Niðurstöður sívirkrar vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í sjávarfangi úr auðlindinni 2025 / Undesirable substances in seafood – results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities in the year 2025

Effect of modified María Niðurstöður sívirkrar vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í sjávarfangi úr auðlindinni 2025 Undesirable substances in seafood – results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities in the year 2025 Rebecca Sim Julija Igorsdóttir Gunnhildur Gunnarsdóttir Natasa Desnica Skýrsla Matís nr. 26-25 December 2025 ISSN 1670-7192 DOI nr. 10.5281/zenodo.18019298 2 Titill / Title Niðurstöður sívirkrar vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í sjávarfangi úr auðlindinni 2025 / Undesirable substances in seafood – results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities in the year 2025! Höfundar / Authors Rebecca Sim, Julija Igorsdóttir, Gunnhildur Gunnarsdóttir and Natasa Desnica Skýrsla / Report no. 26-25 Útgáfudagur / Date: Desember 2025 Verknr. / Project no. 62450 Styrktaraðilar /Funding: Matvælaráðuneytið / Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Ágrip á íslensku: Í þessari skýrslu eru teknar saman niðurstöður vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í ætum hluta sjávarfangs 2025. Vöktunin hófst árið 2003 fyrir tilstuðlan þáverandi Sjávarútvegsráðuneytis, núverandi Matvælaráðuneytið, og sá Matís ohf. um að safna gögnum og útgáfu á skýrslum vegna þessarar kerfisbundnu vöktunar á tímabilinu 2003-2012. Vegna skorts á fjármagni í þetta vöktunarverkefni var gert hlé á þessari mikilvægu gagnasöfnun sem og útgáfu niðurstaðna á tímabilinu 2013-2016. Verkefnið hófst aftur í mars 2017 en vegna fjárskorts nær það nú eingöngu yfir vöktun á óæskilegum efnum í ætum hluta sjávarfangs úr auðlindinni sem ætlað er til manneldis, en ekki fiskimjöl og lýsi fyrir fóður. Af sömu ástæðu eru ekki lengur gerðar efnagreiningar á PAH og PBDE efnum. Markmiðið með verkefninu er að sýna fram á stöðu íslenskra sjávarafurða m.t.t. öryggi og heilnæmis og hægt að nýta gögnin við gerð áhættumats á matvælum til að tryggja hagsmuni neytenda og lýðheilsu. Verkefnið byggir upp þekkingargrunn um magn óæskilegra efna í efnahagslega mikilvægum tegundum og sjávarafurðum, það er skilgreint sem langtímaverkefni þar sem útvíkkun og endurskoðun er stöðugt nauðsynleg. Almennt voru niðurstöðurnar sem fengust 2025 í samræmi við fyrri niðurstöður frá árunum 2003 til 2012 sem og 2017 til 2024. Niðurstöðurnar sýndu að íslenskar sjávarafurðir innihalda óverulegt magn þrávirkra lífrænna efna s.s. díoxín, PCB og varnarefni. í þessari skýrslu voru hámarksgildi Evrópusambandsins (ESB) fyrir díoxín, díoxínlík PCB (DL-PCB) og ekki díoxínlík PCB (NDL-PCB) í matvælum samkvæmt reglugerð nr. 2023/915 notuð til að meta hvernig íslenskar sjávarafurðir standast kröfur ESB. Niðurstöður ársins 2025 sýna að öll sýni af sjávarafurðum til manneldis voru undir hámarksgildum ESB fyrir þrávirk lífræn efni og þungmálma. Þá reyndist styrkur svokallaðra ICES6-PCB efna vera lágur í ætum hluta sjávarfangs, miðað við hámarksgildi ESB samkvæmt reglugerð nr. 2023/915. Sömuleiðis sýndu niðurstöðurnar að styrkur þungmálma, t.d. kadmíum (Cd), blý (Pb) og kvikasilfur (Hg) í íslenskum sjávarafurðum var alltaf undir hámarksgildum ESB. Sjávarfang, vöktun, Díoxín, díoxínlík PCB, PCB, varnarefni, þungmálmar, hámarksgildi, heilnæmi, lýðheilsa Skýrsluágrip Matís ohf Matvælarannsóknir Report Summary Icelandic Food and Biotech R&D ISSN 1670-7192 3 Summary in English: This report summarises the results obtained in 2025 for the screening of various undesirable substances in the edible part of Icelandic marine catches. The main aim of this project is to gather data and evaluate the status of Icelandic seafood products in terms of undesirable substances, and the data can be utilised to estimate the exposure of consumers to these substances from Icelandic seafood and risks related to public health. The surveillance programme began in 2003 and was carried out for ten consecutive years before it was interrupted in 2013. The project was revived in March 2017 to fill in knowledge gaps regarding the level of undesirable substances in economically important marine catches for Icelandic export. Due to financial limitations the monitoring now only covers screening for undesirable substances in the edible portion of marine catches for human consumption and not feed or feed components. The limited financial resources also required the analysis of PAHs and PBDEs to be excluded from the monitoring, providing somewhat more limited information than before. However, it is considered a long-term project where extension and revision are constantly necessary. In general, the results obtained in 2025 were in agreement with previous results on undesirable substances in the edible part of marine catches obtained in the monitoring years 2003 to 2012 and 2017 to 2024. In this report from the monitoring programme, the maximum levels for dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915) were used to evaluate how Icelandic seafood products measure up to limits currently in effect. The