Project 1 - Assessing Seafood Composition to Advance Dietary Health in the U.S.

Project 1 - Summary/Abstract Marine biota accumulate both micronutrients and contaminants through complex dietary interactions that transfer energy from primary producers to top predators, and subsequently to the millions of people in the U.S. who consume seafood. The nutritional composition and contaminant levels in seafood are shaped by the structure and dynamics of marine food webs, which influence the quality of seafood-derived protein and the concentrations of essential micronutrients. Seafood is the main source of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls and methylmercury (MeHg), and these two contaminants are the basis of most fish consumption health advisories in the U.S. However, most risk-benefit analyses argue that fish consumption delivers strong health benefits despite exposure to these contaminants. Recent work by the Schartup and Choy groups demonstrates how tight connections between marine food web structure and environmental conditions influence the accumulation of MeHg and plastics in predatory fishes and their prey. Many fundamental questions remain about how the interacting roles of diet, bioenergetics, and food web structure dictate the transfer of contaminants and micronutrients through marine ecosystems. The proposed work will comprehensively assess how these ecological processes shape the balance of human intake of increased contaminant loads and decreased micronutrient quantities in seafood consumed in the U.S. We present three integrated project aims that comprise a science-based inquiry into the nature of marine ecosystem linkages to seafood quality, informing public health and contaminant science surrounding the human intake of both the beneficial and the harmful components of seafood. The proposed work will be undertaken jointly by the labs of Schartup (marine chemistry and biogeochemical modeling) and Choy (food web ecology and biochemical tracers), who both have strong track records of collaboration and innovation in these areas. Project 1 will leverage the expertise of diverse collaborators in the acquisition of field specimens (fish stomachs, tissues, prey samples), the facilitation of quality contaminant and micronutrient analyses at SIO, and in model improvements. Project Leaders Schartup and Choy will also interact closely with the other Center investigators by co-utilizing ecologically diverse fish samples from different U.S. regions, examining the chemical composition and microbial transformations of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants (Projects 2 and 3), sharing our science with the public, and building sampling capacity through relationship building with community fishers (CEC).