often found in by-products, butthat the substance is rapidly washed out ofthe body when fed diets devoid of theantibiotic.

Collaboration: Nofima (Norway andChile), EWOS Innovation (Norway andChile), EFRA (European Fat Processors andRenderers Association)Financial support: Research Council ofNorway

By-products from fish andother marine raw materials

Phosphorus from fish-bones

Phosphorus is an important ingredient of fishfeed, and is essential for bone development.Fish obtain little phosphorus from the water,and it therefore needs to be added to theirfeed, usually in inorganic form. Inorganic

phosphorus comes from mining industry, andis expected to become a limited resource inthe future. Recovering this mineral from fish-bones is a good way of exploiting by-products without adding extra phosphorus tothe marine environment.

Nofima has developed a method forextracting minerals that can be used in fishfeed, largely phosphorus, from fish-boneproducts. The new product is called bonehydrolysate. Nofima and NIFES has carriedout feeding trials in which feed containingbone hydrolysate has been compared withfeed that contains traditional sources ofminerals.

Growth, bone development andmineralisation were studied in salmon, andwere similar in the two dietary groups. As nonegative effects on fish health were found,bone hydrolysate can be used to replacetraditional salts of phosphorus on salmonfeed.

Collaboration: NofimaFinancial support: Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund

Kelp and musselsWith a view to exploiting novel locally-produced ingredients in fish feed, we carriedout trials of microalgae, kelp and mussels assubstitutes for fish-meal and fish oil. In 2012,these ingredients were analysed for theircontent of nutrients and heavy metals.

Meal from mussels has high protein content,comparable to that of fish-meal. It wouldtherefore be possible to replace a certainproportion of the fish-meal in feed withmussel meal, while maintaining the samelevel of protein in the feed. Mussel meal isalso similar to fish-meal in its content ofother nutrients. The mussel meal contained alow level of heavy metals.

Preliminary results of studies using rainbowtrout show that trout fed on mussel meal

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grow just as well as fish fed on commercialfeeds. It also looks as though the trout fed onmussel meal develop better flesh colour. Thissuggests that mussel meal would be asuitable feed ingredient and that it couldreplace fish-meal in rainbow trout feed.

Kelp meal contains little protein and fat, butit is rich in minerals, and could therefore besuitable as a mineral additive in fish feed.However, it turned out that its concentrationsof total arsenic and inorganic arsenicexceeded the maximum permitted level forfeed ingredients. The kelp meal that weanalysed in this project can therefore not beused as an ingredient in fish feed. If kelpmeal is to be considered as a potentialingredient in fish feed in the future, morestudies will have to be performed in order tofind out whether arsenic in kelp is harmful tosalmon, and whether it is found in the fishfilet.

Collaboration: Matorka ehf (Iceland),Matis ofh (Iceland), University ofGothenburg (Sweden), Danish TechnicalUniversity (Denmark), KVA (Sweden),Skretting (Norway), and Coastal ZonesResearch institute (Canada)Financial support: Nordic MarineInnovation Programme

Krill meal in fish feedKrill is one of several alternative sources ofmarine raw materials and the use of krillmeal has been investigated by a number ofstudies, whose main conclusion was that krillmeal is a good source of protein and marinephospholipids and fatty acids, but that krillmeal also contains high naturalconcentrations of fluorine.

Trials using Atlantic salmon, Atlantic halibut

and Atlantic cod in seawater showed that thefluorine in krill meal is not taken up by thesefish. Irrespective of species and the level offluorine in the feed, there were no increasesin the fluorine content of muscle, bone, gills,kidneys or scales/skin. Freshwater andseawater trials on trout showed that fluorinefrom fish meal can be taken up and stored inthe bones of trout in freshwater.

In order to find out whether krill meal can beused in salmon before they are set out inseawater, a similar experiment with salmonin seawater was performed in 2011. Levels offluorine in muscle and bone were analysed in2012, but the data are not yet available.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Nofima Financial support: Research Council ofNorway

Insect meal as a rawmaterial for fish feed

Insect meal is a source of protein, and itcould potentially replace fish-meal in salmonfeed. Insect meal can be produced within arelatively small space, and production doesnot require agricultural land. Food for insectlarvae can range from various by-products toreject food products.

We fed Atlantic salmon diets that includedvarious levels of insect meal, whose effectson fish health were evaluated. The resultsshowed that insect meal could replace up to100 per cent of the fish protein in salmonfeed, without any negative effects on eithergrowth or taste.

Collaboration: Protix Biosystems, BV, TheNetherlandsFinancial support: Protix Biosystems, BV,The Netherlands

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Climate and nutrition

Climate change is affecting theenvironment, and this could lead tochanges in the temperature and pHof the sea. Statistics show that thesea temperature is rising all alongthe coast of Norway. NIFES isinvestigating how changes inseawater temperature affectsalmon, trout and cod. Amongother things, we wish to find outhow future salmon feeds can bemade suitable for fish farming evenin a warmer climate, so that the fishwill be capable of toleratinglengthier periods of high seatemperatures.

What happens to fish whenthe climate changes?

NIFES has performed studies of themechanisms employed by small salmon andtrout to adapt to higher water temperatures.The trout dealt with high temperatures betterthan the salmon, particularly as regardsgrowth and protective mechanisms in theircells, although there were indications thattrout will also display reduced weight gainover time. Salmon also suffered a higherincidence of cataracts than trout.

In one study, small salmon were fasted athigh temperatures, and we looked at how thefish recovered after such a period of fastingand high temperature. A high percentage ofthe brood fish that were fed at 19 oC becamesexually mature, while starved fish did not.

Can feed be adapted toclimate change?

A number of attempts have been made todevelop a feed for salmon and trout suitablefor higher temperatures. In 2012, we carriedout feeding trials at 17 oC, during whichsalmon were exposed to insufficient levels ofoxygen in the water, and different levels ofenergy in the feed. The results suggested thatelevated levels of fat in the feed can have apositive effect on growth, but more work isneeded before this can be confirmed.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, University of Bergen, HokkaidoUniversity (Japan), University of Arkansas(USA), University of Victoria (Canada),Skretting ARCFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

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Ocean acidification affectsmackerel

A rising degree of acidification is one of themain problems associated with a warmerclimate. NIFES has studied the effects ofacidification on mackerel. We focused onacquiring basic knowledge of changes inhormones, antioxidants, genes and proteins.This was the first experiment on oceanacidification to be performed on a pelagicspecies.

Preliminary results suggest that the fish beginto suffer from lack of oxygen, which in turncan lead to reduced feed consumption, as hasalready been found in salmon and trout.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Beijing Genome Institute,University of BergenFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Iodine requirements of fish

Climate change can lead to changes in thepH of the sea, which in turn can reduce theavailability of iodine to fish. Fish neediodine, and as much as 90 per cent of thisneed is met by iodine from the water.

Iodine is taken up via the gills and thedigestive system, and it occurs in two forms:iodine and iodide. It is not certain which ofthese two forms is taken up by fish. By theuse of radioactive iodine, we hope to find outwhat concentration of iodine is available foruptake by fish, in addition to the importancevarious environmental factors have for theform of iodine taken up. Several differentfactors are capable of influencing iodineuptake; these include temperature and the pH(acidity) of the water.

NIFES exposed zebrafish to radioactiveiodide or gave them iodine via the water. Wealso studied the effects of pH on iodine

uptake. The results show that the uptake andstorage of iodine take different forms in maleand female fish. There are also greatdifferences in iodine update between highand low pH values. In acid water, the fishabsorb more iodine than in alkaline water.This may be due to differences in thechemical forms of iodine in water withdifferent pH values.

Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Rising sea temperaturesaffect cod eggs

Previous studies have shown that the optimaltemperature for cod eggs is about six degreesCelsius, and that raising the temperature to10 degrees increased mortality and producedmore deformed larvae. Climate change maylead to an increase of about four degrees inthe temperature of the North Sea and on the

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coast of Norway within a 50-yearperspective. The temperatures in theseregions will thus become less suitable forcod reproduction. NIFES has studied howcod eggs react to a rise in temperature fromsix to ten degrees Celsius, and has identifiedthe metabolic changes that occur.

Cod eggs were held at either six or tendegrees, and were sampled at variousdevelopmental stages from fertilisation tohatching. The responses of a number ofbiological processes were measured byexamining gene expression, enzyme activityand level of oxidative stress.

The results showed that in the cod eggs keptat ten degrees Celsius, most of the genes thatwere analysed were down-regulated. Thetemperature affected the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes. There were variousdegrees of change, depending on when in thecourse of embryonic development thesamples had been taken. The rate of

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development also changed, increasing in theeggs kept at ten degrees.

Raising the temperature from six to tendegrees Celsius affected all the biologicalprocesses measured. The cod eggs wereseverely affected by temperature stress at tendegrees, and this also led to increasedmortality.


Fish welfare

Sterile salmon as a meansof dealing with escapedfarmed salmon

Sterile salmon are regarded as one potentialsolution to the problem of escaped farmedsalmon, since they are incapable ofreproducing. However, before sterile salmoncan be farmed on a large scale, a number ofproblems will have to be solved. As part of aproject led by the Institute of MarineResearch, NIFES will study how nutritioncan influence the growth and welfare ofsterile salmon in the course of production.

The project will investigate whether asuitably designed feed can reduce thedevelopment of bone deformities andcataracts, which occur more frequently insterile salmon. It will focus in particular onsupplementing the diet with phosphorus and

the amino acid histidine, since previousNIFES research suggests that these nutrientsplay a decisive role in the development ofbone deformities and cataracts in normalfarmed salmon.

In 2012, NIFES studied histidine metabolismin normal and sterile salmon, and in Arcticcharr and charr - salmon hybrids. In a studyof the temperature effects, cataractdevelopment and muscular function wereinvestigated in normal and sterile salmonexposed to stress, i.e. kept at higher andlower temperatures than normal.

The preliminary results confirm that sterilesalmon are more liable to develop cataractsthan normal salmon. The indications so farare that elevated sea temperatures can createextra challenges for sterile salmon. Feedingtrials with sterile salmon will be performedin 2013, and our aim is to open for thepossibility of commercial use of sterilesalmon in order to avoid the problem of

escaped farmed salmon reproducing withwild salmon.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Alfred Wegener Institute forMarine and Polar Research (Germany),Marine Harvest Norway, Aquagen,Skretting ARCFinancial support: Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund,Research Council of Norway

Salmon delousing agents

Salmon lice are a widespread parasite offarmed salmon, and have created a majorhealth problem for the aquaculture industry.Salmon louse infections are normally treatedby means of orally administered medicinescombine with bath treatments. In some cases,salmon lice develop resistance to delousingagents, which means that other forms oftreatments is developing. NIFES has studied

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fish that were exposed to the delousingagents Alpha Max (deltrametrin) andSalmosan (azamethiphos), and looked at theireffects on the fish and particularly theinteraction between the two delousing agents.Sea trout suffering from salmon louseinfections of various degrees of severity willbe further analysed and studied for signs ofstress. No results are available as yet.

