Methylmercury content of eggs in yellow perch related to maternal exposure in four Wisconsin lakes (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Relationship between Adirondack Lake pH and Levels of Mercury in Yellow Perch
Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, 2010
Levels of total mercury in yellow perch Perca flavescens from Adirondack lakes were studied in relation to characteristics of the lakes to determine why some lakes had fish with higher concentrations of mercury. Almost all mercury in fish is in the form of methylmercury, which can pose significant health hazards to humans who consume such fish. Fish mercury concentrations and water chemistry data were analyzed from eight Adirondack lakes. Four lakes (Halfmoon Lake, Sand Pond, Rock Pond, and Upper Sister Lake) had pH values of less than 5.0. Four other lakes (Lake Adirondack, Kings Flow, Harris Lake, and Lake Kushaqua) had pH values of more than 7.0. The acidic lakes also had high levels of aluminum and low acidneutralizing capacity relative to the neutral lakes. Yellow perch (n ¼ 100) from the acidic lakes had significantly higher levels of mercury than did those (n ¼ 102) from the neutral lakes (P , 0.001), and the total mercury concentration increased with both length and weight of the fish. We conclude that the pH of the lake water is a major factor in determining the concentration of methylmercury in yellow perch.
Toxicological significance of mercury in yellow perch in the Laurentian Great Lakes region
Environmental Pollution, 2012
We assessed the risks of mercury in yellow perch, a species important in the trophic transfer of methylmercury, in the Great Lakes region. Mean concentrations in whole perch from 45 (6.5%) of 691 waters equaled or exceeded 0.20 mg/g w.w., a threshold for adverse effects in fish. In whole perch within the size range eaten by common loons (<100 g), mean concentrations exceeded a dietary threshold (0.16 mg/g w.w.) for significant reproductive effects on loons in 19 (7.3%) of 260 waters. Mean concentrations in fillets of perch with length ! 15.0 cm, the minimum size retained by anglers, exceeded the USEPA criterion (0.3 mg/g w.w.) in 26 (6.4%) of 404 U.S. waters and exceeded the Ontario guideline (0.26 mg/g w.w.) in 35 (20%) of 179 Ontario waters. Mercury levels in yellow perch in some waters within this region pose risks to perch, to common loons, and to mercury-sensitive human populations.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2013
Few studies have investigated the effects of mercury (Hg) on wild fish from remote areas, even though these fish can have high total Hg concentrations. In Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site (KNPNHS), Nova Scotia, Canada, concentrations of total Hg in many yellow perch (Perca flavescens) currently exceed the estimated threshold level for adverse effects in fish (0.2 mg Hg g À1 (wet wt), whole body). To determine whether Hg exposure is adversely affecting the general health of these fish, the authors collected male and female perch in the fall of 2009 and 2010 from 12 lakes within KNPNHS. The health endpoints condition, liver somatic index (LSI), and macrophage aggregates (MAs; indicators of oxidative stress and tissue damage) in the liver, kidney, and spleen were examined, and in female perch were compared between lakes and related to Hg concentrations measured in the muscle and liver tissue. No negative relationships between fish condition or LSI and Hg were found. However, within the liver, kidney, and spleen tissues of females, the relative area occupied by MAs was positively related to both muscle and liver Hg concentrations, indicating the health of these perch was adversely affected at the cellular level. These findings raise concerns for the health of these perch as well as for other wild fish populations known to have similarly elevated Hg concentrations. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:627-637. # 2012 SETAC
Factors Affecting Mercury Accumulation in Fish in the Upper Michigan Peninsula
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1990
Fish were sampled from 35 drainage and seepage lakes in the upper Michigan peninsula and Wisconsin in conjunction with Phase I1 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Eastern Lake Survey to explore the relationship between physicochemical characteristics of lakes and mercury concentrations in fish tissue. The lakes were selected using a stratified random design weighted for low pH to assess acidification effects on mercury bioaccumulation. Muscle tissue from yellow perch (Perca flavescens), northern pike (Esox lucius), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmordes) was analyzed for total and methylmercury. Differences in mercury concentrations were found between species, and methylmercury accounted for 99% of total mercury. Relationships were examined between tissue concentrations of mercury in yellow perch and lake physicochemical variables including pH, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), calcium, conductivity, aluminum, total phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, color, sulfate, lake area, lake depth, watershed area, Secchi depth and elevation. Mercury concentrations were negatively correlated with pH and ANC for both seepage and drainage lakes, but correlations with other water-quality characteristics varied with lake type. Dissolved organic carbon had a negative correlation with fish mercury accumulation in seepage lakes, but not in drainage lakes. Mercury concentrations had a positive correlation with age, weight and length in yellow perch.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2013
Fish mercury (Hg) concentrations have been measured over the last 30-40 years in all regions of Canada as part of various monitoring and research programs. Despite this large amount of data, only regional assessments of fish Hg trends and patterns have previously been attempted. The objective of this study was to assemble available freshwater fish Hg concentration data from all provinces and territories and identify national patterns. The Canadian Fish Mercury Database includes over 330 000 records representing 104 species of freshwater fish collected from over 5000 locations across Canada between 1967 and 2010. Analysis of the 28 most frequently occurring species (>1000 records) showed that the majority of variation in Hg concentrations (when normalized to a standard size) was accounted for by geographic location. Median Hg concentrations increased with trophic level (r = 0.40, p < 0.05), with the highest Hg concentrations found in piscivorous species such as walleye (Sander vitreus), northern pike (Esox lucius), and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). The Canadian Fish Mercury Database provides the most comprehensive summary of fish Hg measurements in Canada, and the results indicate that several regionally observed trends in fish Hg concentrations (e.g., Hg biomagnification and geographic variation) are observed at a national scale. Implications for the effective assessment of changes in fish Hg concentrations in relation to changes in Hg emission regulations are discussed.
