Promoting the connection between fishermen and consumers, regarding the sustainability of the exploitation of Meagre (Argyrosomus regius): nutritional quality and food safety in Tagus Estuary

Abstract

Meagre (Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801) belongs to the Sciaenidae family, with a distribution along the Northeast and Midwest Atlantic from the coast of Sweden to the Gulf of Guinea and in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. In Portugal, meagre is target of commercial and recreational fishing being Tagus estuary and adjacent coastal zone responsible for more of 70% of the catches at national level. In recent years, Costa da Caparica, Trafaria and Sesimbra auctions, transacted an annual record of a volume of catches close to 132 tons. The fact that meagre can reach appreciable dimensions, and that its highly appreciated gastronomically, means that it is sold at prices between 7-12 €/kg, making it the economically attractive for small commercial fishermen. The One Health concept is a triad of human, animal, and environmental health. The fact that meagre, captured in the Tagus, is distributed by several national auctions in which sanitary control does not guarantee the screening of priority contaminants, associated with the unequivocal contamination of Tagus estuarine waters and/or trophic chains, presents us a relevant problem, concerning to the transfer of pollutants through food chains, and the urgency of increasingly reliable determinations of these compounds in this species. The nutritional profile of meagre was analyzed and complemented with analysis of tissue susceptibility to toxicity by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) using state-of-the-art technology and an integrative approach.