Collaboration: NINA, PharmaFinancial support: NINA, Ministry ofFisheries and Coastal Affairs

Oil pollution

Oil components affect the coddetoxification systemEnvironmental toxins from oil pollution canweaken fish immune systems, so that they

become more vulnerable to disease. With theaid of cell studies, we can identify themechanisms that affect fish welfare andresistance to disease. NIFES added bacteriaand virus-like substances to cell nutrients,both with and without environmental toxins.

Preliminary results suggest that fish cellsexposed to environmental toxins alsosuffered mild bacterial virus infections. Italso appears that fish cells are more sensitivewhen they are simultaneously exposed tovirus infections and environmental toxins.

The samples are still being analysed. Whenwe know more about how differentenvironmental toxins affect the cod immunesystem, we can try to counteract theirnegative effects through the use of suitabledietary regimes.


Hungry herring

Scientists at the Institute of Marine Researchhave observed increasing emaciation inNorwegian spring-spawning herring in recentyears, along with a fall in the amount ofplankton on their feeding grounds.

NIFES has analysed dry matter, fat andprotein in whole fish and herring filletsamples from catches taken betweenSeptember 2010 and December 2012.

Our preliminary results show that the fatcontent of herring in 2011 – 2012 was muchlower than in 1994 – 1995, which were goodyears when the herring had a high fatcontent. In 2011 – 2012, their fat content wasthe same as in 1997, which was a bad yearfor herring due to poor food availability.

If the low fat level is due to overgrazing ofplankton, this information could be useful for

the management of Norwegian spring-spawning herring in the future.

Collaboration: Institute of Marine Research Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Fish-milt in virus vaccines

Fish-milt (the spermatic fluid of fishes) canhave positive effects on health, particularly interms of improving the human immunesystem. This is due in particular to its highnucleotide (DNA) content. Milt fromfisheries has significant potential for thedevelopment of bioactive agents that couldbe utilised by both the food andpharmaceutical industries. Previous studieshave shown that salmon and cod nucleotideshave effects on human immune system cells.Fish-milt also contains high concentrations ofthe omega-3 amino acids EPA and DHA.

NIFES has investigated whether milt fromherring and cod has any effects on the healthof salmon. In a cell study we investigatedhow nucleotides and DNA in the milt affectimmune system cells. The results show thatDNA from milk can have positive effectswhen it is added to anti-viral vaccines, as itleads to specific and improved responses toviruses. Fish-milt and DNA from fish-miltmay also be of importance for fish health andwelfare if they are added to feed duringperiods when farmed salmon are particularly

vulnerable to infections and stress.

The effects of fish milt and DNA from milton immune cells that have been infected withviruses or bacteria, and on stressed cells, willbe investigated in the course of feeding trialswith fish.

Financial support: RUBIN, Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund

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Bone health

Is a lack of vitamins D and K thecause of deformities?

It is still not unusual to observe abnormalspinal columns and mouth-parts in farmedmarine fish species. These are caused bydeformed vertebrae and jaws. Deformitiesof this sort are a problem for fish welfareand should be avoided, but to do so, weneed to find out why they occur in the firstplace.

One cause might be poor nutrition. Weknow that if fish are given a badly designedfeed early in life, more individuals willsuffer bone deformities than those fed anoptimal feed. Vitamins D and K play a partin regulating skeletal growth. Vitamin Dregulates calcium balance, while vitamin Kis needed to activate bone proteins so that

they bind up minerals. Too little of eitherone or both of these vitamins makes for aweak skeleton. Until recently, we have notknown whether commercial start feeds forcod have contained higher or lowerconcentrations of these vitamins than theirnatural diet in the sea.

NIFES analysed both natural andcommercial feeds for their content ofvitamins D and K, calcium and phosphorus.Samples of cod larvae and fry were alsoanalysed for the same nutrients.

The results showed that zooplankton fromthe sea contained less vitamin D and Kthan the commercial feed. There were alsodifferent levels of these vitamins indifferent types of commercial feed. Afurther consideration is that there existdifferent forms of each of these vitamins,and it was impossible to distinguish

between the two types of vitamin D. Wefound that different forms of vitamin Kdominated in zooplankton and commercialfeed.

It is not likely that inadequate levels ofvitamin D or vitamin K are the direct causeof the abnormal spinal columns and mouth-parts that we find in marine farmed fish.The differences in form and level that wefound in commercial feeds with differentenrichment supplements show that it isimportant to blend a feed that includesadequate levels of the right forms of thesevitamins.

Collaboration: Havlandet Marine YngelASFinancial support: Western RegionResearch Fund

Ballan wrasse farmingThe ballan wrasse, which is a labrid fish,could be an environmentally friendlyalternative means of combatting salmon lice.However, wrasse need formulated feed inaddition to salmon lice, but farmed wrasse donot grow on traditional aquaculture feeds.The wrasse has an unusual gastrointestinaltract (for one thing it lacks a stomach), whichmeans that its digestion and absorption ofnutrients are different from other fish. If wecould develop a feed capable of being

processed by such a digestive system, wewould be able to reduce the use of medicinesin salmon farming. This would also protectwild stock of wrasse from overfishing.

A cooperative effort with Nofima will studyall aspects of wrasse aquaculture. One of theroles of NIFES will be to find out how feedingredients and regimes can be adapted to thespecial biology of the wrasse, since so far,developing a good growth feed for wrasse fryhas been a problem.

NIFES is currently investigating the optimalamounts and proportions of nutrients inbroodstock feeds. Among other topics, wewill look at the nutritional status of wild fishand compare them with fish that have beenheld in captivity for at least a year. The pointof departure is that wild fish can obtainenough of all the nutrients that they need,and are therefore a good reference point. Ourcurrent knowledge suggests that wrasse needto be given feed that has been supplementedwith shrimp meal. This is expensive, and weare attempting to find alternative ingredients,although no good solutions have beenidentified so far.

Collaboration: Marine Harvest, VillaMijølaks. Nofi, MARINTEK, Institute ofMarine ResearchFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway, Marine Harvest, Villa Miljølaks

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The Ballan wrasse’s abilityto produce phospholipids

It is important to make the best possible feedfor wrasse and to do that we need to know ifthis fish species is able to form their ownphospholipids or not. Phospholipids are atype of fat that all organisms need to buildcell membranes, for instance when they aregrowing.

All animals can make their ownphospholipids from storage fat, but fishlarvae and apparently some adult fish havelimited ability to do so. When humans andfish digests phospholipids in the intestine,they are not broken down, but cut in half.These two parts are taken up in the intestineand can in theory be rebuilt to aphospholipid. NIFES has examined whether

wrasse can create new phospholipid fromstoring fat, or whether it can only make useof dietary phospholipids.

Wrasses were fed four different diets withincreasing levels of phospholipids. All dietshad the same amount of energy. Theregulation of genes related to absorption,storage and transport of fats in the intestineproved not to be affected by the differentdiets. Genes coding for enzymes that createnew phospholipid were not influenced by thephospholipid amount eaten. However, theexpression of genes coding for enzymes thatrebuild phospholipid increased withincreasing phospholipid in the diets. The fishdid also grow better with increasing levels ofdietary phospholipid.

This means that the fish does not boost the

enzyme production to make newphospholipids, when the diet is low in theselipids. On the other hand, whenphospholipids in the diet increase, the fishproduce more enzymes to rebuild thephospholipids.

Phospholipids are not only important for theconstruction of cells and as an energy source;it is believed that the lack of phospholipidsmay impede transport of storage fat from theintestine to body organs. Accumulation of fatstorage in the intestine can damage the tissueand thereby compromise the health of thefish.

Collaboration: Nofima and IMR.Funding: Fisheries and AquacultureResearch Fund.

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«The ballan wrasse could be an environmentally friendlyalternative means of combatting salmon lice»

Cod farming

Feed for cod larvae

The combination of nutrients in feed isimportant for the ability of cod larvae togrow and develop normally, without skeletaldeformities. NIFES is studying theimportance for growth and development ofnutrient composition in feeds for cod fry.

Unlike that of salmon larvae the digestivetract of the cod larva is not sufficiently welldeveloped to enable it to digest dry feed. Innature, cod larvae eat copepods, which aremuch more nutrient-rich than rotifers or

Artemia (brine shrimp), which are the typesof feed used in cultivation of larvae.

In collaboration with others, NIFES hasanalysed the differences in the nutrientcontent of copepods, rotifers and Artemia.The nutrient status of the larvae will befurther investigated, as will the effects ofthese different types of feed on biologicalprocesses and organ systems. Topics of studyinclude bone and muscle development anddigestion. We will also perform analyses thatprovide an overview of changes in geneexpression, regulation of gene expression andmetabolism.

Our preliminary results show that the codlarvae that we fed on copepods grew muchbetter than those raised on rotifers orArtemia. On day 50 post-hatch, the weightsdiffered by a factor of more than five. Wealready knew that feeding cod larvae oncopepods leads to much better growth than

the intensive feeds, but this is the first timethis has been demonstrated in a controlledexperiment using high-quality live food.

However, larvae fed on rotifers and Artemiadid develop normally, and few deformitieswere found in comparison with what arenormal levels in aquaculture. When theproject comes to an end in 2014, we will beable to say more about what lies behind theimproved growth of larvae that have been fedcopepods. We will then be able to implementmeasures to improve feeding regimes inaquaculture, while we will also have moreknowledge that will enable us to bettermanage wild cod stocks.

Collaboration: University of Bergen(project manager), Institute of MarineResearch, Nofima, SINTEF, NTNU,University of Tromsø, University of NordlandFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

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Bone development in cod

Industrial production of cod larvae usesrotifers as start-feeding organisms. These arecurrently enriched with other nutrients, inorder to improve the growth and survival ofthe young cod. There are still differences ofopinion regarding how much or how littlevitamin A should be added to the enrichmentmix. NIFES has found that the answerdepends on the composition of fatty acids.

If there is an elevated content of omega-6fatty acids in the feed, bone development willbe more influenced by extra vitamin A than ifthere is little omega-6 in the diet. When theskeleton is forming, calcium and phosphorus

are dedicated to the process ofmineralisation. The relative proportions ofcalcium and phosphorus tell us somethingabout the strength of the skeleton. For thisreason, NIFES decided to study howarachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid,affects the process of mineralisation.

The differences between zebrafish that hadbeen given extra omega-6 in their feed andthose that were fed little omega-6 wereinvestigated. We measured calcium andphosphorus levels in their scales, andexamined the activity of enzymes that breakdown the mineralised components of thescales. These enzymes are the same ones asact on the bones of the skeleton.

This is the first time that fish-scales havebeen used as a model to find out how omega-6 fatty acids influence bone strength. Theharder a scale is, the stronger it is. Theresults demonstrated the activation of genesthat break down bone, when high levels ofomega-6 are present. We can expect to find asimilar effect of omega-6 on bonedevelopment. The results could help tooptimise start feeds.

Collaboration: University of Nijmegen, TheNetherlandsFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

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«This is the first time that fish-scales have been used as a model to find outhow omega-6 fatty acids influence bone strength»

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National and international attentionis turning towards food safety, andone goal is the development oflegislation concerning undesirablesubstances in fish-feed andseafood. Science-based knowledgeabout undesirable substances inseafood and their effects are aprerequisite for changes in thelegislation and optimal governanceof seafood. Different undesirablesubstances have differentproperties, and problems related toenvironmental toxins and additives

in feed and raw materials for feedare important areas of research inthe field of seafood safety. Someundesirable substances that occur infeed can be transferred to the fishand thus affect food safety.

