ABSTRACT
Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) is one of the most abundant and economically valuable fish species in Estonian waters dominating both in offshore and coastal sea fishery. Herring has been historically one of the most important species both on the domestic market and for export. The aim of the present study is to get an overview of the occurrence of some organic pollutants in the Baltic herring caught in Estonian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The samples of Baltic herring were collected from the Gulf of Riga and from the Gulf of Finland in 2013-4 with the aim to assess its suitability for human consumption standards in the Estonian EEZ. The observed content of dioxins (PCDD, PCDF, dioxins), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), organic tin (OT), perfluorocompounds (PFAS) are examined and discussed in the study. The results revealed that higher content of all studied organic pollutants were observed in older Baltic herring and in fish from semienclosed gulfs and these contents may cause concern with respect to human health.