results show that in regard to the maximum levels set in the regulation, the edible parts of Icelandic seafood products contain negligible amounts of dioxins, dioxin like and non-dioxin-like PCBs. In fact, all samples of seafood analysed in 2025 were below EU maximum levels. Furthermore, the concentration of ICES-6-PCBs was found to be low in the edible part of the marine catches, compared to the maximum limits set by the EU (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915). The results also revealed that the concentration of toxic trace elements, i.e., cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) in the edible part of marine catches were below the relevant maximum limits set by the EU in all samples. English keywords: Marine catches, monitoring, dioxin, PCB, pesticides, heavy metals, maximum limits, human consumption, public health © Copyright Matís ohf / Matis – Icelandic Food and Biotech R & D 4 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Contaminants measured in the project ......................................................................................... 3 3 Sampling and analysis .................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Sampling ................................................................................................................................ 4 3.2 Sample preparation ............................................................................................................... 5 3.3 Analyses ................................................................................................................................. 5 4 Results from monitoring of fish and fishery products in Iceland .................................................. 7 4.1 Dioxins (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like PCBs ................................................................................. 7 4.2 Marker PCBs ........................................................................................................................ 10 4.3 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ............................................................................ 12 4.4 Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) ................................................................................... 12 4.5 Organochlorine pesticides ................................................................................................... 12 4.6 Trace elements .................................................................................................................... 17 4.7 Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ......................................................................................... 23 5 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 24 6 References .................................................................................................................................... 25 7 Appendix ...................................................................................................................................... 28 1 1 Introduction In 2003, the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries, now the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, initiated a project aimed at screening for undesirable substances in the edible portion of marine catches from Icelandic waters, as well as in the fish meal and fish oil produced for feed. Matis was assigned the responsibility of carrying out the monitoring programme, which was on-going for ten consecutive years. In the period 2013-2016 this important collection of information and publication of the results was interrupted since Matis did not receive funding to work on this monitoring project. In March 2017 the monitoring programme was revived with funding from the Ministry of Industries and Innovation in Iceland to continue gathering data and evaluate the status of Icelandic seafood products regarding undesirable substances, however, the current funding only covers screening for undesirable substances in the edible portion of marine catches for human consumption and not feed or feed components. The project includes measurements on various undesirable substances in several economically important marine species from Icelandic fishing grounds to gather information and evaluate the status of Icelandic seafood products in terms of undesirable substances. This report summarises results from the screening programme in the year 2024. The substances investigated in this monitoring project are polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins and dibenzo furans (commonly called dioxins), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), ICES6 PCBs, and trace elements such as As, Cd, Hg and Pb. The purpose of this work is: 1. To gather information and evaluate the status of Icelandic seafood products in terms of undesirable substances. 2. Provide scientific evidence that Icelandic seafood products conform to regulations on seafood safety.!That is, to evaluate how products measure up to limits currently in effect for toxic trace elements and organic contaminants in the EU (Commission regulation (EC) No 2023/915). 