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Johnston TA, Lescord GL, Quesnel M, Savage PL, Gunn JM, Kidd KA. Age, body size, growth and dietary habits: What are the key factors driving individual variability in mercury of lacustrine fishes in northern temperate lakes? ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 213:113740. [PMID: 35750129 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fish total mercury concentration ([THg]) has been linked to various fish attributes, but the relative importance of these attributes in accounting for among-individual variation in [THg] has not been thoroughly assessed. We compared the contributions of ontogeny (age, length), growth (growth rate, body condition), and food web position (δ13C, δ15N) to among-individual variability in [THg] within populations of seven common fishes from 141 north temperate lakes. Ontogenetic factors accounted for most variation in [THg]; age was a stronger and less variable predictor than length for most species. Adding both indices of growth and food web position to these models increased explained variation (R2) in [THg] by 6-25% among species. Fish [THg] at age increased with growth rate, while fish [THg] at length decreased with growth rate, and the effect of body condition was consistently negative. Trophic elevation (inferred from δ15N) was a stronger predictor than primary production source (inferred from δ13C) for piscivores but not benthivores. Fish [THg] increased with δ15N in all species but showed a more variable relationship with δ13C. Among-individual variation in [THg] is primarily related to age or size in most temperate freshwater fishes, and effects of growth rate and food web position need to be considered in the context of these ontogenetic drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Johnston
- Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
| | - Gretchen L Lescord
- Biology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada; Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - John M Gunn
- Biology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Karen A Kidd
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; School of Earth, Environment and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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2
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Mercury Bioaccumulation in Lacustrine Fish Populations Along a Climatic Gradient in Northern Ontario, Canada. Ecosystems 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-019-00464-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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3
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Wang F, Outridge PM, Feng X, Meng B, Heimbürger-Boavida LE, Mason RP. How closely do mercury trends in fish and other aquatic wildlife track those in the atmosphere? - Implications for evaluating the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 674:58-70. [PMID: 31003088 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The Minamata Convention to reduce anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions entered into force in 2017, and attention is now focused on how to best monitor its effectiveness at reducing Hg exposure to humans. A key question is how closely Hg concentrations in the human food chain, especially in fish and other aquatic wildlife, will track the changes in atmospheric Hg that are expected to occur following anthropogenic emission reductions. We investigated this question by evaluating several regional groups of case studies where Hg concentrations in aquatic biota have been monitored continuously or intermittently for several decades. Our analysis shows that in most cases Hg time trends in biota did not agree with concurrent Hg trends in atmospheric deposition or concentrations, and the divergence between the two trends has become more apparent over the past two decades. An over-arching general explanation for these results is that the impact of changing atmospheric inputs on biotic Hg is masked by two factors: 1) The aquatic environment contains a large inventory of legacy emitted Hg that remains available for bio-uptake leading to a substantial lag in biotic response time to a change in external inputs; and 2) Biotic Hg trends reflect the dominant effects of changes in multi-causal, local and regional processes (e.g., aquatic or terrestrial biogeochemical processes, feeding ecology, climate) that control the speciation, bioavailability, and bio-uptake of both present-day and legacy emitted Hg. Globally, climate change has become the most prevalent contributor to the divergence. A wide range of biotic Hg outcomes can thus be expected as anthropogenic atmospheric Hg emissions decline, depending on how these processes operate on specific regions and specific organisms. Therefore, evaluating the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention will require biomonitoring of multiple species that represent different trophic and ecological niches in multiple regions of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyue Wang
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Peter M Outridge
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, 601 Booth St., Ottawa, ON K1A 0E8, Canada
| | - Xinbin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 46 Guanshui Road, Guiyang 550002, China
| | - Bo Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 46 Guanshui Road, Guiyang 550002, China
| | - Lars-Eric Heimbürger-Boavida
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, Université de Toulon, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) UM 110, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Robert P Mason
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340, USA
