Fish mercury distribution in Massachusetts, USA lakes

Abstract

The sediment, water, and three species of fish from 24 of Massachusetts' (relatively) least‐impacted water bodies were sampled to determine the patterns of variation in edible tissue mercury concentrations and the relationships of these patterns to characteristics of the water, sediment, and water bodies (lake, wetland, and watershed areas). Sampling was apportioned among three different ecological subregions and among lakes of differing trophic status. We sought to partition the variance to discover if these broadly defined concepts are suitable predictors of mercury levels in fish. Average muscle mercury concentrations were 0.15 mg/kg wet weight in the bottom‐feeding brown bullheads (Ameiurus nebulosus) (range = 0.01–0.79 mg/kg); 0.31 mg/kg in the omnivorous yellow perch (Perca flavescens) (range = 0.01–0.75 mg/kg); and 0.39 mg/kg in the predaceous largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) (range = 0.05–1.1 mg/kg). Statistically significant differences in fish mercury concentrations between ecological subregions in Massachusetts, USA, existed only in yellow perch. The productivity level of the lakes (as deduced from Carlson's Trophic Status Index) was not a strong predictor of tissue mercury concentrations in any species. pH was a highly (inversely) correlated environmental variable with yellow perch and brown bullhead tissue mercury. Largemouth bass tissue mercury concentrations were most highly correlated with the weight of the fish (+), lake size (+), and source area sizes (+). Properties of individual lakes appear more important for determining fish tissue mercury concentrations than do small‐scale ecoregional differences. Species that show major mercury variation with size or trophic level may not be good choices for use in evaluating the importance of environmental variables.

Contaminants in fish tissue from US lakes and reservoirs: a national probabilistic study

“…Mercury concentrations were generally lower in bottom dwellers than in predators. This is consistent with the findings of Rose et al (1999) and Peterson et al (2007) where piscivorous predator species typically accumulated higher concentrations of mercury than non-piscivores. Statistical analysis showed that mercury concentrations in predators occurred above the EPA 300 ppb mercury fish tissue criterion at nearly half of the lakes in the sampled population.…”

Monitoring of the aquatic environment by species accumulator of pollutants: a review

“…For example, fish and other aquatic animals take up methylmercury by direct absorption from the water, through the gill membrane and skin, as well as by the ingestion and successive digestion of contaminated food. The brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) uptakes mercury from its food but also an important percentage from the water, because of its scaleless permeable skin (Rose et al 1999). Jernelof (1972) estimated that the pike (Exos lucius) derived 50% of its methylmercury body burden from food and 50% from water, whereas whitefish (Coregonus clupeiformis) derived only 10% from food and 90% from water.…”

“…From the results of a study on mercury concentration in the muscle of three fish species (Perca flavescens, Micropterus salmoides, Ameiurus nebulosus) from 24 lakes of Massachusetts, Rose et al (1999) attributed the differences between the species to their growth and metabolic rates, without excluding other causes. They found a good positive correlation between the weight of Micropterus and the mercury concentration in its body.…”

“…According to these authors, by knowing the trophic level of a water body and its concentration in humic substances, the pollutant concentration in the fish may be predicted. Rose et al (1999) measured the mercury concentration in three fish species from 24 lakes (Massachusetts, U.S.A.). No connection between mercury concentration in the fish and the trophic level of the lake was evident.…”

Patterns of Hg Bioaccumulation and Transfer in Aquatic Food Webs Across Multi-lake Studies in the Northeast US

“…These studies have revealed important relationships between Hg bioaccumulation, lake characteristics, local deposition patterns, and watershed attributes Watras et al, 1998;Rose et al, 1999;Kamman et al, 2005). Earlier studies focused on physico-chemical variables and fish in largely forested lake systems (Hakanson et al, 1988;Suns and Hitchin, 1990;Simonin et al, 1994).…”