2 3. Provide data gathered in this programme for that can be utilised for risk assessment and the setting of maximum values within EU & the European Economic Area (EEA) area, which are constantly being reviewed based on new data. 4. Provide independent scientific data on undesirable substances in Icelandic seafood for food authorities, fisheries authorities, industry, markets, and consumers. In this report the maximum levels for dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs are used to evaluate how Icelandic seafood products measure up to European commission (EC) limits currently in effect. The results obtained in the years 2003 to 2012, as well as 2017 to 2024, have already been published and are accessible at the Matis website (http://www.matis.is: Auðunsson, 2004; Ásmundsdóttir et al., 2005; Ásmundsdóttir and Gunnlaugsdóttir, 2006; Ásmundsdóttir et al., 2008; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2009; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2010a; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2010b; Baldursdóttir et al., 2011; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2012; Jensen et al., 2013; Jensen et al., 2018; Jensen et al., 2019; Jensen et al., 2020; Jensen et al., 2021; Jensen et al., 2022; Jensen et al., 2023; Jensen et al., 2024; Sim et al., 2025). The abovementioned EU regulation have been implemented in the Icelandic legal framework regarding undesirable substances in food (Regulation (EC) No 2023/915), which means that the maximum limits for undesirable substances in Icelandic seafood products are in line with the limits for these products in the EU member states. 3 2 Contaminants measured in the project The following contaminants were measured in the edible parts of seafood and other seafood products for human consumption: Dioxins, PCDD/Fs: Dioxins (dibenzo-p-dioxins) and dibenzofurans (17 congeners according to WHO): 2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDD; 1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDD; OCDD; 2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PentaCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-Penta-CDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Hepta-CDF and OCDF. Dioxin-like PCBs: (12 congeners according to WHO): non-ortho (PCB-77, PCB-81, PCB-126, PCB-169) and mono-ortho (PCB-105, PCB-114, PCB-118, PCB-123, PCB-156, PCB-157, and PCB167, PCB-189). ICES-6-PCBs: (6 congeners): PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180. Pesticides: DDT-substances (6 congeners: pp-DDT, op-DDT, pp-DDD, op-DDD, pp-DDE and opDDE), HCH-substances (5 isomers: a-, b-, g-(Lindane), d-, and ε-hexachlorocyclohexane), HCB, chlordanes (4 congeners and isomers: aand g-chlordane, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor), toxaphenes (3 congeners, Parlar 26, 50 and 62), aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan (aendosulfan), heptachlor (3 congeners: heptachlor, cis-hepatchlorepoxide, transheptachlorepoxide) pentachlorobenzene, octachlorstyrene and mirex. Trace elements: Hg (mercury), Cd (cadmium), Pb (lead), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and tin (Sn). 4 3 Sampling and analysis 3.1 Sampling The collection of samples and the quality criteria for the analytical methods were in accordance with conditions set out by the EU for the information gathering campaign on dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs as well as for metals (Commission regulation 333/2007/EC, Commission regulation 2017/644/EC, Commission regulation EU 2022/1428). The fish samples were collected by the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MRI) in Iceland according to sampling protocols provided by Matis and the samples were kept frozen until preparation for analysis (see section 3.1.1). Samples of capelin, Atlantic mackerel and blue whiting were provided by Síldarvinnslan HF, and two samples of Northern shrimp were obtained from Iceland Seafood. Fishing grounds around Iceland are divided into five areas, as illustrated in Figure 1. Samples were identified and labelled with the fishing area where they were caught. Figure 1. The division of the fishing grounds around Iceland used in this research. 5 3.2 Sample preparation All analyses were performed on edible parts of the fish samples. Each fish sample consisted of a pool from at least ten individuals of a specific length distribution. For details on length distribution and fishing grounds of the samples see Appendices T1 and T2. Prior to sample preparation each fish was defrosted, and the total weight and length of each individual fish recorded as well as gender, gut weight, and weight of fillets. The skinless fish fillets from the individuals were then pooled, homogenised and frozen again for analysis of organic contaminants or freeze-dried for trace element analysis. Capelin samples were homogenised whole and the heads and tails were removed from the blue whiting specimens prior to homogenisation. The shells were removed from the shrimp samples before homogenisation and the ten cod livers were also pooled to create a single sample. 