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Braaten HFV, Åkerblom S, Kahilainen KK, Rask M, Vuorenmaa J, Mannio J, Malinen T, Lydersen E, Poste AE, Amundsen PA, Kashulin N, Kashulina T, Terentyev P, Christensen G, de Wit HA. Improved Environmental Status: 50 Years of Declining Fish Mercury Levels in Boreal and Subarctic Fennoscandia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:1834-1843. [PMID: 30636402 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b06399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Temporally (1965-2015) and spatially (55°-70°N) extensive records of total mercury (Hg) in freshwater fish showed consistent declines in boreal and subarctic Fennoscandia. The database contains 54 560 fish entries ( n: pike > perch ≫ brown trout > roach ≈ Arctic charr) from 3132 lakes across Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Russian Murmansk area. 74% of the lakes did not meet the 0.5 ppm limit to protect human health. However, after 2000 only 25% of the lakes exceeded this level, indicating improved environmental status. In lakes where local pollution sources were identified, pike and perch Hg concentrations were significantly higher between 1965 and 1990 compared to values after 1995, likely an effect of implemented reduction measures. In lakes where Hg originated from long-range transboundary air pollution (LRTAP), consistent Hg declines (3-7‰ per year) were found for perch and pike in both boreal and subarctic Fennoscandia, suggesting common environmental controls. Hg in perch and pike in LRTAP lakes showed minimal declines with latitude, suggesting that drivers affected by temperature, such as growth dilution, counteracted Hg loading and food web exposure. We recommend that future fish Hg monitoring sampling design should include repeated sampling and collection of pollution history, water chemistry, fish age, and stable isotopes to enable evaluation of emission reduction policies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Staffan Åkerblom
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) , 750 07 Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Kimmo K Kahilainen
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN) , NO-2480 Koppang , Norway
- University of Helsinki (UH) , FI-00100 Helsinki , Finland
| | - Martti Rask
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) , FI-00790 Helsinki , Finland
| | - Jussi Vuorenmaa
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) , FI-00790 Helsinki , Finland
| | - Jaakko Mannio
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) , FI-00790 Helsinki , Finland
| | - Tommi Malinen
- University of Helsinki (UH) , FI-00100 Helsinki , Finland
| | - Espen Lydersen
- University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) , NO-3679 Notodden , Norway
| | - Amanda E Poste
- The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) , NO-0349 Oslo , Norway
| | | | - Nicholas Kashulin
- Institute of the Industrial Ecology Problems of the North (INEP) , Apatity , 184209 Murmansk , Russian Federation
| | - Tatiana Kashulina
- Institute of the Industrial Ecology Problems of the North (INEP) , Apatity , 184209 Murmansk , Russian Federation
| | - Petr Terentyev
- Institute of the Industrial Ecology Problems of the North (INEP) , Apatity , 184209 Murmansk , Russian Federation
| | | | - Heleen A de Wit
- The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) , NO-0349 Oslo , Norway
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5
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Chen MM, Lopez L, Bhavsar SP, Sharma S. What's hot about mercury? Examining the influence of climate on mercury levels in Ontario top predator fishes. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 162:63-73. [PMID: 29287181 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) levels in Ontario top predator fishes have been increasing in recent decades. These increases may be a result of many additive factors, including global climate change. Only recently has research been conducted on how climate change may impact Hg levels in freshwater fishes at large-scales. We examined the relationship between Hg trends and (1) local weather, (2) large-scale climate drivers, and (3) anthropogenic Hg emissions, in native cool water (walleye and northern pike) and warm water (smallmouth bass and largemouth bass) predatory fishes in Ontario, Canada, for historical (1970-1992) and recent (1993-2014) time periods. For each fish species studied, > 25% of Ontario's secondary watersheds shifted from historically declining to recently increasing fish Hg trends, and ≥ 50% of watersheds experienced increasing trends between 1993 and 2014. Recent fish Hg increased at up to 0.20µg/g/decade; which were significant (p < 0.05) for walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Multiple linear regressions revealed a complex interplay of local weather, large-scale climate drivers, and anthropogenic Hg emissions influencing fish Hg levels. Recent Hg levels for walleye and largemouth bass increased with changes in global climate drivers, while higher precipitation influenced smallmouth bass Hg levels the most. Walleye Hg levels increased during the positive phases of global climate drivers, reflecting the local influence of local temperatures and precipitation indirectly. Differentiating the effects of climate-related parameters and emissions is increasingly crucial to assess how changing multiple environmental stressors may impact health of wildlife and humans consuming fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda M Chen
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3
| | - Lianna Lopez
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3
| | - Satyendra P Bhavsar
- Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, ON, Canada M9P 3V6
| | - Sapna Sharma
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3.
