Recreational fishers often consume their catch, which may expose them to environmental contaminants. However, targeted risk assessment for exceeding the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of a specific contaminant is often lacking, as specific data on the extent of fishing, consumption rates, and contamination of the caught seafood is needed. This study examined recreational fishing for nephrops (Nephrops norvegicus) at several different locations in Western Norway to identify important risk factors. The combination of a field survey to examine actual catches, interviews of recreational fishers about their seafood eating habits, and the analysis of total mercury (Hg, as a proxy for methylmercury (MeHg)) in recreationally captured nephrops allowed to conduct a targeted risk assessment. Recreational fishers consumed on average seven nephrops per meal, and 73% of the fishers ate nephrops once a month or more. The average Hg concentrations in nephrops were below the legal maximum level (100 ± 50 μg/kg wet weight (mean ± SD)). Hg concentrations in female nephrops were significantly higher than in males at the same size, and differed significantly between locations. The recreational fishers in this study were not at risk of exceeding the TWI for MeHg from consuming nephrops only; however, there is a general risk of exceeding TWI for MeHg as 70% of the fishers reported a frequent consumption of fish for dinner. Targeted risk assessments on recreational fishers may reveal particularly vulnerable populations where national dietary surveys may miss the highest seafood consumers. Graphical abstract

Marine recreational fishing is popular in Norway, but current estimates of the catches by resident and tourist anglers are lacking due to several challenges, in particular Norway’s long and intricate coastline with no defined access points and the large tourist fishery. To test methods for long-term monitoring of boat-based marine recreational anglers, estimate their catches, and characterize the fishery, we conducted a roving creel survey based on a novel spatial sampling frame and a survey of tourist fishing businesses in Troms and Hordaland County. These surveys showed that cod (Gadus morhua) and saithe (Pollachius virens) dominated the catches in Troms, while mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and saithe dominated the catches in Hordaland. The estimated total annual harvest of cod by all marine recreational anglers was 2 160 tonnes (relative standard error, or RSE 44%) in Troms and 73 tonnes (RSE 29%) in Hordaland, of which ∼40% (in weight) were landed in registered tourist fishing businesses, based on data from the tourist fishing survey. The results indicate that recreational anglers in Hordaland harvest more cod in coastal waters than commercial fishers. This study provides information for developing marine recreational fisheries monitoring in challenging survey situations to support science-based fisheries management.