3.3 Analyses The trace metal analysis of chromium, arsenic, tin, cadmium, mercury, and lead was carried out at Matís. The total element concentration in samples was determined by ICP-MS according to an accredited in-house method SV-25-02-SN in Matís Quality manual (modified NMKL 186 (2007) method). Matís is a National Reference Laboratory for trace element analysis in food and feed and has taken part in various international inter-laboratory studies for many years. The lipid content and organic contaminants were measured by Eurofins, Hamburg, Germany. Eurofins has participated in an international inter-laboratory quality control study organised by WHO and EU and uses accredited methods for analysing lipids, dioxins, WHO-PCBs, ICES-6PCBs, and pesticides. All results are expressed as upper bound level, meaning that where the concentration of a substance is measured to be below limit of detection (LOD) or limit of quantification (LOQ) of the analytical method, the concentration is set as equal to the LOD/LOQ. In the case of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, the analytical data are converted to pg WHO-TEQ/g where the toxicity of each congener has been calculated using WHO-TEF (Toxic Equivalence Factor) based on the existing knowledge of its toxicity (Van den Berg et al., 1998). WHO-TEQ values have been adapted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 and by the EU in its legislations. In 2005 the WHO-TEF values were re-evaluated based on existing toxicological data (Van den Berg et al., 2005; Haws et al., 2006) and expert judgment. These 2005 TEF values have been 12 4.3 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) PAHs are not included in the regulation for fresh fish. PAHs were not analysed in the samples this year. Results on PAHs in Icelandic seafood have been published in previous reports (Jörundsdóttir et al., 2010; Jensen et al., 2013). 4.4 Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) BFRs are not included in the regulation for fresh fish but have been accumulating in the environment over the last decade as their use in industry has increased. The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to update all previous risk assessments for different classes of BFRs – the most recent of which was completed in 2024 for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (EFSA CONTAM Panel, 2024). This report concluded that the current dietary exposure to PBDEs poses a health concern for the European population – with one of the largest contributors to dietary exposure being fish and seafood. Therefore, it is highly likely this class of compounds will be regulated in the near future. The BFRs were not analysed in the samples this year. Results on BFRs in Icelandic seafood have been published in a previous report (Jensen et al., 2013). 4.5 Organochlorine pesticides In total 12 different pesticides or groups of pesticides were measured in the monitoring programme. In this section, the results for these different classes of pesticides are discussed. Results are shown in Appendix T2. There are currently no EU maximum limits regarding the levels of pesticides in seafood. DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane) is one of the most well-known insecticides. The technical product DDT is fundamentally composed of p,p’-DDT (80%) (Buser, 1995). DDT breaks down in nature, mostly to DDE but also to DDD. The concentration of DDT presented in this report is the sum of p,p’-DDT, o,p´-DDT, p,p’-DDE, o,p´-DDE, p,p´-DDD and o,p´-DDD. HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) is an insecticide which has been used since 1949. It is still produced and used in numerous countries, although it has been banned in many countries since the 1970s. Technical-grade HCH is a mixture of mainly five isomers: a-, b-, g-(Lindane), d-, and ε-HCH. 13 Of these, only Lindane is an active substance comprising approximately 15% of the total mixture, while a-HCH is 60-70% of the mixture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has prohibited the use of the HCH mixture since in the 1980s, after that it was only allowed to use 99% pure Lindane. In this report the concentration a-, b-, g-(Lindane), and d-, and ε -HCH in the samples are reported. HCB (hexachlorobenzene) is a fungicide, but it has also been used for industrial purpose and was e.g., produced in Germany until 1993. Today, HCB is mainly a by-product in different industrial processes such as production of pesticides but also from waste incineration and energy production from fossil fuels. Chlordanes is a group of compounds and isomers where aand g-chlordane, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor are the most common, but over 140 different chlordanes were produced from 1946 until 1988 when the production was banned. Chlordanes have been widely used all over the world as insecticides. In this report the concentration of chlordanes is reported as the upper bound sum of a-chlordane, g-chlordane and oxychlordane. Trans-nonachlor is reported separately. The Toxaphenes measured in the samples are the parlar 26, 50 and 62 congeners. Toxaphene was used as an insecticide after the use of DDT was