Better knowledge of thesesubstances is essential if theauthorities are to be able to offerthe general public good dietaryadvice about consumption ofseafood. An understanding of howundesirable substances are

transferred from feed to fillet formspart of the basis of the science-based risk assessments that areperformed by the ScientificCommittee for Food Safety (VKM)in Norway and the EuropeanUnion’s European Food StandardsAuthority (EFSA). In turn, such riskassessments form the basis forsetting the European Union’s upperpermitted limits for undesirablesubstances in food.

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Drawing up legislation for safe fish-feed and seafood

«Science-based knowledge about undesirable substances in seafood and theireffects are a prerequisite for changes in the legislation»

Toxaphene in feed and fish

Toxaphene was one of the most widely usedinsecticides in the 1970s, but its use is nowbanned in most countries. Airborne andocean current transport has carriedToxaphene to the far north, where it isprimarily found in the marine environment.Toxaphene is a complex mixture of a largenumber of related substances, many of whichare fat-soluble and only slowly broken down,which means that they accumulate in fattytissue.

Contamination of the environment bytoxaphene is mainly due to three forms(CHB3) of this substance, and these arewidely found in samples from theenvironment as well as in foodstuffs. The

European Union has set an upper limit forthese three forms, and recommendsmonitoring another four that are found in fishproducts. Most studies of the toxicity andmetabolism of toxaphene in fish have lookedat exposure through water, to which fish aremore sensitive. To achieve a relevant feedlegislation, data on the effects of exposurethrough feed is also needed.

NIFES has studied the uptake, metabolismand excretion of several forms of toxapheneobtained from feed in zebrafish and salmon.The results show that toxaphene istransformed into substances with fewerchlorine atoms, which accumulate inmuscular tissue. Toxaphene in salmon feedreduces weight gain and the ability toproduce a thyroid hormone that is important

for metabolism. A fall in the level oftoxaphene in fish can be interpreted asreduced exposure to this toxin. However, thiseffect may also be due to toxaphene beingmetabolised to other forms that are notincluded in standard analyses.

The knowledge gained from this study willbe important for future risk assessments oftoxaphene in feed and of how it is transferredto fish.

Collaboration: University of Plymouth andRadboud University, Nijmegen, TheNetherlandsFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway, Ministry of Fisheries and CoastalAffairs

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«To achieve a relevant feed legislation, data on the effects ofexposure through feed is also needed»

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The seafood we eat must be safe.Every year, NIFES monitors thecontent of undesirable substances infish, fish products and fish-feed. Themonitoring programme can bedivided into three sections:monitoring on behalf of theNorwegian Food Safety Authority,random sampling and baselineinvestigations.

Baseline studies ofundesirable substancesin important fishspecies

Our baseline studies involve systematicsurveys of undesirable substances in a fishstock that is fished, including potentialseasonal variations. Thorough mapping ofcurrent levels of undesirable substances inwild fish in Norwegian waters is aprerequisite for future risk assessments ofseafood, and is essential for assessments ofwhat future monitoring programmes ought tocover. NIFES started baseline studies in2006, and to date, we have performed suchstudies in Norwegian spring-spawningherring, Greenland halibut, mackerel, saithe,cod and North Sea herring.

North Sea herringNorth Sea herring are the target of animportant Norwegian commercial fishery.Surveys of North Sea herring began in 2009.NIFES has collected samples from 40positions in the North Sea, and 1000 herringhave been analysed for their levels of heavymetals, brominated flame retardants, PCBsand dioxins.

The results of the baseline survey of NorthSea herring show that in general, this specieshas low levels of all of these undesirablesubstances. Concentrations of mercury in thesamples analysed lie under the EuropeanUnion’s upper limits. A few individual fishfrom a coastal stock of herring were abovethe upper limits for dioxins and dioxin-likePCBs, but none of the mean values at anysingle position exceeded the limits. Thus, norecommendations for limitation in fishing orconsumption have been suggested.

As far as the content of undesirable

Status of undesirable substances in Norwegian seafood

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substances in North Sea herring is concerned,age and fat content are the two mostimportant physical factors. The cadmiumconcentration increase with increasing age,and decrease with increase in fat content.The highest concentrations were found in oldpost-spawning herring with a low fat content.In the case of dioxins, the link with age wasless clear, but levels appeared to increase inline with fat content. NIFES will continue itsefforts to identify these relationships.

The results of the baseline studiesdemonstrate that North Sea herring is safeseafood. It also provides grounds for goal-oriented monitoring of North Sea herring inthe future. It is sufficient with follow upmonitoring each third year, by sampling ofherring spawning in fall in the NorthernNorth Sea and winter spawners in thesouthern North Sea

Financial support: Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund

CodNIFES began baseline studies of cod in 2009,with samples taken from the Barents Sea. Atotal of 2164 cod from 88 stations have sincebeen sampled, with about 25 fish from eachstation. Most of the samples were taken inthe Barents Sea (804 fish), coastal fisheries(675), the North Sea (585) and 100 yearlingcod from Lofoten.

The samples were analysed for heavy metalsin muscle and liver, and for organicenvironmental toxins such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs andbrominated flame retardants in liver.

In the muscle of lean fish such as cod,mercury in particular can be a problem. Ourresults showed that only three of 2107 fishanalysed for mercury contained levels thatexceeded Norwegian and European Unionmaximum permitted values. The lowestconcentrations of mercury were found in codfrom the Barents Sea, and the highest in

coastal and fjord cod. Mercury levels rosefrom the north towards the south. None ofthe samples contained levels of cadmium orlead that exceeded permitted concentrations.

Cod and other lean fish accumulate organicenvironmental toxins primarily in the liver. Inthe Barents Sea, where most of thecommercial fishery takes place, levels ofdioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in cod liverswere within permitted limits. The meanslevels are so low that the chances of acontaminated liver reaching the consumer aresmall.

For cod from the North Sea and coastal cod,on the other hand, there is a greater chance offish containing excessive levels. A dietaryadvisory not to eat self-caught cod liver,except from fish caught in the open sea, iscurrently in effect.

These results show that cod is a safe seafood.Future monitoring of undesirable substances

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in cod should include four stations in theBarents Sea, two in the Norwegian Sea andfour in the North Sea.

Financial support: Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund,Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs

SaitheThe baseline investigations of saithe arecarried out as two separate studies. Surveysof saithe north of the Norwegian Sea havebeen completed, while surveys of saithe tothe south of the Norwegian Sea started in2012 and will be finished in 2013.

Saithe north of 62 oNIn the baseline study of saithe north of 62 oN, a total of 956 fish were sampled from39 stations in the Barents Sea and theNorwegian Sea. These were sampled forheavy metals in fillets and liver, and for

organic environmental toxins such as dioxins,dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs andbrominated flame retardants in liver.

The results indicate that levels of heavymetals in flesh are generally low. With theexception of one fish whose level of mercuryin muscle exceeded the permitted level, noneof the fish displayed concentrations of heavymetals in flesh that exceeded Norwegian orEuropean Union permitted levels.The level of organic environmental toxins inliver can be high in individual fish. The levelof organic environmental toxins is generallylower down to the North Sea, thegeographical limit for these investigations.Only a few stations had values that exceededthe permitted limits.

The results show that the flesh of saithetaken in the Norwegian Sea and the BarentsSea has low levels of organic environmentaltoxins, and are thus safe seafood. Liver from

saithe in the same areas is largely safe to eat,with a few exceptions within the ground line.The Norwegian Food Safety Authority hasissued a food advisory that recommends noteating fish liver from inshore areas (self-caught fish), advice that is based on previousNIFES studies.

In the future, monitoring of saithe north of 62 oN should take place on an annual basis,at two stations in the Norwegian Sea and twoin the Barents Sea.

Financial support: Fishery andAquaculture Industry Research Fund,Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs

Saithe south of 62 oNSampling and analyses of undesirablesubstances in saithe from the sea south of 62 oN started in January 2012. To date, 450saithe from 18 different stations in the North

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Sea and the Skagerrak have been collected. Atotal of 650 saithe from 26 stations are due tobe sampled.

These were sampled for heavy metals infillets and liver, and for organicenvironmental toxins such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs andbrominated flame retardants in liver.

To date, only a limited number of thesamples have been completely analysed. Thepreliminary results indicate that levels ofheavy metals in flesh are generally low,although levels of dioxins and dioxin-likePCBs in liver may be high in individual fish.

The final conclusions and evaluations of thesignificance of the results will be publishedwhen all the analyses have been completed in2013.

Financial support: Norwegian FoodSafety Authority

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Follow-up of thebaseline investigationsThree baseline investigations of Norwegianspring-spawning herring, Greenland halibutand mackerel have been completed and willbe followed up in future monitoringprogrammes.

Greenland halibut in theNorwegian Sea

In the Greenland halibut baselineinvestigation, which was finalised in 2009,high levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBswere found in fish captured on the EggaEdge off Lofoten, and in an area north of theTræna Bank. An advisory notice wastherefore issued against fishing for Greenlandhalibut in these areas.

In 2011, low values were found in the areaaround the Egga Edge outside Lofoten, butthe area north of the Træna Bank was closed

to fishing due to a lack of new data. The aimof the follow-up investigation in 2012 was toupdate our data on levels of dioxins anddioxin-like PCBs in Greenland halibut in thearea northwest of the Træna Bank, as well asimproving the data on the content ofundesirable substances in Greenland halibutthroughout the area in which this species isfished.

Fish were sampled from 53 stations along thecoast of Norway, with five fish from eachstation. Sampling was carried out from Julyuntil August 2011 during the commercialGreenland halibut fishery. Fish were alsosampled during the Institute of MarineResearch’s deep-water cruise in March 2012.Fish were collected from five stations in andaround the area that was closed tocommercial fishing in 2011.

Samples of muscle were analysed for heavymetals and organic environmental toxins suchas dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs, PCB6 andbrominated flame retardants. The results

confirmed those of the baseline survey, andshowed that there were high levels of dioxins,dioxin-like PCBs and PCB6 on the Egga Edgeoutside Lofoten. Five out of eight pooledsamples from this area had levels of dioxinsand dioxin-like PCBs that exceeded Norway’sand the European Union’s maximumpermitted levels of these substances in fishfillets.

In 2012, the Minister of Fisheries and CoastalAffairs closed two areas to the Greenlandhalibut fishery. One of them was southwest ofthe Træna Bank and the other was somewhatfurther north. In 2013 NIFES is planning anextensive sampling programme to follow upthe development in the dioxin levels.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Fishermen’s SalesOrganization, Directorate of Fisheries,Norwegian Food Safety AuthorityFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

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Norwegian spring-spawning herring andmackerel

Norwegian spring-spawning herring aresampled every third year, and no sampleswere collected in 2012.

