Strategies for minimising cyanotoxins in edible fish by influencing the population of aquatic microorganisms

Despite the many positive aspects of regional inland aquaculture, the potential risk to consumer health associated with climate change cannot be ruled out in this context either. Rising temperatures and, for example, seasonal influences on cultivation periods, nutrient flows and loads are giving rise to new challenges that must be addressed. One now prominent example is the increasingly serious problem of cyanobacteria (‘blue-green algae blooms’). Numerous species of these cyanobacteria are potent toxin producers. Consequently, food quality and, in some cases, even food safety are at risk when edible fish from extensive ponds or intensive aquaculture systems – including recirculating systems – that carry a toxin load are consumed. In order to be able to continuously guarantee product quality and food safety for edible fish and fishery products in the future, data on toxin formation, fish exposure and the impact on marketable quality must be collected, and strategies for minimising these risks must be developed. One of the IfB’s tasks within the collaborative project is to evaluate the transfer of cyanotoxins from rearing water and the feed base into edible fish.

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