discontinued. Toxaphenes use was widespread, and the toxaphene congeners are numerous. Several hundred have been analysed but they are thought to be tens of thousands. The substances measured, i.e., the parlar 26, 50 and 62, are the most common toxaphenes (about 25% of the total amount in nature) and these are used as indicators of toxaphene pollution. In this report the concentration of toxaphenes is reported as the upper bound sum of toxaphene 26, 50 and 62. Aldrin and Dieldrin are widely used insecticides, but in plants and animals aldrin is transformed to dieldrin. Hence, the concentration of aldrin was below LOD in all the samples measured, while dieldrin was in some samples above LOD. The results are presented as the upper bound sum of these two. One Endosulfan was measured, a--endosulfan. Endosulfans are not as persistent as the other insecticides measured in this project. Other pesticides measured were Endrin, the sum of 14 Heptachlores (cis-heptachlorepoxide, trans-heptachlorepoxide and heptachlor), Pentachlorobenzene, Mirex and Octachlorostyrene. 4.5.1 DDT in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters As previously mentioned, there are no maximum limits for the concentration of organochlorine pesticides in fishery products. The upper bound concentrations for the sum of DDT and its associated degradation products ranged from 0.6-8.1 μg kg-1 for all muscle meat and samples, where Greenland halibut had the highest levels (6.7-8.1 μg kg-1) and was 41 μg kg-1 in the cod liver (sample number 2). These results (Figure 5 and Appendix T2) are extremely similar to those from the monitoring during previous year 2024 (Sim et al., 2025), where the highest concentrations of total DDT were also found in the cod liver and Greenland halibut samples. Again, this can likely be attributed to the high lipid content of these samples (Appendix T2) as DDT is highly fat soluble. The most frequently detected and abundant compound was p,p'-DDE which was detected in 11 out of 17 samples. This compound is the major degradation product of p,p'-DDT. 15 Figure 5. The ∑DDT and degradation products in marine catches from Icelandic fishing grounds in 2025 in μg kg-1 wet weight. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 (1) Cod (gutted) (2) Cod liver (3) Wolf fish (4) Molva (5) Cod (6) Saithe (7) Haddock (8) Golden redfish (9) Righteye flounder (10) Plaice (11) Shrimp (12) Shrimp (13) Capelin (14) Blue whiting (15) Atlantic mackerel (16) Greenland halibut (17) Greenland halibut mg/kg wet weight ∑ DDT ∑ DDT 16 4.5.2 HCB in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters The upper bound concentrations of HCB ranged from 0.50-18 μg kg-1 (Figure 6) where again the cod liver and Greenland halibut (sample numbers 2, 16 and 17) contained the highest levels (18 μg kg-1 and 3.0-3.3 μg kg-1 respectively). As before, the higher levels of HCB found in these samples is likely correlated to the lipid content. The golden redfish, capelin and blue whiting (sample numbers 8, 13 and 14) were the only other samples with detectable HCB concentrations, Appendix T2. Figure 6. HCB in marine catches from Icelandic fishing grounds in 2025 in μg kg-1 wet weight. 0 5 10 15 20 25 (1) Cod (gutted) (2) Cod liver (3) Wolf fish (4) Molva (5) Cod (6) Saithe (7) Haddock (8) Golden redfish (9) Righteye flounder (10) Plaice (11) Shrimp (12) Shrimp (13) Capelin (14) Blue whiting (15) Atlantic mackerel (16) Greenland halibut (17) Greenland halibut µg/kg wet weight HCB HCB 17 4.5.3 Other organochlorine pesticides in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters Other organochlorine pesticides were most commonly detected in the cod liver and samples of Greenland halibut (sample numbers 2, 16 and 17) as shown in Appendix T2. Octachlorstyrene was detected in 3 samples (sample number 14, 16 and 17) but not in the cod liver as this matrix has a higher quantification limit. Endrin was detected in cod liver, capelin and one greenland halibut where concentrations in these samples ranged from 0.312.6 μg kg-1. Aldrin was not detected in any sample, but the degradation product dieldrin was detected in 9 samples with concentrations above the detection limit ranging from 0.18-16 μg kg-1. Toxaphenes were detected in 7 samples which had sum upper bound concentrations ranging from 2.1-44 μg kg-1 with the largest contribution from parlar 50, and 4 samples contained all 3 toxaphene parlar congener. Cis-heptachlorepoxide was the only Heptachlors compound detected and was found in 5 samples. Chlordanes were detected in 8 samples, with cis-chlordane being either the most abundant or only chlordane compound detected. Trans-nonchlor was also detected in 7 samples. Mirex, HCH (α-HCH) and pentachlorobenzene were detected only detected in the cod liver (sample number 2). α-endosulfan was not detected in any sample. 4.6 Trace elements The total concentrations of trace elements Hg (mercury), Cd (cadmium), Pb (lead), As (arsenic), Sn (tin) and Cr (chromium) were analysed in all samples from the year 2025. As previously described, the results are expressed as upper bound concentrations and are therefore likely to be an overestimation of actual concentrations. The results for trace elements in all samples are reported in Appendix T3. 