Sensory assessment of fish and shellfish caught in the east Shetland Basin and the Forties oilfields

Abstract

From the Summary: “The North Sea supports a fishing and offshore oil and gas production industry, some of the most heavily exploited resources from the seas around the United Kingdom. This report addresses the concern that some commercially exploited fish stocks could potentially be contaminated by hydrocarbons from the offshore oil industry. Fish and shellfish caught in July/August 2002 in the East Shetland Basin and around the Forties oilfields were assessed for the presence of taint by a trained sensory panel. A total of 70 haddock, 69 lemon sole and 10 mackerel were sampled from the East Shetland Basin. Forty haddock, 20 lemon sole and 30 mackerel were sampled on a transect between the East Shetland Basin and the Forties oilfields. Sixty haddock, 50 lemon sole, 25 mackerel, 50 herring and 160 Nephrops were sampled in the Forties oilfields. A total of 50 haddock, 80 lemon sole, 20 mackerel and 10 herring were sampled from a transect between the Forties field and Aberdeen. No taint was detected in any of the samples assessed.”