The mackerel baseline survey showed thatthe level of undesirable substances in thisspecies was generally low. The level oforganic environmental toxins was highest infish caught in the Skagerrak, and the baseline

survey therefore recommended acontinuation of monitoring of undesirablesubstances in mackerel, with two samplesbeing taken annually in the Skagerrak andtwo samples every third year in the NorthSea.

Samples of 25 mackerel were collected attwo stations in the Skagerrak in May andJune 2012. Results show that for POPs thelevels are higher in Skagerak than what wasfound in the central North Sea. Mean values

of dioxins and dioxinlike PCBs werehowever well below the upper limits. Furtherdata and conclusions will be ready when allanalyses have been finalized in 2013.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Fishermen’s SalesOrganization, Directorate of Fisheries,Norwegian Food Safety AuthorityFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Monitoring on behalfof the Norwegian FoodSafety Authority

Veterinary borderinspections of imports

Norway is required to perform veterinaryinspections of goods imported into theEuropean Union/EEZ from third countries.On behalf of the Norwegian Food Safety

Authority, NIFES participates in drawing upplans and instructions for inspections relatedto seafood, as well as ingredients and rawmaterials for feed production.

The aim of the project is to monitormicrobiological and parasite status, residuesof medicines and levels of environmentaltoxins in samples of imported goods. Theresults of the analyses are used to determinethe status of the imports, and any deviationsare reported to the Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority.

NIFES receives annually between 100 and160 samples for analysis. Samples receivedwere analysed for microorganisms, parasites,medicaments and other undesirablesubstances. None of the samples had valuesthat exceeded established upper limits, wherethese have been set.

Among the 144 samples received in 2012,bacteria of the genus Vibrio were detected ina sample of imported saithe. This bacteria isnot regarded as a danger to health when theyoccur in food.

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Salmonella was also detected in a sample ofscampi from Vietnam. The sampled wasidentified as SalmonellaWeltevreden, andthe detection coincided with an outbreak ofSalmonella Mikawashima. Information fromNIFES was therefore used to help in tracingthe source of the outbreak, and noSalmonella Mikawashima was found inscampi. The batch of SalmonellaWeltevreden was recalled by the NorwegianFood Safety Authority, and a new batch from

the same supplier was confiscated at theborder control station.

As far as medications are concerned, noconcentrations that exceeded current upperpermitted limits were detected. However, thelimit for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs wasexceeded in a sample of squid oil importedfrom Korea. The white meat of a lobsterimported from Canada exceeded the upperlimit for cadmium, but the sample was not

illegal taken into account analyticaluncertainty. A sample of mackerel reimportedfrom Turkey displayed high values of therancidity parameter TBARS. This was notillegal, but was an indicator that the samplehad been kept under poor storage conditions.


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Undesirable substances inwild fish from coastal areas

CrabIn 2010, high concentrations of cadmiumwere found in crabs caught in Salten in theCounty of Nordland, and this was thebackground for this year’s survey. NIFESanalysed samples of crab from 47 stationsalong the coast of Norway, from Hvaler inthe south to Bø in Vesterålen in the north.Claw-meat and brown meat from 475 crabswere analysed.

The results showed that concentrations ofcadmium were particularly high aroundSalten, and exceeded Norwegian andEuropean Union upper permitted limits forcadmium in claw-meat. North of the SaltFjord, crabs from only two stations did nothave levels of cadmium that exceeded the

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permitted limits. This increase occurs quitesuddenly near Salten, and all the samplesfrom south of Bodø were below the limit.

Claw-meat and brown meat from these crabswere analysed for heavy metals such ascadmium, lead and mercury, and for otherundesirable substances. None of the clawsrevealed levels of mercury or lead above thepermitted limits. Concentrations of the otherundesirable substances were low, with a fewexceptions in the cases of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in brown meat.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority hasissued a dietary advisory regardingconsumption of crab caught north of Salten.On the background of the 2011 results,NIFES will cooperate with the NorwegianFood Safety Authority in mapping cadmiumcontent in a number of fish species in thearea around Bodø, and in delimiting the areacovered by the advisory in the north of thecountry, through new surveys in Vesterålen.

High levels of cadmium in crabsfrom VesterålenIn November and December 2012, samplesof crab were collected from seven stations inVesterålen. The aim of this follow-upinvestigation was to obtain more data aboutcadmium in claw-meat from Vesterålen, inorder to find out whether there were highconcentrations of cadmium there as well.

Samples from six of the seven stations hadmean values that lay above the permittedlimit. There were individual differencesamong the crabs, but the mean value wasover the limit. These results demonstrate thatconcentrations of cadmium in crabs are alsohigh in Vesterålen.

Via a dietary advisory, the Norwegian FoodSafety Authority currently recommends thatcrab taken north of Salten should not be usedfor human consumption. The EuropeanUnion and Norway have not set upper limitsfor cadmium in brown crab meat, but the

Norwegian Food Safety Authority adviseswomen of child-bearing age and children toavoid brown meat from crabs.

WhalesNIFES analysed 84 sample of minke whalemeat taken between May 1 and August 16,2011. Most of the samples were collected inthe Barents Sea, and they were analysed fororganic and inorganic environmental toxinssuch as mercury, cadmium, lead,polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs)and perfluorinated alkyls (PFAs).

The samples analysed for heavy metals werebelow the upper permitted limits set byNorway and the European Union for musclein most species of fish. To date, no limitshave been set for environmental toxins inmarine mammals. Nor have upper limits beenset for PBDE and PFAs, but the resultsdisplayed low values for all the substancesanalysed.

On the basis of this study, the NorwegianFood Safety Authority has cancelled thedietary advisory concerning whale-meat thatwas aimed at pregnant and lactating women.Whale-meat is a safe food product, and is nolonger the subject of a dietary advisory.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Food Safety Authorityin Salten, University of NordlandFinancial support: Norwegian FoodSafety Authority

Environmental contaminantsin fish and fish products

NIFES has investigated deep-water fish fromthe Hardangerfjord on behalf of theNorwegian Food Safety Authority. The studywas a follow-up of earlier data, whichshowed surprisingly high levels of mercuryin tusk from Steinstø.

Tusk, blue ling, ling, and Atlantic catfishwere analysed for mercury. One hundred andfifty tusk from 12 stations were analysed, andthe levels of mercury in this species from allover the Hardangerfjord were higher thanNorwegian and European Union permittedlimits.

Mercury levels in blue ling were somewhatlower, but still high. In ling, there wereelevated levels in fish from three of out ninestations. Scampi (Norway lobster), lobstersand crabs were also analysed for arsenic,cadmium, mercury and lead. The sampleswere all within permitted limits, although thearea was affected to a certain extent.

As part of the same project, ten differenttypes of marine oil for human consumptionwere analysed for environmentalcontaminants, and all the samples fell withinpermitted limits.

These results show that the area with

significant levels of mercury in deep-waterfish is greater than previously supposed. TheNorwegian Food Safety Authority hasextended its dietary advisory.

Collaboration: Institute of Marine Research Financial support: Norwegian FoodSafety Authority

Does mercury affect fish?In order to find out how fish react tomercury, NIFES studied gene expression intusk captured in the Hardangerfjord. Geneexpression is the process wherebyinformation carried by our genetic material(DNA) is translated into proteins. Three fishwere selected from stations at which the fishhad the highest and lowest levels of mercuryin their muscular tissue.Analyses of these samples will help us toidentify the genes that are modified whenfish are exposed to mercury, and in thelonger term, which biological mechanisms

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are affected. The analyses are expected to becomplete in 2013. NIFES is alsoinvestigating whether genes known to beaffected by other stress reactions are alsoaffected by mercury.

Collaboration: Beijing Genome Institute,China Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Fjords and harbours

NIFES performs annual monitoringprogrammes of fjords and harbours on behalfof the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. In2011, the Ølenfjord at the mouth of theHardangerfjord was studied, and there is arelatively high level of industrial activity inthe area around the Ølenfjord.

NIFES analysed 92 cod for their levels ofPCBs and pesticides in liver, and for heavy

metals in fillets. The analyses wereperformed on cod from four stations in theØlenfjord area; two at the head of the fjord,one at its mouth and one from a referencepoint outside the fjord.

The results show that the fish taken from theinnermost point of the fjord had high levelsof PCBs in liver, and were above thepermitted limits. The Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority has issued a general dietaryadvisory against eating liver from self-caughtfish in shallow-water coastal areas of theNorwegian coast, except for cod from theopen sea.

Somewhat elevated levels of nearly all thepesticides in the east part of the Ølenfjordclose to agricultural areas were also found.At present, there are no upper limits forpesticides in seafood.

The analyses of heavy metals such as arsenic,mercury, cadmium and lead were all below

upper limits in cod fillet. Normally, so littlecadmium is found in cod fillets that it is notpossible to measure it. In this case, lowvalues of cadmium were measured in codfillets from the innermost part of the fjord,but these were well within the upper limits.


Salmon are safe, anddelousing agents have beendemonstrated in wild fish

Now that a great deal of attention is focusingon the use of the anti-salmon louse medicinesdiflubenzuron and teflubenzuron, there is aneed for more knowledge about the effects ofthese drugs. In collaboration with Institute ofMarine Research, NIFES has investigated 80individual samples of salmon fromcommercial fish farms, all of which hadtreated their salmon with either

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diflubenzuron or teflubenzuron.

In previous monitoring programmes, NIFEShas never found residues of diflubenzuron orteflubenzuron above the upper limits forthese substances. In this study, samples werecollected for the first time immediately afterthe quarantine period, i.e. the time betweenthe end of treatment and when the fish can beslaughtered. All the samples were below theupper limits for these substances insalmonids.

We also analysed 375 samples of wild faunataken at various distances from the fish farmsthat had treated fish with teflubenzuron.Samples were taken of molluscs,brushworms, crustaceans and fish. Threerounds of sampling were carried out; duringtreatment, between 92 and 113 days after theend of treatment and between 235 and 249days after the end of treatment. Most of thewild fish species that were caught during theperiod of treatment contained residues of the

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delousing agent.

The highest values of teflubenzuron in wildfish were found in saithe. The risk thatanyone would eat so much saithe containingteflubenzuron that it could be unsafe iscurrently regarded as small. However, thepotential challenges that link the use ofteflubenzuron and food safety will depend onhow widely this substance is used, and howmany fish farms in a given region use it.

Over a period of time, teflubenzuron isexcreted from the bodies of both wild andfarmed fish, which means that the chances offinding residues in wild fish are greatesteither during or shortly after the treatment offarmed fish. The European Union has set anacceptable daily intake (ADI) level forteflubenzuron. This means that with thehighest values of the delousing agent foundin wild fish in this study, one would have toconsume around 450 g saithe on a daily basisto pass this limit, assuming that saithe was

the only source of teflubenzuron. The latter isnot likely as teflubenzuron is also used inagriculture.

On the second and the final samplings, notraces of teflubenzuron were found in wildfish. In crustaceans and brushworms,however, residues were still to be found.High levels were found in brushworms aslate as 249 days after the end of treatment.Brushworms live in sediments and theseabed, and they may be a food item forcrustaceans and fish. New samples of watersediments and wild fauna are currently beinganalysed.