4.6.1 Chromium and tin in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters Concentrations of chromium (Cr) and tin (Sn) were low in all samples analysed in 2025. As shown in Appendix T3, no sample contained concentrations of Sn above quantification limits, and where Cr was above the quantification level it did not exceed 0.01 mg kg-1 (sample numbers 1, 3, 5 and 9). Maximum limits set by the EU (Commission regulation 2023/915) for tin (Sn) apply only to canned food products and no maximum limits exist in the EU for tin (Sn) in fish or fishery products, and there are no current regulations for levels of chromium. 18 4.6.2 Cadmium in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters The concentration of cadmium (Cd) in each sample was below the applicable EU maximum limit for all fish species analysed, as shown in Figure 7 and Appendix T3. The cod liver (sample number 2) contained the highest level of Cd (0.30 mg kg-1), however the maximum limit applies only to the muscle meat of the fish. The concentration of Cd in the cod liver was magnitudes higher than in the muscle tissue taken from the same fish (sample numbers 1 and 2) as Cd is a potent hepatotoxin (Genchi et al., 2020). Similarly, samples that were analysed whole (capelin) or containing viscera (shrimp and blue whiting) generally had higher levels of Cd than the muscle meat samples. Figure 7. Cadmium (Cd) in marine catches from Icelandic fishing grounds in 2025 in mg kg-1 wet weight. *EU maximum limit only applies to muscle meat of fish. §EU maximum limit for Cd in shrimp is 0.5 mg kg-1 wet weight. ǂEU maximum limit for Cd in mackerel is 0.1 mg kg-1 wet weight. 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 (1) Cod (gutted) (2) Cod liver (3) Wolf fish (4) Molva (5) Cod (6) Saithe (7) Haddock (8) Golden redfish (9) Righteye flounder (10) Plaice (11) Shrimp (12) Shrimp (13) Capelin (14) Blue whiting (15) Atlantic mackerel (16) Greenland halibut (17) Greenland halibut mg/kg wet weight Cadmium (Cd) Cadmium (Cd) EU maximum limits, flesh * §§ ǂ 19 4.6.2 Lead in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters The concentration of lead (Pb) was below the quantification limit for all fish species in 2025 (Figure 8) and are thus well below the EU maximum levels set for Pb in muscle meat (0.3 mg kg-1) and in crustaceans (0.5 mg kg-1). Figure 8. Lead (Pb) in marine catches from Icelandic fishing grounds in 2025 in mg kg-1 wet weight. *EU maximum limit applies only to muscle meat of fish. §EU maximum limit for Pb in shrimp is 0.5 mg kg-1 wet weight. 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 (1) Cod (gutted) (2) Cod liver (3) Wolf fish (4) Molva (5) Cod (6) Saithe (7) Haddock (8) Golden redfish (9) Righteye flounder (10) Plaice (11) Shrimp (12) Shrimp (13) Capelin (14) Blue whiting (15) Atlantic mackerel (16) Greenland halibut (17) Greenland halibut mg/kg wet weight Lead (Pb) Lead (Pb) EU maximum limits, flesh § * § 20 4.6.2 Mercury in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters No sample exceeded the applicable EU maximum limit for mercury (Hg), Figure 9, where all concentrations were ≤0.11 mg kg-1 (wet weight). The highest levels were found in the wolf fish and one sample of Greenland halibut (sample numbers 3 and 16). This can likely be attributed to age and mass, as the body burden of Hg increases over the lifetime of the fish (Dang and Wang, 2012). For example, when comparing the two samples of Greenland halibut, the specimens from sample number 16 had an average body weight of 2.1 kg, whilst those from sample 17 had an average weight of only 1.3 kg. The Hg concentrations were below detection limits in only the cod liver (sample number 2). Figure 9. Mercury (Hg) in marine catches from Icelandic fishing grounds in 2025 in mg kg-1 wet weight. *EU maximum limit applies only to muscle meat of fish. §EU maximum limit for Hg in Greenland halibut is set to 1 mg kg-1 wet weight. ǂEU maximum limit for Hg in cod, saithe, mackerel and plaice is set to 0.3 mg kg-1 wet weight. 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 (1) Cod (gutted) (2) Cod liver (3) Wolf fish (4) Molva (5) Cod (6) Saithe (7) Haddock (8) Golden redfish (9) Righteye flounder (10) Plaice (11) Shrimp (12) Shrimp (13) Capelin (14) Blue whiting (15) Atlantic mackerel (16) Greenland halibut (17) Greenland halibut mg/kg wet weight Mercury (Hg) Mercury (Hg) EU maximum limits, flesh *ǂ § § ǂ ǂ ǂǂ 21 4.6.4 Arsenic in fish and fishery products from Icelandic waters There are currently no maximum limits for the concentration of arsenic in seafood, but results from the monitoring in 2025 (Figure 10) were mostly in agreement with measurements from previous years (Auðunsson, 2004; Ásmundsdóttir et al. 2005; Ásmundsdóttir and Gunnlaugsdóttir, 2006; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2009; Baldursdóttir et al, 2011; Jörundsdóttir et al., 2012; Jensen et al., 2013; Jensen et al., 2018; Jensen et al., 2019; Jensen et al., 2020; Jensen et al., 2021; Jensen, et al. 2022; Jensen, et al. 2023; Jensen et al., 2024; Sim et al., 2025). The