Recent research suggests that wetland abundance surrounding lakes, fish trophic position, and fish community composition may influence the bioavailability of mercury to fish. To compare the importance of these spatial and biological factors to chemical factors known to influence bioavailability, we determined the relationship between 24 lake traits and mercury concentrations in yellow perch (Perca flavescens; whole fish samples) for 43 northern Wisconsin lakes. Independent variables included biological traits such as fish trophic position and body condition; spatial traits such as lake hydrologic position and surrounding wetland abundance; and chemical traits such as pH and water color. The strongest predictor of fish mercury levels was pH (R2 = 0.42; p < 0.002). Of the biological traits measured, yellow perch body condition explained significant additional variation (p = 0.024; final R2 = 0.54). Trophic position explained limited variability and population abundance of yellow perch, other planktivores and piscivores were not correlated to perch mercury levels. Although linear regression identified no significant spatial predictors, regression tree models determined that small lakes with greater than 6% wetlands in their watershed have the highest fish mercury levels. Our results indicate that within-lake chemistry and fish growth patterns are stronger correlates of mercury levels in yellow perch than spatial traits, trophic position, or fish community attributes.
Total Mercury Concentrations in Lakes and Fish of Western Maryland, USA
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2002
The purpose of this study was to quantify total mercury concentrations in three species of fish in three lakes of western Maryland: Piney Creek reservoir, Deep Creek Lake, and Lake Habeeb. We measured total mercury concentrations in water from each lake and muscle tissue from 119 fish collected in fall 2000: 15 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), 15 yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and 15 bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) from the Piney Creek reservoir; 15 largemouth bass, 15 yellow perch, and 14 bluegill from Deep Creek Lake; and 15 largemouth bass and 15 bluegill from Lake Habeeb. Average total mercury concentrations (Ϯ SD) in surface waters were 0.96 Ϯ 0.03 ng L Ϫ1 for the Piney Creek reservoir, 0.56 Ϯ 0.07 ng L Ϫ1 for Deep Creek Lake, and 0.40 Ϯ 0.05 ng L Ϫ1 for Lake Habeeb. These water quality differences were sometimes reflected in the total mercury concentration in fish muscle tissue. Total mercury concentrations in bluegill (0.05 Ϯ 0.02 g g Ϫ1) and largemouth bass (0.10 Ϯ 0.03 g g Ϫ1) from Lake Habeeb were significantly (p Ͻ 0.001) lower than the total mercury concentrations in bluegill and largemouth bass from the Piney Creek reservoir (bluegill: 0.13 Ϯ 0.04 g g Ϫ1 and largemouth bass: 0.37 Ϯ 0.18 g g Ϫ1) and Deep Creek Lake (bluegill: 0.11 Ϯ 0.04 g g Ϫ1 and largemouth bass: 0.30 Ϯ 0.09 g g Ϫ1). Yellow perch from the Piney Creek reservoir had significantly higher total mercury concentrations than yellow perch from Deep Creek Lake (0.20 Ϯ 0.08 g g Ϫ1 versus 0.13 Ϯ 0.04 g g Ϫ1). In contrast, total mercury concentrations in largemouth bass from the Piney Creek reservoir and Deep Creek Lake were not significantly different. With the exception of largemouth bass from Lake Habeeb and yellow perch from Deep Creek Lake, there were relatively strong (r 2 Ͼ 0.39-0.79) log-log relationships between the size (weight and length) of the fish and total mercury concentrations in muscle tissue. The largest largemouth bass (Ͼ 800 g and Ͼ 38 cm) from both Deep Creek Lake and the Piney Creek reservoir had total mercury concentrations that exceeded the consumption advisory of 0.5 g g Ϫ1 that is used by many states and Canada. In contrast, total mercury concentrations in largemouth bass from Lake Habeeb did not exceed this consumption advisory. Our results suggest that fish consumption advisories are needed for largemouth bass in the Piney Creek reservoir and Deep Creek Lake.