Collaboration: Institute of Marine Research Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Fish-feed monitoring

NIFES monitors undesirable substances infeeds and raw materials for feed for fish andother aquatic animals on behalf of theNorwegian Food Safety Authority. It isnecessary to monitor many substances infeed and its raw materials in order to controlthe whole production chain for farmed fish.

Fish-feed should provide the fish with thenutrients to ensure optimal growth, fishhealth and welfare. However, feeds and theirraw materials may contain undesirablesubstances that could have negative effectson the fish itself and on fish as food forhuman beings or as environmentalcontaminants.

Monitoring is important as it enables us tosay something about food safety. Farmed fishare given feeds that contain several differenttypes of raw materials, and the combinationof nutrients and undesirable substances in the

fillet is affected by these raw materials.Comprehensive monitoring of fish-feed, aswell as the flesh of farmed fish, is essential ifwe are to have a good understanding of foodsafety. Data from this type of monitoring is aprerequisite for being able to perform goodrisk assessments.

In 2012, NIFES received 25 samples of feedmixtures, 10 of fish-meal, 10 of fish-oil, 10of plant protein meal and ten plant oils forchemical analysis. These are currently beinganalysed and the results will be summarisedin 2013.

In the course of the past few years, our feedmonitoring activity has been greatly reducedin scope. In 2006, 790 random samples weregathered, but by 2010 this number had fallento 23, while in 2011, 25 samples of feed werecollected. Following a dialogue with theNorwegian Food Safety Authority, it wasagreed that this number is not adequate. Allprevious monitoring programmes and

knowledge of feed will therefore be re-examined, with the aim of identifying themost important risk factors. Future feedmonitoring activities may thereforeemphasise areas where wide variations inquality have been identified, and pay lessattention to those where there are fewproblems.


Monitoring farmed fish

International regulations require Norway tomonitor the content of a range of medicinesand environmental toxins in farmed fish onan annual basis. The regulations apply to allanimals that are used for food production.The Norwegian Food Safety Authority isresponsible for the monitoring programme,and collects the samples, while NIFESperforms the analyses and produces thereports.

In 2011, 11,765 fish from all over the countrywere analysed for illegal and legally usedmedicines, and various types ofcontaminants.

Forty per cent of the samples were analysedfor medicines and substances such as steroidsthat are not permitted for use in foodproduction, while 60 per cent were analysedfor permitted medicines and environmentaltoxins such as heavy metals, PCBs, dioxinsand insecticides. All the measurementsproduced results that were within permittedlimits. The mean values for these undesirablesubstances have been reasonably stable infarmed fish since 2003.

The delousing agent emamectin is permittedto be added to fish feed in order to preventsalmon louse infections. Residues ofemamectin were found in five out of 77pooled samples of farmed salmon inconcentrations below the European Union’spermitted limit for emamectin.

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Medicines in farmed fish

In 2012, NIFES examined 1864 pooledsamples (9320 fish in total) in order toidentify any residues of legal or illegalmedicines. The samples were analysed for atotal of 30 different substances, and thenumber of fish that were analysed for eachindividual medicine ranged from 70 to 1995.

None of the samples tested revealed residuesof illegal medicines. The only substancesfound in measurable amounts in the samplesanalysed for legal medicines were delousingagents. Emamectin was identified in two of68 samples, but the highest concentrationwas well below the upper permitted limit.Cypermetrin was also demonstrated in one of16 samples, and this was also below thepermitted limit.

The results show that neither illegalmedicines nor residues of legally usedmedicines were found in quantities thatexceeded permitted limits. This is evidenceof good farmed fish food safety as far asmedicine use is concerned.


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Shellfish andcrustacean monitoring On behalf of the Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority, NIFES performs annualmonitoring of microorganisms andundesirable substances in crustaceans,shellfish, molluscs and crabs. The aim of themonitoring programme is to demonstrate thatshellfish gathered for human consumptionhave not been produced at sites that arecontaminated by pathogenic microorganisms,or that contain undesirable substances inamounts above the permitted limits.

Shellfish can accumulate intestinal bacteriasuch as E. coli, enterococci and Salmonellawhen these occur in the water in which theshellfish are growing. Studying thesemicroorganisms can show whether there ispollution from sewage in the vicinity of ashell harvesting site, and thus a health hazard

if they are eaten. The occurrence of suchmicroorganisms can also act as a pointer towhether the samples also contain pathogenicviruses.

Crustaceans can also accumulate undesirablesubstances to various degrees. NIFES’monitoring of a range of undesirablesubstances tells us what are normal levels ofa range of such substances in various speciesof crustaceans, as well as how these levelscompare with permitted limits.

By the end of 2012, a total of 380 samples ofmussels, oysters, scallops, horse mussels,periwinkles and whelks had been analysed.The results for 2012 have not yet beenprocessed, but the 2011 results were reportedto the Norwegian Food Safety Authority inJuly 2012.

In 2011, NIFES analysed 384 samples ofshellfish for E. coli, enterococci and

Salmonella. Of the samples, 312 weremussels, 40 scallops, 21 oysters, four horsemussels and seven periwinkles. Eighty-fourper cent of the analyses showed levels belowthe European Union’s upper limits for areaswhere shellfish are gathered for direct humanconsumption. Enterococci were found in 369of the tested samples, but only at low levels.Salmonella was not demonstrated in any ofthe 38 samples analysed.

A further 43 analyses were performed forheavy metals and organic environmentaltoxins in mussels, three oyster samples, fivescallops, seven periwinkles, and five whelks.With the exception of the whelks, none of thesamples contained environmental toxins thatexceeded European Union or Norwegianpermitted limits. These results confirmprevious low levels.

Following the “Godafoss” shipwreck nearHvaler in February 2011, samples of mussels,

scallops, oysters and periwinkles from allalong the coast were analysed forpolyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). None ofthe samples exceeded permitted levels interms of food safety.

The samples of whole whelks containedlevels of cadmium above the permittedlimits, with the highest concentration asmuch as ten times the limit. The level ofcadmium in whelk muscle, i.e. its foot, wasmuch lower and well within the permittedlimit.

In 2011, NIFES also received 96 samplesfrom the farmed industry, in most cases formicrobiological analysis. Altogether, 83 percent of these sample had a content of E. colicorresponding to that of an A area, i.e. anarea from which shells can be sent directly tohuman consumption. Enterococci were foundin one of 18 samples, while none of the fivesamples tested contained Salmonella.

Norwegian crustaceans have a low content ofmicroorganisms and undesirable substances,and are therefore safe to eat. The onlyexception is whelks, due to their cadmiumcontent, if they are sold as whole animals.


Parasite monitoring

Parasites and the microbiologicalstatus of pelagic fishSince 2006, NIFES has performed annualmonitoring of the incidence of parasites andthe microbiological hygiene status ofNorwegian pelagic fish, with most emphasison herring, mackerel andblue whiting. Such monitoring is importantwith food safety and the aesthetic quality ofthe products in mind. Most of the activity inthe monitoring programme targets the larvae

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of parasitic roundworms. In order to reflectauthentic catch and storage conditions, all theanalyses are carried out on board Norwegianfishing vessels.

Since the start of the monitoring programme,NIFES has demonstrated a slight butsignificant increase in the incidence ofroundworm in mackerel, and a similar fallingtendency in Norwegian spring-spawningherring. One of the main reasons for theseoscillations may be changes in theoccurrence and distribution of zooplanktonand krill, since they are both food items forthese species and intermediary hosts forroundworms. This will be investigatedfurther in a cooperative NIFES/Institute ofMarine Research project.

In another experiment, NIFES has shown thatroundworms that emigrate from the fishdigestive system to muscular tissue introducebacteria into the otherwise sterile fish.

Analyses have demonstrated a certainincrease in levels of bacteria in fillets withroundworm. Follow-up studies will tell ushow much roundworm affect the bacterialflora in the end-product, a finding that willhave implications for its shelf-life. Severalspecies of pelagic fish, particularly bluewhiting, are good models for such studies,because they carry heavy loads ofroundworm, which moreover are easilyvisible in the thin fillets of this species.

Questions have been asked regarding thecause of the high incidence of bacteria inpelagic fish, compared to farmed fish.NIFES’ analyses suggest that one of thereasons is the way that these fish aresqueezed together in the net during capture,which means that intestinal bacteria end upin the storage or production water.

In the longer term, monitoring, particularlywith the incidence of parasites in mind, will

also contribute to future assessments ofanthropogenic environmental impacts onpelagic fish species.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority, Max Rubner Institute (Hamburg),in collaboration with affected fishing vesselowners.Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Roundworm

Since 2010, NIFES has been collaborating ina multidisciplinary cooperative project thataims to develop methods that can be used inquality assurance of industrially processedfish products. Special emphasis has beenplaced on demonstrating the presence ofroundworm safely and efficiently.The principal task of NIFES is to establish

methods for visually inspecting fresh fish forthe presence of roundworm, and a method fordemonstrating roundworm DNA in the end-product, when the parasite cannot be detectedthrough ordinary visual inspection.

NIFES is also carrying out a study of theincidence of roundworm in farmed salmon ina fish farm in southern Norway, in the courseof which roundworm have been detected in“loser fish” in autumn 2011. “Loser fish” arefish that do not grow as well as therecompanions, and they are therefore sorted outduring slaughter and are not sent for humanconsumption. A few examples of theharmless roundworm Hysterothylaciumadancum were found in the digestive tract oftwo out of 400 salmon that were visuallyinspected. Both of the fish were “losers”. Theresults of this project on farmed salmon willbe of great importance for the NorwegianFood Safety Authority’s evaluation ofwhether the exemption of the requirement tofreeze farmed salmon can be continued.

NIFES has studied the incidence ofroundworm in farmed cod from several fishfarms in Western Norway, Nord-Trøndelagand Nordland. This study came to an end inDecember 2012, and to date, 500 out of atotal of 800 cod have been analysed.Roundworms were not found in any of thesefish. However, several of them had small fishin their stomach, which shows that farmedcod feed on wild fish that find their way inthe sea-cages, as well as on fish-feed. Suchfish are a potential source of roundworminfection for farmed cod. The results of thisproject will provide a backdrop for anevaluation regarding exception from thefreezing requirement that also applies tofarmed cod.

Collaboration: Institute of VeterinaryMedicine, Marine Harvest ASFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

Low levels of environmentaltoxins in eels

NIFES has been systematically monitoringwild fish for undesirable substances since1994, and farmed salmon since 1995. In2010, NIFES also took the opportunityprovided by a test-fishing programme tocollect data on eels.

In a follow up study to document the level ofdioxins in Norwegian eel, samples of 144eels from 13 sites in southern Norway were

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analysed, and the results showed that none ofthem exceeded permitted levels of PCB6,dioxins or dioxin-like PCBs. Eels are subjectto special upper limits, and the levels inNorwegian eels are lower than those fromother southern European countries, whereexcessive concentrations are usual.

The results demonstrate that eels are safeseafood. However, eels are still regarded asan endangered species, which means thattargeted fishing is forbidden.

The results of the analyses of several fishspecies in 2011 will be uploaded towww.nifes.no/sjømatdata by summer 2013.The results come from several NIFESprojects.