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6
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Ohiozebau E, Tendler B, Hill A, Codling G, Kelly E, Giesy JP, Jones PD. Products of biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fishes of the Athabasca/Slave river system, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2016; 38:577-91. [PMID: 26162425 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-015-9744-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of products of biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PBPAH) were measured in bile of five fishes of nutritional, cultural and ecological relevance from the Athabasca/Slave river system. Samples were collected in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Canada, during three seasons. As a measure of concentrations of PBPAHs to which fishes are exposed and to gain information on the nature and extent of potential exposures of people or piscivorous wildlife, concentrations of biotransformation products of two- and three-ringed, four-ringed and five-ringed PAHs were measured using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Spatial and seasonal differences were observed with greater concentrations of PBPAHs in samples of bile of fish collected from Fort McKay as well as greater concentrations of PBPAHs in bile of fish collected during summer compared to those collected in other seasons. Overall, PBPAHs were greater in fishes of lower trophic levels and fishes more closely associated with sediments. In particular, goldeye (Hiodon alosoides), consistently contained greater concentrations of all the PBPAHs studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehimai Ohiozebau
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
| | - Brett Tendler
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Allison Hill
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Garry Codling
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Erin Kelly
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Canada
| | - John P Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Veterinary Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Paul D Jones
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
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7
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Gandhi N, Bhavsar SP, Tang RWK, Arhonditsis GB. Projecting Fish Mercury Levels in the Province of Ontario, Canada and the Implications for Fish and Human Health. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2015; 49:14494-14502. [PMID: 26592742 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Fish mercury levels appear to be increasing in Ontario, Canada, which covers a wide geographical area and contains about 250 000 lakes including a share of the North American Great Lakes. Here we project 2050 mercury levels in Ontario fish, using the recently measured levels and rates of changes observed during the last 15 years, and present potential implications for fish and human health. Percentage of northern Ontario waterbodies where sublethal effects of mercury on fish can occur may increase by 2050 from 60% to >98% for Walleye (WE), 44% to 59-70% for Northern Pike (NP), and 70% to 76-92% for Lake Trout (LT). Ontario waterbodies with unrestricted fish consumption advisories for the general population may deteriorate from 24-76% to <1-33% for WE, 40-95% to 1-93% for NP, and 39-89% to 18-86% for LT. Similarly, Ontario waterbodies with do not eat advisories for the sensitive population may increase from 32-84% to 73-100% for WE, 9-72% to 12-100% for NP, and 19-71% to 24-89% for LT. Risk to health of Ontario fish and humans consuming these fish may increase substantially over the next few decades if the increasing mercury trend continues and updated advisories based on continued monitoring are not issued/followed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilima Gandhi
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough , Scarborough, Ontario Canada M1C 1A4
| | - Satyendra P Bhavsar
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough , Scarborough, Ontario Canada M1C 1A4
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 3E8
- Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change , 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario Canada M9P 3V6
| | - Rex W K Tang
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 3E8
| | - George B Arhonditsis
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough , Scarborough, Ontario Canada M1C 1A4
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 3E8
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8
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Gandhi N, Tang RWK, Bhavsar SP, Arhonditsis GB. Fish mercury levels appear to be increasing lately: a report from 40 years of monitoring in the province of Ontario, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:5404-14. [PMID: 24678891 DOI: 10.1021/es403651x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent mercury levels and trends reported for North America suggest a mixed (positive/negative) outlook for the environmental mercury problem. Using one of the largest consistent monitoring data sets in the world, here we present long-term and recent mercury trends in Walleye, Northern Pike, and Lake Trout from the Province of Ontario, Canada, which contains about one-third of the world's fresh water and covers a wide geographical area (1.5 and 3 times larger than France and Germany, respectively). Overall, the results indicate that the fish mercury levels either declined (0.01-0.07 μg/g decade) or remained stable between the 1970s and 2012. The rates of mercury decline were substantially greater (mostly 0.05-0.31 μg/g decade) during the 1970s/80s possibly in response to reductions in mercury emissions. However, Walleye and Pike levels have generally increased (0.01-0.27 μg/g decade) in recent years (1995-2012), especially for northern Ontario (effect sizes for differences between the two periods ranged from 0.39 to 1.04). Proportions of Walleye and Pike locations showing a flat or increasing trend increased from 26-44% to 59-73% between the 1970s/80s and 1995-2012. Mercury emissions in North America have declined over the last few decades, and as such it is logical to expect recovery in fish mercury levels; however, other factors such as global emissions, climate change, invasive species, and local geochemistry are likely affecting the response time and magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilima Gandhi
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4
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Evans M, Muir D, Brua RB, Keating J, Wang X. Mercury trends in predatory fish in Great Slave Lake: the influence of temperature and other climate drivers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:12793-12801. [PMID: 24111928 DOI: 10.1021/es402645x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Here we report on trends in mercury (Hg) concentrations in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), burbot (Lota lota), and northern pike (Esox lucius) from Great Slave Lake, located in the Mackenzie River Basin (MRB) and investigate how climate factors may be influencing these trends. Hg concentrations in lake trout and burbot increased significantly over the early 1990s to 2012 in the two major regions of the lake; no trend was evident for northern pike over 1999-2012. Temporal variations in Hg concentrations in lake trout and burbot were similar with respect to timing of peaks and troughs. Inclusion of climate variables based on annual means, particularly temperature, improved explanatory power for variations in Hg over analyses based only on year and fish length; unexpectedly, the temperature coefficient was negative. Climate analyses based on growing season means (defined as May-September) had less explanatory power suggesting that trends were more strongly associated with colder months within the year. Inclusion of the Pacific/North American index improved explanatory power for the lake trout model suggesting that trends may have been affected by air circulation patterns. Overall, while our study confirmed previously reported trends of Hg increase in burbot in the MRB, we found no evidence that these trends were directly driven by increasing temperatures and productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Evans
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment Canada , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5
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