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Correlation of Mercury Occurrence with Age, Elemental Composition, and Life History in Sea-Run Food Fish from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago’s Lower Northwest Passage

Authors :
Iris Koch
Pranab Das
Bronte E. McPhedran
John M. Casselman
Kristy L. Moniz
Peter van Coeverden de Groot
James Qitsualik
Derek Muir
Stephan Schott
Virginia K. Walker
Source :
Foods, Vol 10, Iss 11, p 2621 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

As mercury emissions continue and climate-mediated permafrost thaw increases the burden of this contaminant in northern waters, Inuit from a Northwest passage community in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago pressed for an assessment of their subsistence catches. Sea-run salmonids (n = 537) comprising Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), lake trout (S. namaycush), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), and cisco (C. autumnalis, C. sardinella) were analyzed for muscle mercury. Methylmercury is a neurotoxin and bioaccumulated with fish age, but other factors including selenium and other elements, diet and trophic level as assessed by stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C), as well as growth rate, condition, and geographic origin, also contributed depending on the species, even though all the fish shared a similar anadromous or sea-run life history. Although mean mercury concentrations for most of the species were ~0.09 µg·g−1 wet weight (ww), below the levels described in several jurisdictions for subsistence fisheries (0.2 µg·g−1 ww), 70% of lake trout were above this guideline (0.35 µg·g−1 ww), and 19% exceeded the 2.5-fold higher levels for commercial sale. We thus urge the development of consumption advisories for lake trout for the protection of pregnant women and young children and that additionally, periodic community-based monitoring be initiated.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23048158
Volume :
10
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Foods
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.4983df0bd5f3423eb16f26812e0374fa
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112621