Maternal Steller sea lion diets elevate fetal mercury concentrations in an area of population decline

Rea, Lorrie D.; Castellini, J. Margaret; Correa, Lucero; Fadely, Brian S.; O’Hara, Todd M.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.095

Cited by 61 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Similarly, human and rodent studies have suggested that increased or stable THg levels in neonates are the result of Hg intake through the milk as well as limited ability of the newborn to demethylate and eliminate Hg (Grandjean et al 1995b;Sundberg et al 1991). The THg increase observed also could be resulting from the females consuming prey with higher THg levels during lactation, as suggested recently for Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) (Rea et al 2013). In contrast, Habran et al (2013) suggested that transplacental transport is playing a greater role than milk in the delivery of Hg to the elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pup, based on decreasing Hg concentrations in pup blood between early and late lactation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Transplacental transfer of Hg is well known (Chen et al 2014;Rea et al 2013). The increase observed here between mid and late gestation is consistent with studies showing an increased THg transfer from the mother to the fetus associated with increased blood flow at the end of the gestation period in rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs (Inouye and Kajiwara 1988;Nordenhall et al 1995;Yoshida et al 2002).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, we use harbour seal hair and whisker as a noninvasive way to monitor the toxic MeHg exposure in pinnipeds (Brookens et al 2008;Rea et al 2013). Previous studies have shown that more than 90 % of mercury present in keratinized tissues, such as hair, is in the toxic methylated form (Kehrig et al 1998;Voegborlo et al 2010) and both tissues have been successfully used for the assessment of Hg exposure in pinnipeds (Brookens et al 2008;Ferreira et al 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Mercury Accumulation in Harbour Seals from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: The Role of Transplacental Transfer, Lactation, Age and Location

Noël

Jeffries

Lambourn

et al. 2015

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulates in the aquatic food chain in the form of methylmercury, a compound well known for its neurotoxicity. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in hair collected from 209 harbour seals captured at 10 sites in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (USA) between 2003 and 2010. In addition, laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) allowed for a highly refined analysis of THg accumulation over time by examining nine whiskers taken from 4- to 6-week-old pups. We estimate that THg concentrations in pups increased sharply at a point corresponding to mid- to late gestation of their time in utero (4.7 ± 0.8 and 6.6 ± 1.3 µg/g dry weight (dw), respectively), and then again at the onset of nursing (8.1 ± 1.3 µg/g dw). These abrupt changes highlight the importance of both pre- and post-natal THg transfer from the mother to the growing fetus and the newborn pup. While THg levels varied among sites, hair analyses from seals collected at the same site demonstrated the influence of age in THg accumulation with pups (5.3 ± 0.3 µg/g) and juveniles (4.5 ± 0.5 µg/g) having lower levels than those in adults (8.3 ± 0.8 µg/g). Our results revealed that 33 % of the pups sampled (n = 167) had THg levels that surpassed a mammalian hair threshold for neurochemical alterations. This study suggests that Hg could represent a health concern to marine wildlife, especially as atmospheric emissions of this toxic element from human activities in the Pacific Rim and worldwide continue.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercury Accumulation in Harbour Seals from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: The Role of Transplacental Transfer, Lactation, Age and Location

Noël

Jeffries

Lambourn

et al. 2015

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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“…Although Hg concentrations in stickleback from Agattu Island were higher than would be expected for an area without a known point source of Hg pollution, other studies have documented comparatively high concentrations of contaminants in marine organisms from the western Aleutians [8]–[10], [13], [30]. Recent work at Adak Island, located in the central Aleutians, also revealed similarly high mean Hg concentrations in resident freshwater stickleback populations (range = 0.31–0.54 µg/g dw) [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Temporal Variation in Fish Mercury Concentrations within Lakes from the Western Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska

et al. 2014

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We assessed temporal variation in mercury (Hg) concentrations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Agattu Island, Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska. Total Hg concentrations in whole-bodied stickleback were measured at two-week intervals from two sites in each of two lakes from June 1 to August 10, 2011 during the time period when lakes were ice-free. Across all sites and sampling events, stickleback Hg concentrations ranged from 0.37–1.07 µg/g dry weight (dw), with a mean (± SE) of 0.55±0.01 µg/g dw. Mean fish Hg concentrations declined by 9% during the study period, from 0.57±0.01 µg/g dw in early June to 0.52±0.01 µg/g dw in mid-August. Mean fish Hg concentrations were 6% higher in Loon Lake (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in Lake 696 (0.53±0.01 µg/g dw), and 4% higher in males (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in females (0.54±0.01 µg/g dw). Loon Lake was distinguished from Lake 696 by the presence of piscivorous waterbirds during the breeding season. Mercury concentrations in stickleback from Agattu Island were higher than would be expected for an area without known point sources of Hg pollution, and high enough to be of concern to the health of piscivorous wildlife.

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“…The sources of direct mortality were largely controlled following ESA listing [2], yet the W-SSL continued to decline overall for at least another decade or more, and continues to decline throughout much of the AI [6]. As a result, research and management attention has focused on indirect factors that would have more subtle effects on W-SSL reproduction and survival, such as nutritional stress and contaminants [7]. In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA; US Public Law 92-522) and ESA require federal fisheries managers to consider possible fishery interactions with protected species when developing fishery management plans (FMP).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring local fishery management through cooperative acoustic surveys in the Aleutian Islands

2018

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A B S T R A C TAn alternate management system is introduced which uses seasonal and spatially explicit multi-species quotas generated from small-scale cooperative fishery acoustic surveys to manage the Aleutian Islands walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery while limiting impacts on the endangered Western stock of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). This is a novel collaboration among scientists, industry, and Alaska Natives considering a cooperative management approach. The proposed system integrates the catch monitoring and accounting systems already in place in the federal groundfish fisheries off Alaska with cooperative acoustic survey biomass estimates to facilitate more refined spatial and temporal fishery management decisions. Conditions were examined under which such a system could operate successfully and results from field work conducted to assess technical requirements were discussed. During field trials biomass estimates from each survey were produced within 24-h of survey completion. This suggests spatial abundance estimates can be available in a timely manner for managing local fisheries. The proposed management system was found feasible and relatively easy to initiate because of highly motivated and cooperative industry partners, a well-established mechanism for setting allowable catch limits, and a robust catch accounting system already in place. In addition, high quality commercial echosounders required for this system are currently used by industry and, with proper controls on calibration and survey design, produce biomass estimates of sufficient quality. The application of this approach beyond this case study is also discussed for managing fisheries worldwide where fine temporal and spatial scale management could benefit the conservation of other protected species.

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Maternal Steller sea lion diets elevate fetal mercury concentrations in an area of population decline

Cited by 61 publications

References 31 publications

Mercury Accumulation in Harbour Seals from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: The Role of Transplacental Transfer, Lactation, Age and Location

Mercury Accumulation in Harbour Seals from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: The Role of Transplacental Transfer, Lactation, Age and Location

Temporal Variation in Fish Mercury Concentrations within Lakes from the Western Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska

Exploring local fishery management through cooperative acoustic surveys in the Aleutian Islands

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