highest levels of As (34, 17 and 15 mg kg-1) were found in plaice and shrimp samples (sample numbers 10, 11 and 12). Plaice and shrimp are both considered demersal species, which feed and live in proximity to the sediment where arsenic may settle (Saei-Dehkordi et al., 2010). Only the total arsenic concentration was measured in the samples, however, this does not provide an accurate estimation of the potential risk as the toxicity of arsenic is highly dependent on chemical form. The arsenic present could be in the form of inorganic compounds (arsenite and arsenate) which are confirmed carcinogens (Cohen et al., 2013) or the organic compound arsenobetaine which is considered non-toxic to humans. In late 2025, Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1891 entered in to force which sets maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in fish and seafood. Therefore, there is a need to include the measurement of individual compounds in future analyses to determine the risk posed by arsenic in edible fish tissues and the compliance of specimens with EU regulations. 28 7 Appendix Appendix T1. The upper bound concentration of dioxins and PCBs in fish and fishery product samples in wet weight Latin name Size Lipid content PCDD/PCDFs Dioxin like PCBs Sum of Dioxins and DL-PCBs Mark er PCBs ICES -6 PCBs [cm] % pg WHO-TEQ/g pg WHO-TEQ/g pg WHO-TEQ/g µg kg-1 µg kg-1 R25-761-1 1Cod (gutted) Gadus morhua NW 60-70 0.83 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-2 2Cod liver Gadus morhua NW 57.08 1.03 3.20 4.23 36.7 31.6 R25-761-3 3Wolf fish Anarchichas lupus NW 50-60 0.87 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-4 4Molva Gadus molva NW 60-100 0.60 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-5 5Cod Gadus morhua NE 50-60 0.69 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-6 6Saithe Pollachius virens E 40-55 2.32 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-7 7Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus N50-60 0.84 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-8 8Go ld e n re d fis h Sebastes norvegicus N30-40 0.84 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-9 9Righteye flounder Glyptocephalus cynoglossus NW 40-50 1.06 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-10 10 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa NW 45-55 0.44 0.343 0.206 0.549 2.05 2.00 R25-761-11 11 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 1.27 0.343 0.207 0.550 2.07 2.00 R25-761-12 12 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 3.55 0.343 0.207 0.550 2.08 2.00 R25-2978-1 13 Capelin Mallotus villosus N8.45 0.365 0.225 0.590 2.18 2.01 R25-2978-2 14 Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou E6.77 0.411 0.448 0.860 6.66 5.79 R25-2978-3 15 Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus E30-40 10.88 0.357 0.259 0.616 2.69 2.45 R25-2978-4 16 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides NW 50-70 7.12 0.383 0.287 0.670 5.29 4.73 R25-2978-5 17 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides E 50-60 10.44 0.557 0.510 1.07 8.60 7.50 EU maximum limits ‡ 3.5 *6.5 *75 *No maximum limits exist in the EU for the substances PCDD/PCDFs are 2,3,7,5,8-PCDDs and PCDFs. DL-PCBs are PCB-77, -81, -126, -169, -105, -114, -118, -123, -156, -157, -167 and -189 Marker PCBs are PCB-28, -52, -101, -118, -138, -153 and -180 ICES-6 PCBs are marker PCBs excluding PCB-118 ‡ Applies to muscle meat of fish and fishery products and products thereof Sample code Fis h sample no. Sample name Fis hing ground 29 Appendix T2. Pesticides in fish and fishery product samples in wet weight. Lipid content alpha-HCH beta-HCH del ta-HCH gammaHCH epsilonHCH ∑ DDT Pentachlor benze ne HCB ∑ Heptachlores % µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 R25-761-1 1Cod (gutted) Gadus morhua NW 60-70 0.83 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.55 R25-761-2 2Cod liver Gadus morhua NW 57.08 0.674 <0,521 <0,521 <0,521 <0,521 40.9 1.82 18.3 2.943 R25-761-3 3Wolf fish Anarchichas lupus NW 50-60 0.87 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.950 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-4 4Molva Gadus molva NW 60-100 0.60 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-5 5Cod Gadus morhua NE 50-60 0.69 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.922 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-6 6Saithe Pollachius virens E 40-55 2.32 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.817 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-7 7Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus N50-60 0.84 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-8 8Go ld e n re d fis h Sebastes norvegicus N30-40 0.84 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 1.01 <0,500 0.569 0.550 R25-761-9 9Righteye flounder Glyptocephalus cynoglossus NW 40-50 1.06 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.614 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-10 10 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa NW 45-55 0.44 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-11 11 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 