Monitoring shipwrecksites and sunken shipsWrecks and ships that have sunk can containenvironmental toxins, and these vessels canrepresent a problem for food safety if theircontaminants leak into the sea. NIFES

investigates and monitors levels ofenvironmental toxins in species caught in thevicinity of the wreck of the German U-boatU864 near the Island of Fedje. NIFES is amember of the Norwegian CoastalAdministration’s monitoring and emergencypreparedness groups.

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Monitoring in the vicinity ofthe U864 near Fedje

When the German submarine was sunk bythe allied forces in June 1944, it was carryinglarge quantities of mercury, some of whichended up on the seabed. Since 2004, NIFEShas been monitoring mercury in fish andcrabs from this area on behalf of theNorwegian Coastal Administration and theNorwegian Food Safety Authority. This is forreasons of food safety.

In 2012, samples were once again taken fromaround the wreck, as well as from sites foursea-miles to the south and four to the northof the wreck. The 2012 results showed, asthey had done previously, that levels ofmercury in tusk and crabs were generallybelow European Union and Norwegian upper

limits for food safety.

None of the 75 tusk sampled contained levelsof mercury that exceeded the upper permittedlimit. The mercury content of tusk caughtclose to the wreck was higher than in thosetaken in open waters in the Norwegian Seaand the Barents Sea, but these values did notdiffer greatly from those at other sites on thecoast of western Norway. Mercuryconcentrations were lower close to the wreckthan four nautical miles distant in eitherdirection.

There has been no significant increase ordecrease between 2005 and 2011 in themercury content of tusk taken close to thewreck, although concentrations do varysomewhat from year to year. The levels aregenerally below the upper limits.

In claw- and brown meat from crabs caughtclose to the wreck, mercury concentrationswere somewhat higher than have been foundin other investigations of crabs on theNorwegian coast. Concentrations of mercurywere also clearly higher in crabs caught closeto the wreck and four nautical miles to thenorth of the wreck than in those taken fournautical miles to the south. Mercuryconcentrations in the crab sampled in 2012were slightly lower than in 2004 – 2008, butabout the same as in 2009 - 2011. This isprobably due to seasonal variations.

The results of the monitoring programmefrom 2005 until and including 2012 add up toan indication that levels of mercury in crabsare related to contamination of the sedimentsin the vicinity of the wreck. Although themercury content of crabs caught close to the

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«Since 2004, NIFES has been monitoring mercury in fish and crabs from this area»

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wreck is higher than has been foundelsewhere, the concentrations are still wellbelow the upper permitted limits for foodsafety in Norway and the European Union.The Norwegian Food Safety Authority hasalready recommended that women who arepregnant or breast-feeding should not eatseafood from the area around the submarinewreck.

Brown crab meat has been exempted fromthese limits, but the Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority recommends in general that neitherwomen of child-bearing age nor childrenshould eat crab brown meat.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian CoastalAdministrationFinancial support: Norwegian CoastalAdministration

Management plansIn White Paper no. 12 (2001 – 2002) “Cleanand Rich Seas”, the Norwegian Parliamentconsidered that there is a need for betterintegrated management of Norwegianmaritime areas. The first step in this processwas the preparation of an integratedmanagement plan for the Barents Sea and theseas around Lofoten. As in previous years,NIFES has played an active part in drawingup the management plan for our marine areasthrough its membership of the TechnicalForum, the Monitoring Group and the RiskGroup.

The government aims to present amanagement plan for the Norwegian sectorof the North Sea and the Skagerrak in 2013,and by that means to establish managementplans as a basis for integrated, ecosystem-based management of all of Norway’s marineareas.

NIFES is also represented on the ScientificGroup for the North Sea and Skagerrak,which is chaired by the Climate andPollution Directorate (Klif), which draws upthe management plan for this region. NIFEShas contributed scientific expertise in thefields of seafood safety and pollution toseveral of the reports that were presented atthe Consultation Conference in Haugesund inMay 2012. NIFES was also a member of theworking group that drew up the “IndicatorReport”, and has also supplied input to thereport on “Overall effects andconsequences”.

In the course of the follow-up process, wehave gathered new samples in 2012, andrecorded data from monitoring the BarentsSea; these have been published onwww.miljostatus.no. The reports and study towhich NIFES has contributed in 2012represent important aspects of the scientificbasis of the management plan, which will beready in spring 2013.

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Regular monitoring of the Norwegian Sea isalso under way. New data for 2012, gatheredby NIFES, on fjord shrimp and tusk amongother species, will be included in a follow-upreport for the Norwegian Sea to be publishedin the course of 2013.

The report on monitoring of cadmium incrabs (page 45) and the follow-up studies ofthe baseline investigations of Greenlandwhiting (page 41) and cod (page 36) havealso been submitted to the follow-upprogramme.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Institute for WaterResearch, Klif, Directorate of NatureManagement, Directorate of Fisheries Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Research on musselsNIFES has participated in a research projectconcerning the effect on forced upwelling ongrowth, physiology and detoxification ofmussels. The amount of food that theyconsume has been assumed to have a positiveeffect on the excretion of diarrhetic shellfishtoxins in mussels, but few studies has beenperformed under natural conditions where awide range of food is available. It isimportant to study this problem in order toevaluate what artificial up-flows could meanfor mussel farm operation. Another aspect ofthe algal toxin situation concerns whethertoxic algae would become more or lessfrequent with artificial up-flows.

NIFES has been collaborating with theInstitute of Marine Research on a project onartificial up-flows in Lysefjord in the Countyof Rogaland. Water from a power station ispumped down to nutrient-rich deep water.The fresh water draws the bottom water up to

the surface, where it triples algal productionwithin an area of 10 – 20 square kilometres.NIFES performed detoxification tests onmussels from one experimental and onecontrol location in the fjord.In 2011, the upflow experiment wasparticularly successful after a pipelineinstalled in the power-station outflowreplaced the pumping station used inprevious years. The algae that producediarrheal toxins did appear in the course ofthe season, but details of this aspect will haveto be further investigated. There were nomajor differences in rates of poisoningbetween the two fjord sites, but the resultsregarding levels of algal toxins relative to theamount of feed have not yet been fullyanalysed.

Collaboration: Institute of MarineResearch, University of Bergen, IFREMER,Lysefjord Research StationFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

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Interactions between undesirable substances and nutrientsAll risk-benefit analyses concludethat seafood is safe and healthy,and that it should form part of ahealthy and varied diet. However,these evaluations also point to asignificant need for knowledge ofhow positive and negativecomponents of seafood interact andwhat overall effects they have onour health.

Selenium counteractsthe effects of mercury

Fish and seafood are rich in selenium, anutrient, but they may also contain methylmercury, which is one of the most toxicforms of mercury that occur in nature.Mercury has particularly negative effects onthe development of the nervous systemduring the early stages of embryonicdevelopment. Exposure to mercury can alsolead to damage to the motor system,diminished ability to learn and memorise,and damage to the sensory nervous system inhuman beings. Research suggests thatselenium counteracts the effects of mercury,but our knowledge of how mercury causessuch damage and how it interacts withselenium is still limited.

NIFES has studied how mercury affects the

development of the nervous system inzebrafish embryos, when the femalezebrafish has eaten feed that contains eithermercury alone or in combination withselenium. Zebrafish are widely used as amodel system in studies of toxicity duringembryonic development.

The results so far show that mercury istransferred from the mother to the embryo.This affects the growth of nerve fibres fromnerve cells to muscle cells, resulting in motordefects. The effects of mercury can bereduced by adding selenium to the diet.

The offspring of the brood fish that had beenexposed to mercury displayed reducedmovements, but when these larvae wereexposed to selenium, their limited mobilityimproved.

In adult brood fish, the mercury accumulatedmost in muscular tissue, but also in the liver

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and brain. The uptake of methyl mercury wasreduced when selenium was added to theirfeed, while mercury was also excreted morerapidly from muscle.

Zebrafish exposed to mercury, selenium anda combination of the two displayed changesin the level of a number of brain proteins.When the samples have been analysed wewill know more about the specific biologicalprocesses that are affected by these elements.

NIFES is currently collaborating withJapanese scientists in attempts to understandhow selenium affects mercury. Knowledge ofhow undesirable substances influence theearly development of the nervous system isimportant in order to ensure fish welfare andfood safety for consumers.

Collaboration: National Research Instituteof Fisheries Science, JapanFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway

Better understanding ofthe interaction betweencontaminants andnutrients in fish The growing use of plant raw material insalmon feeds is also introducing newundesirable substances in aquaculture.Examples of such substances are pesticidesand polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Thenew feeds also have a different nutrientcomposition, and include plant fatty acidsand vitamins.

NIFES is studying the effects of these newundesirable substances, and how they interact

with the altered nutrient composition. Giventhat there are many potential combinations ofundesirable substances and nutrients, wehave also studied the types of biologicalprocesses that are affected by theseinteractions. The main biological processesthat are influenced are hormone and fattyacid metabolism. The results will be used instudies of salmon, with the aim of identifyingthe effects of the new plant-based feeds onfish health and food security.

Collaboration: University of Nijmegen, TheNetherlands, University of Oslo,Norwegian School of Veterinary Science,University of Birmingham, UK, SINTEF Financial support: Research Council ofNorway

Omega-3 and methylmercuryNIFES has studied how the marine omega-3fatty acids DHA and EPA can influence theeffects of the environmental toxin methylmercury, a particularly toxic compound ofmercury.

One of the aims of the study was to identifythe mechanisms involved in how undesirablesubstances and nutrients, individually and incombination, affect mental health and thedevelopment of obesity.

Previous studies at cellular level have shownthat EPA provides protection against methylmercury. To follow up, we studied whetherEPA and methyl mercury had a similarinteractive effect on animals. Mice were feda high-fat diet to promote the development ofobesity. The diets also contained either highor low levels of EPA, as well as high or low

levels of methyl mercury. Both obesity andeffects on brain structure were studied in themice.

Preliminary results show that methyl mercurybreaks down the membrane structure in thenervous tissue of mouse brains. EPAcounteracts these negative effects, in this wayprotecting the brain from methyl mercury.

This means that in animal models too, thereis a clear interactive effect of methyl mercuryand the marine omega-3 fatty acid EPA.

Collaboration: Departments of Chemistryand Biomedicine, University of Bergen Financial support: Research Council ofNorway, Ministry of Fisheries and CoastalAffairs

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The use of omega-6 in fish feed should be restrictedNIFES wishes to find out whethersalmon in current and futureproduction, fed with a variety ofplant raw materials, are as healthyas traditional salmon fed on fish-oils. We also investigate whetherthe amount of omega-6 fatty acidsfrom various vegetable oils affectthe development of obesity inconsumers of such fish, using ourrodent model.

Salmon were fed a variety of sources of fat,in which 80 per cent of the fish-oil wasreplaced with either olive oil, rapeseed oil orsoya oil. The feeds contained only 30 percent fish-meal of the total dietary protein,and thus reflected the composition of currentcommercial feed in terms of their admixtureof fish-meal. After six months on these feeds,the 3 kg salmon were slaughtered, filletedand used to produce test feeds for mice.

