Systematic review of subsistence consumption rates for fish, seafood, and other aquatic biota
Consumption of fish, seafood, and other aquatic biota is an important route of human exposure to environmental pollutants. In indigenous communities, where harvesting fish and seafood has cultural significance, these food items may be consumed at subsistence rates, accounting for the majority of core dietary needs. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to address data gaps in subsistence seafood consumption rates to improve assessments of health risks in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. A working group consisting of state and tribal partners and EPA scientists developed a literature search strategy, and conducted title/abstract and full-text screening of search results utilizing DistillerSR software. Included studies were tagged with study characteristics. Subsistence fish and seafood consumption rates reported in studies were extracted and compiled in a database for analysis and summary. Results were displayed in interactive tables, using Tableau. The literature search identified approximately 12,000 studies published 1917-2023 of which 151 met the inclusion criteria. We identified 40+ categories (or ‘tags’) to describe and track important study characteristics. Studies were summarized in an interactive table that displays study information and allows sorting by factors such as location, data collection details, species and habitat, and population demographics. Extracted consumption rates were converted to common units of g/day. Next steps include incorporation of these subsistence fish and seafood consumption rate data into dietary risk assessments for better protection of health in these indigenous communities that practice subsistence seafood consumption.