1.27 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-761-12 12 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 3.55 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 0.600 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-2978-1 13 Capelin Mallotus villosus N8.45 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 2.05 <0,500 2.10 0.569 R25-2978-2 14 Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou E6.77 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 6.57 <0,5 1.47 0.559 R25-2978-3 15 Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus E30-40 10.88 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 1.51 <0,500 <0,500 0.550 R25-2978-4 16 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides NW 50-70 7.12 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 6.73 <0,500 3.30 0.822 R25-2978-5 17 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides E 50-60 10.44 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 <0,250 8.10 <0,500 3.03 0.858 Fis h s ample no. Sample name Latin name Sample code Fis hing ground Size [cm] Appendix T2 (cont). Pesticides in fish and fishery product samples in wet weight. Lipid content Aldrin/ die ldri n Toxaphene Octachlorostyrene Endr i n alphaendosulfane ∑ Chlordanes trans - Nonachlor Mirex % µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 µg kg-1 R25-761-1 1Cod (gutted) Gadus morhua NW 60-70 0.83 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-2 2Cod liver Gadus morhua NW 57.08 16.1 44.7 <0,451 2.57 <1,04 18.3 20.2 0.882 R25-761-3 3Wolf fish Anarchichas lupus NW 50-60 0.87 0.429 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 0.249 <0,100 R25-761-4 4Molva Gadus molva NW 60-100 0.60 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-5 5Cod Gadus morhua NE 50-60 0.69 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-6 6Saithe Pollachius virens E 40-55 2.32 0.276 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.731 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-7 7Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus N50-60 0.84 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-8 8Go ld e n re d fis h Sebastes norvegicus N30-40 0.84 0.687 2.10 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.876 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-9 9Righteye flounder Glyptocephalus cynoglossus NW 40-50 1.06 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-10 10 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa NW 45-55 0.44 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-11 11 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 1.27 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-761-12 12 Shrimp Pandalus borealis NW 3.55 0.250 2.00 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.700 <0,100 <0,100 R25-2978-1 13 Capelin Mallotus villosus N8.45 2.05 3.75 <0,100 0.306 <0,500 1.25 0.579 <0,100 R25-2978-2 14 Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou E6.77 1.16 5.28 0.295 <0,300 <0,500 1.90 2.16 <0,100 R25-2978-3 15 Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus E30-40 10.88 0.891 2.57 <0,100 <0,300 <0,500 0.863 0.303 <0,100 R25-2978-4 16 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides NW 50-70 7.12 2.53 8.14 0.113 <0,300 <0,500 2.41 2.88 <0,100 R25-2978-5 17 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides E 50-60 10.44 2.41 8.10 0.218 0.312 <0,500 2.62 2.90 <0,100 Sample code Fis h sample no. Fis hing ground Size [cm] Sample name Latin name 30 Cr As Cd Sn Hg Pb mg kg -1 mg kg -1 mg kg -1 mg kg-1 mg kg-1 mg kg-1 R25-761-1 1Cod (gutted) Gadus morhua 0.01 1.83 <0,007 <0,01 0.05 <0,023 R25-761-2 2Cod liver Gadus morhua <0,04 5.36 0.295 <0,03 <0,02 <0,050 R25-761-3 3Wolf fish Anarchichas lupus 0.01 7.07 0.006 <0,01 0.10 <0,023 R25-761-4 4Molva Gadus molva <0,02 4.21 <0,007 <0,01 0.08 <0,023 R25-761-5 5Cod Gadus morhua 0.01 5.57 <0,007 <0,01 0.04 <0,023 R25-761-6 6Saithe Pollachius virens <0,02 0.97 <0,007 <0,01 0.02 <0,023 R25-761-7 7Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus <0,02 9.48 <0,007 <0,01 0.02 <0,023 R25-761-8 8Go ld en re d fis h Sebastes norvegicus <0,02 1.43 <0,007 <0,01 0.02 <0,023 R25-761-9 9Righteye flounder Glyptocephalus cynoglossus 0.01 10.0 <0,007 <0,01 0.04 <0,023 R25-761-10 10 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa <0,02 33.8 <0,007 <0,01 0.06 <0,023 R25-761-11 11 Shrimp Pandalus borealis <0,02 16.5 0.042 <0,01 0.04 <0,023 R25-761-12 12 Shrimp Pandalus borealis <0,02 15.3 0.041 <0,01 0.05 <0,023 R25-2978-1 13 Capelin Mallotus villosus <0,02 1.68 0.035 <0,01 0.01 <0,023 R25-2978-2 14 Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou <0,02 4.57 0.034 <0,01 0.07 <0,023 R25-2978-3 15 Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus <0,02 0.99 0.012 <0,01 0.03 <0,023 R25-2978-4 16 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides <0,02 6.87 <0,007 <0,01 0.11 <0,023 R25-2978-5 17 Gre en la n d h a lib u t Reinhardtius hippoglossoides <0,02 5.83 <0,007 <0,01 0.06 <0,023 Appendix T3. Total trace element concentrations in fish and fishery product samples in mg kg-1 wet weight. Latin name Sample name Sample code Fis h s ample no.