Cardiac health and obesity were investigated

in both the salmon and the mice thatconsumed them. Previous studies of feedshave indicated that more omega-6 and lessmarine omega-3 in salmon feed can lead tomore fat around their inner organs and poorerhealth. This effect was not confirmed in thecurrent study.

The mice were fed salmon that had beengiven feed containing fat from either fish-oil,olive oil, rapeseed oil or soya oil. Generallyspeaking, the mice that ate salmon fed soyaoil displayed signs of diabetes development.These fish also stored more fat in their liver,but there was no sign of development ofobesity.

Previous research has shown thatenvironmental contaminants can stimulatethe development of obesity. However, theresults of this project show that the amountof omega-6 in the salmon had a greater effecton whether the mice became obese and type2 diabetes than the level of environmentalcontaminants.

Previous research done by NIFES has shownthat excessive amounts of omega-6 in thediet have negative effects on health. NIFEShas therefore advised that plant oils thatcontain high levels of omega-6, such as soyaoil and maize oil, should be avoided. Weneed to determine just what is the limit forhow much omega-6 a salmon feed cancontain, and this will require new feedingexperiments.

The transfer of mycotoxins from the feed tothe salmon fillets was also studied, and wasfound to be very low. Hence, salmon feedcontaining either of the mycotoxins DON orOTS, this will not be a problem forconsumers of the salmon.

Collaboration: Skretting ARC, VI, NVH,University of Florida, University ofCopenhagenFinancial support: Research Council ofNorway, Skretting ARC, Ministry ofFisheries and Coastal Affairs

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Seafood in the diet and its effects on healthOne of the greatest challenges tohealth facing the western worldtoday is its diet, which oftencontains too much fat and sugar,besides which we exercise too little.The World Health Organization(WHO) has called our attention tothe rapidly growing development oflife-style diseases, i.e. non-infectiousdiseases such as cardiovasculardisease, obesity, diabetes, cancer,chronic pulmonary disease,osteoporosis and psychologicalproblems.

The prevention of lifestyle diseasesthrough improved diets, morephysical activity and giving upsmoking is a high-priority topic forWHO, which advises us to eatmore fish and seafood.Documentation of the healthbenefits of seafood can make animportant contribution to achievingthe goal of increasing seafoodconsumption.

Seafood contains a uniquecombination of proteins, vitamins,minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.

NIFES research aims to improveour understanding of the totalcomposition of nutrients in seafood.

Other NIFES research focuses onhow environmental contaminants inseafood can influence thedevelopment of obesity, type 2diabetes, and cardiovasculardisease, and how suchenvironmental contaminants interactwith nutrients.

«WHO advises us to eat more fish and seafood»

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Obesity and diabetesWe still know little about the effects onhealth of seafood, eaten as part of a completemeal. Both nutrients and environmentalcontaminants that seafood may containinfluence the development of obesity, type 2diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.Previous NIFES studies have shown thatmice that were fed salmon with lower levelsof environmental contaminants became lessfat than mice that ate normal farmed salmon.On the other hand, other studies have shownthat the quantity of omega-6 in salmon had agreater effect on the development of obesityand type 2 diabetes than the content ofenvironmental contaminants in the salmon. Italso looks as though protein from seafoodand marine omega-3 leads to less weightgain.

NIFES is studying how nutrients andenvironmental contaminants in seafood,whether individually or in combination,

influence the development of obesity, type 2diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, andhow nutrients and environmentalcontaminants can counteract each others’effects.

Significance of nutrients

We have looked at the effects on health ofvarious types of seafood in a number offeeding experiments on mice. We have alsolooked at the effects on health of salmon fedeither plant-based or marine feed, in additionto the effects of seafood as part of a completemeal,

It is gradually becoming clearer that theamount of energy in the diet is not the solecause of weight gain and the development oftype 2 obesity in mice. This is true ofseafood as part of a complete meal, as asource of protein and as a source of marineomega-3. For example, experiments haveshown that marine omega-3 leads to less

weight gain. However, when mice eat sugaror other rapidly broken down carbohydratesin conjunction with marine omega-3, theobesity damping effect disappears.

The results of another study showed thatmice fed cod protein were slimmer than micegiven protein from meat. Nevertheless,protein from milk and cheese is mosteffective in reducing obesity. This suggeststhat it is not the quantity alone, but also thetype of protein in the diet, which is importantfor weight gain.

Significance ofenvironmental contaminants

Previous studies have shown thatenvironmental contaminants in salmon aloneincrease the development of obesity and type2 diabetes. However, the results of studiescarried out in 2012 show that the type ofseafood with which the environmentalcontaminants were administered had a more

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decisive effect on weight gain and thedevelopment of type 2 diabetes than theamount of environmental contaminants had.Another study performed on mice alsoshowed that nutrient composition had moreinfluence on the development of obesity andtype 2 diabetes than the amount ofenvironmental contaminants in feed.

Mice that were given fat together with sugar,for example, were fatter than mice fed fattogether with protein, even though theamount of environmental contaminants wasthe same in both feeds. The studies suggestthat weight gain can be reduced byincorporating seafood in the diet, but that

sugar consumption must simultaneously bekept in check.

NIFES will use a multi-generation mousemodel to determine whether exposure toenvironmental contaminants in onegeneration can influence gene expression infollowing generations, and whether it caninfluence the risk of developing obesity anddiabetes.

More studies are needed to understand hownutrients and environmental contaminantsaffect each other and how they are related tothe development of obesity and type 2diabetes.

Collaboration: University of Copenhagen,Laval University, Canada, Bergen UniversityCollege, University of Bergen, HaukelandUniversity Hospital, Aarhus University,Beijing Genomics Institute at Shenzen,China, Sahlgrenska University ofGothenburg, INSERM, INRA, CarMeNLaboratory, University of Lyon, AarhusUniversity Hospital, Denmark.Financial support: Research Council ofNorway, Ministry of Fisheries and CoastalAffairs, Danish Strategic Research Council,European Union 7th FrameworkProgramme, NordForsk

«The studies suggest that weight gain can be reduced by incorporating seafood in thediet, but that sugar consumption must simultaneously be kept in check»

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Mental health

Mental health problems affect an ever-growing proportion of the population, andstudies show that countries where theconsumption of seafood is low have higherincidences of mental illnesses. Until recently,the positive effect of omega-3 fatty acids waslong associated with cardiovascular disease.Now we know that the omega-3 fatty acidsDHA and EPA are also important for thebrain. NIFES is studying how marine omega-3 fattyacids in fish and other types of seafood affectbrain processes, and we are attempting tounderstand the underlying mechanismsinvolved. As well as omega-3 fatty acids,seafoods also contain a unique combinationof nutrients. We therefore need to carry outmore food tests in which we study the effectsof eating fish and other seafood as part of acomplete meal, rather than just the effect of

individual components in capsules or tablets.Studies of this sort are needed because theeffects of eating fish and seafood may bevery different from those of individualnutrients.

Can seafood help toovercome post-partumdepression?

A number of studies have demonstrated apossible link between seafood consumptionand mental health. Post-partum depressionaffects between 10 and 15 per cent ofNorwegian mothers, while pregnantNorwegian women eat less than half aportion of oily fish a week. NIFES haslooked at how diet affects maternal mentalhealth during and after pregnancy, and atpostnatal development. The aim is to find outwhether seafood in the diet can improve thenutritional status of mothers and reduce theirpsychological problems, and to study what

this can mean for their children’sdevelopment.

These studies will generate new knowledgeabout the relationship between diet,nutritional status and risk factors for mentalhealth problems around the time of birth.They will also increase our knowledge ofwhat food consumption and the nutritionalstatus of mother and child mean for themental health of the mother and for herchild’s development.

Pregnant women in FjellA project in Fjell Municipality near Bergenhas followed 100 mothers and their familiesfrom the final trimester of pregnancy untilthe child was one year old.

The preliminary results show that thesemothers had low iodine status duringpregnancy, and as expected, even loweriodine status three months after giving birth,as a result of breastfeeding. The mothers’

vitamin D status six months after giving birthvaried according to the time of year. Fifty percent of the mothers had low vitamin D statusduring the winter, compared to 11 per cent inthe summer. Mothers who took vitamin Dsupplements had better levels of vitamin D.Eighty-eight per cent of the neonates had asatisfactory vitamin D status at the age of sixmonths. Those who had the poorest vitaminD status were usually feeding on mother’smilk and were not being given vitamin Dsupplements.

The results show that it is difficult forpregnant women to meet their needs foriodine and vitamin D through diet alone. Asfar as vitamin D is concerned, there alreadyexists a dietary advisory that recommendstaking a vitamin D supplement in the form ofcod liver oil, drops or tablets during thewinter. However, this study shows that thisadvice is not being followed, which meansthat many mothers have inadequate levels of

vitamin D in winter. Vitamin D is importantfor calcium uptake and bone development inthe foetus.

The pregnant women also had low iodineintake. Iodine is important for energymetabolism and the mental development ofthe foetus. The main sources of iodine in ourdiets are seafood and dairy. Some of theresults of the study have still to be processed.

Collaboration: RKBU Vest (projectmanager)Financial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

“Little in Norway”The “Little in Norway” project will followsome 1000 families from all parts of thecountry. Participants will be recruited duringpregnancy and followed until the child is 15months old. The recruitment process

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commenced in August 2011 and came to anend in October 2012. In the course of 2012,blood samples were taken from mothers andchildren at a number of health centres. Theanalyses started in 2013, but so far, no resultsof this project are available.

Collaboration: Eastern and SouthernRegional Centres for Child and AdolescentMental Health (project manager)Financial support:Ministry of Fisheries andCoastal Affairs. An application has beensent to the Research Council of Norwayand the Fishery and Aquaculture Industry’sResearch Fund for financial support for partsof the project.

Back and joint painSkeletomuscular problems are widespread inthe population, and they contribute to half ofNorway’s cases of long-term sick-leave.

Persons taking sick-leave who suffersubjective health problems take largeamounts of omega-3 supplementsIn collaboration with Uni Helse, NIFES hasstudied how follow-up conversations withhealth personnel (cognitive behaviouraltherapy), or seal-oil capsules taken for threemonths, affect patients on sick-leave forchronic lower back pain. People with chroniclower back pain often suffer more often fromsubjective health problems such as muscularpain, angst and depression, than the rest ofthe population. Research suggests that marinefish fat can have positive effects on thealleviation of pain and depression.

A total of 553 back-pain patients from allover the country took part in the study, whichaims to find out whether the consumption ofseafood plus an omega-3 supplement isrelated to subjective health problems, partlybecause omega-3 seems to have a positiveeffect on pain. The studies were carried outvia questionnaires and by measuring levels ofomega-3 fatty acids in the bloodstream.

NIFES analysed blood samples both beforeand after the study, in which one group ofpatients were given seal-oil that containedomega-3. The participants’ averageconsumption of seafood was about 40 g perday, and almost half of them also took anomega-3 supplement. We found norelationship between subjective healthproblems and seafood consumption. Thesubjects who took the omega-3 supplementsreported more subjective health problemsthan those who did not take suchsupplements. This may be because people

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who suffer from such problems probably takemore supplements than people who do not.The results of the cognitive behaviouraltherapy and the effects of seal-oil capsules onalleviating pain are about to be processed.

