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Feeding Habits of Fish and Seafood: Implications for Health Effects Associated with Contaminants in Seafood
Summary
This review pulls together existing research showing that what a fish or shellfish eats—and how it eats—determines how many contaminants (like mercury, chemical pollutants, and microplastics) end up in your seafood dinner. Big, long-lived predator fish and bottom-feeders tend to accumulate more toxins, while filter-feeding shellfish like mussels and oysters are especially prone to soaking up metals, pollutants, and plastic particles from the water around them. The takeaway: choosing which seafood to eat isn't one-size-fits-all—smaller, shorter-lived species generally carry less contaminant risk,
This review examines how feeding ecology influences contaminant accumulation in fish and shellfish intended for human consumption. It synthesises evidence on the effects of trophic position, foraging mode, habitat use, age, lipid content, scavenging behaviour, geographical origin, and production system (wild versus aquaculture) on exposure to heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and micro- and nanoplastics. Predatory and long-lived species are shown to be at greater risk of biomagnification, particularly for methylmercury, while benthic and demersal species may experience additional exposure to sediment-associated contaminants. Filter-feeding shellfish are highlighted as especially vulnerable because their non-selective feeding mechanisms promote accumulation of metals, organic pollutants, pathogens, and plastic particles from the surrounding water column. The review also identifies important regional differences in contaminant burdens and notes that aquaculture products may display contaminant profiles shaped more by feed composition and farm management than by ambient environmental conditions. Overall, the evidence indicates that contaminant risk is strongly shaped by feeding habits and ecological niche, with important implica-tions for seafood safety, risk assessment, monitoring programmes, and consumer guidance. A balanced approach that accounts for species-specific benefits and con-taminant risks is essential to support safe and nutritionally beneficial seafood con-sumption. These findings support the need for risk-based monitoring, species-specific consumption advice, and policy measures that integrate environmental management with public health protection.