Implications of Age, Size and Region on Mercury Contamination in Estuarine Fish Species

This study investigated the effects of age and length on mercury contamination in four fish species; yellow-eye mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri), black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri), sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) and sea-run brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, Aust...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Water, air, and soil pollution Vol. 214; no. 1-4; pp. 297 - 306
Main Authors:	Verdouw, Jeremy J, Macleod, Catriona K, Nowak, Barbara F, Lyle, Jeremy M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 2011 Springer Netherlands Springer Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Acanthopagrus butcheri Age Age composition Aldrichetta forsteri Animal, plant and microbial ecology Applied ecology Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution Bioaccumulation Biological and medical sciences Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts Commercial fishing Contamination Earth and Environmental Science Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution Environment Environmental conditions Environmental monitoring Estuaries Fish Fishing Food contamination Food contamination & poisoning Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General aspects Geographical distribution Heavy metal content Hydrogeology Indicator organisms Life history Marine conservation Mercury Metal concentrations Metals Public health Recreation Salmo trutta Sand Seafood Sediments Sediments (Geology) Soil Science & Conservation Species Studies Trophic status Trout Water pollution Water Quality/Water Pollution Asia-Pacific region PSE, Australia, Tasmania, Derwent Estuary Bioaccumulation Recreational fish Metals Public health Brackish water environment Estuaries Fishing Heavy metal Recreational activity Trace element Pollutant Vertebrata Health and environment Pisces Body size Biological accumulation Mercury Age
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Summary:	This study investigated the effects of age and length on mercury contamination in four fish species; yellow-eye mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri), black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri), sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) and sea-run brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, Australia, and examined the implications of these findings for public health monitoring. Mean mercury levels exceeded the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand maximum permitted level (0.5 mg kg⁻¹) for all species except yellow-eye mullet. Mean levels in black bream were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other species and consequently are a particular concern for human health. Regional differences (p < 0.05) in mercury levels in sand flathead were not obviously correlated with metal levels in the sediments. However, age and length significantly (p < 0.05) influenced mercury levels in brown trout and sand flathead, with age being more strongly related to intraspecies differences. In addition, movement and distribution within the estuary and trophic status appeared to be important factors in contribution to interspecific variation. Consequently, a sound understanding of fish life history and biology is important in identifying species which may be susceptible to accumulating mercury and hence pose a potential threat to human health.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0424-y ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23
ISSN:	0049-6979 1573-2932
DOI:	10.1007/s11270-010-0424-y