Collaboration: Uni Helse, University ofBergen, Norwegian clinics and hospitalsFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Effects on health ofoxidised fish-oilsDietary supplements containing omega-3,and foods to which omega-3 from fish-oils isadded may oxidise, leading to changes intaste and odour. No negative effects ofoxidised omega-3 fatty acids on health havebeen identified in healthy non-smokers wholead a relatively healthy life, but the healthauthorities have asked for more studies of

this topic to be carried out.

NIFES will study whether omega-3 productsaffect inflammation and oxidation markers inblood and urine. Subjects will be given eithersalmon, juice to which salmon oil has beenadded, omega-3 capsules (one of high qualityand two of poorer quality), or capsulescontaining vegetable oil (control). The studywill be performed in 2013. Healthy subjectswill be recruited who do not meet the healthauthorities’ recommendations regardingconsumption of seafood, fruit and vegetables,and who are not very physically active, orwho smoke, or who have a body weightindex (BMI) of more than 25.

Collaboration: Nofima, Oslo andAkershus University College, Cenclin,Smartfish, Uppsala University, University ofOslo, University of Debrecen (Hungary). Financial support: Smartfish, ResearchCouncil of Norway, Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs

Iodine

Do children, adults andpregnant women getsufficient iodine?

Iodine is necessary for the normal growthand development of the brain and centralnervous system in foetuses and children, andfor regulating metabolism. The consequencesof iodine deficiency are therefore serious,and its effects include delayed mentaldevelopment at the foetal stage and in smallchildren. In Norway, iodine deficiency hasnot been regarded as a problem for the past50 years.

Seafood is the only good natural source ofiodine. Iodine has also been added to cattle-feed since 1950, and dairy products are thusan important source of iodine. Theconclusion is that Norwegians havesatisfactory iodine status, although systematic

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studies of this topic have never beenundertaken. Recent research suggests thatinsufficient iodine intake is a problem amongcertain groups. The Norwegian Institute ofPublic Health’s study of mothers andchildren revealed that a large proportion ofwomen had lower iodine consumption thanexpected. The low intake was confirmedwhen iodine levels in the urine of pregnantwomen were studied.

In connection with recent Nordicrecommendations regarding nutrient intake,NIFES has published a systematic literatureoverview of scientific articles on iodinepublished during the past ten years. The aimof the survey was to find out whether iodineintake in children and adults, includingpregnant and breast-feeding women, wassufficient for growth, development and themaintenance of good health.

On a global basis, iodine-supplemented saltis an important strategic measure forensuring that iodine intake is sufficient. InNorway, salt that contains iodine is onlyavailable as table salt. Regular consumptionof seafood, milk and dairy products istherefore important as a means of ensuringsufficient iodine intake. Increasingconsumption of seafood by pregnant andbreastfeeding women would be an importantway of meeting their iodine requirements,

while also enabling them to obtain a numberof other nutrients. Lean fish are important inthis respect, since they contain more iodinethan oily fish.

Collaboration: University of Iceland,Landspitali University Hospital, ReykjavikFinancial support: Ministry of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs, Nordic Council ofMinisters

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International collaborationMauritius

The tropical island of Mauritius in the IndianOcean wishes to raise its level of activity inaquaculture. In 2008, NORAD initiated athree-year collaborative programme withMauritius. NIFES has contributed expertknowledge that aims to ensure that relevantlegislation and monitoring of fish, fish-feedand medications will be fit for purpose. Theaim of the project is to transfer competencein fisheries and aquaculture.

NIFES is involved in the part of the projectthat deals with quality and seafood safety, incollaboration with the national Food SafetyAuthority (Competent Authority).In the course of several working meetings,NIFES has provided knowhow regardingpublic administration on Mauritius, and has

helped to build up the country’s aquaculturemonitoring systems. These includeproduction of fish-feeds, use of medicationsand control of medicine residues in fish, aswell as laboratory operation.

Collaboration: Professional Centre forFisheries Cooperation, Institute of MarineResearch, Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority, Mauritius Ministry of Agro-Industryand Fisheries (MAIF)Financial support: NORAD, Mauritiuspublic finance sector.

Cuba

In 2010, the Cuban Ministry of ForeignTrade and Investments (MINCEX) and theNorwegian Embassy in Havana signed an

agreement to cooperate on the developmentof sustainable marine aquaculture in Cuba.NIFES is the Norwegian project coordinatorand is also responsible for transferringcompetence in optimisation of feeds andproduction.

The project will focus on black kingfish(cobia), and activities have been planned inthe areas of fry production, ongrowing insea-cages, feed optimisation and production,as well as transfer of competence inaquaculture technology and fish health. Aparticular challenge in Cuba is the annualtropical storms that are capable of damagingaquaculture facilities. The fish farm sites areselected in collaboration with Cubanmeteorologists. There are also challengesrelated to legislation and feed resources inCuba. The availability of marine resources

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for raw materials for fish-feeds is limited,and alternative animal or plant raw materialswill have to be evaluated.

These will be the first large-scale trials ofaquaculture in the sea in Cuba, which alreadyhas a freshwater aquaculture industry. Theaim is to create a Cuban marine aquacultureindustry that will be both financially viableand ecologically sustainable. Even thoughCuba has a long coastline, there is a need toincrease the availability of seafood.

Collaboration: Institute of Marine Research(CDCH), HI Austevoll, Fisheries ResearchCentre, Havana.Financial support: NORAD, Cuba (publicfinance sector), Norwegian Food SafetyAuthority

Russia

Russia is one of the largest importers ofNorwegian seafood; it is not a member of theEuropean Union but has recently joined theWorld Trade Organization. Russian maintainsits own independent food quality standards.Questions regarding upper limits thereforeneed to be followed up differently to ensurethat exported seafood are in compliance withRussian standards.

In 2012, regular communication and follow-up meetings were held between theNorwegian Food Safety Authority and theNorwegian Embassy in Moscow on the topicof safe seafood. In the course of the pastyear, questions of permissible limits ofarsenic, cadmium and lead were dealt with.

Chief scientist Amund Måge took part in around table discussion in Moscowconcerning the Russian permissible limits forarsenic in seafood. NIFES also participatedin a Russo-Norwegian working group onfood safety.

Collaboration: Norwegian Food SafetyAuthorityFinancial support: Norwegian FoodSafety Authority, Ministry of Fisheries andCoastal Affairs

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NIFES is a national reference laboratoryNIFES analyses nutrients and undesirablesubstances in foodstuffs, primarily fish andother types of seafood, on behalf of theauthorities. On the basis of these data andresearch in the fields of fish nutrition, humannutrition, seafood safety and monitoring, theInstitute provides advice to the authorities,industry and the public sector in pursuit oftheir efforts to ensure that seafood is healthyand safe to eat.

NIFES is accredited to Standard NE-EN ISO17025, and in accordance with Norwegianobligations under the EEZ Agreement hasbeen appointed as national referencelaboratory (NRL) for undesirable substances,nutrients and microbiological analyses. Asthe national reference laboratory, NIFES isresponsible to participate in laboratory audits,and if not initiated by others, responsible fororganizing such, analysing random samplesfrom accredited laboratories, providing

scientific advice and consultations, andadvice regarding the accreditation ofanalyses. Results delivered to our foodauthorities are expected to be executed byaccredited methods.

NIFES is continuously developing andimproving the efficiency of its methods foranalysing a wide range of substances inseafoods. We have also developed cellularmodels for studying the effects ofinteractions between nutrients andundesirable substances in seafood. NIFESperforms analyses of all minerals anddevelops methods and methodologicalinnovations. NIFES also operates severalaccredited microbiological methods for theanalysis of medicine residues and bacteria inseafoods and seafood products. The Institutekeeps itself up to date as regardsinternational developments in the field ofreference functions.

Norwegian Accreditation (NA) performsannual audits of our laboratory system, andonce every five years our laboratories'quality-assurance system undergoes a morecomprehensive evaluation. In 2013, NIFES’accreditation was renewed for a further fiveyears. This is a guarantee that NIFESoperates in accordance with relevantstandards, and that our internal laboratoryroutines are good enough to ensure adequatetraceability and control of data. The methodsemployed by NIFES are also regularly testedvia ring tests, which provide a benchmark ofhow our methods perform vis-à-vis thoseused by other laboratories.

At present, NIFES is accredited to utilize 61methods of analysing undesirable substancesand nutrients in foods, including fish andother types of seafood.

Aquaculture NutritionNIFES has editorial responsibility for thejournal “Aquaculture Nutrition”, which ispublished by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal hasexperienced an increase in the number ofmanuscripts submitted for publication,particularly from major aquaculture nationssuch as China, India and Brazil. The journalcurrently has a chief editor and three assistanteditors.

The growth in the number of articles publishedby the journal, and the fact that it needs toincrease the number of pages per issue,indicate that it is internationally recognisedwithin its primary field of fish nutrition. Thejournal has plans to become fully electronic inthe course of the next few years.

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Teaching and training In collaboration with the University of Bergen,NIFES offers teaching at MSc and PhD level. In2012, seven members of NIFES' scientific staffheld adjunct appointments, with responsibilityfor teaching courses, at the University ofBergen. NIFES participated in teaching a totalof nine courses.

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Teaching at the University of Bergen

Fish nutrition BIO 206 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorRune Waagbø

Food microbiology, with specialemphasis on seafoodBIO 207 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorBjørn Tore Lunestad

Food chemistry and analysisBIO 306 (15 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorAmund Måge

Food toxicologyBIO 307 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorAnne-Katrine Lundebye Haldorsen

Main-nutrients and micro-nutrientsNUTR 207 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: Researchscientist Robin Ørnsrud

Human nutrition - Macro-nutrientsNUTR 300 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorØyvind Lie

Human nutrition - Micro-nutrientsNUTR 301 (10 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorØyvind Lie

Methods in nutritional scienceNUTR 310 (5 course credits)Responsible for course: Researchscientist Lisbeth Dahl

Biomedical nutritional physiologyBMED 381 (5 course credits)Responsible for course: ProfessorLivar Frøyland

The National Institute of Nutrition and SeafoodResearch (NIFES) is a research institute withadministrative responsibilities, and is related to theMinistry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. The Instituteperforms research on fish nutrition and on how theconsumption of fish and other types of seafood affects

our health. The Institute provides scientific advice to thegovernment, industry and the authorities in support ofefforts to ensure that seafood is healthy and safe to eat. The institute is independent of the fishery andaquaculture sector and its research results are madegenerally available to the public.

NIFES operates four modern laboratories. The Instituteperforms national reference functions for a number ofanalytical methods for foodstuffs, as well as for parasitesin seafood, and is accredited for 61 methods.

In collaboration with the University of Bergen and theUniversity of Copenhagen, NIFES offers teaching inhuman and fish nutrition. NIFES has editorialresponsibility for the international journal “AquacultureNutrition”.

NIFES does research in the following areas:

• Safe and healthy seafood

• Fish nutrition

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www.nifes.no

NIFESP.O. Box 2029 NordnesNO-5817 Bergen, Norway

Tel: +47 55 90 51 00Fax: +47 55 90 52 99E-mail: [email protected]

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