Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mercury Concentrations in Sentinel Fish Exposed to Contaminated Sediments Under a Natural Recovery Strategy Within the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern at Cornwall, Ontario, Canada

  • Published:
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Legacy mercury (Hg) sediment deposits are a long-term issue within the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) area of concern with three depositional areas along the Cornwall, ON waterfront containing sediments that exceed the Ontario Sediment Quality Guidelines for Hg. Assessing the bioavailability of these Hg-contaminated sediments plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of the Cornwall Sediment Strategy based on a natural recovery approach. We collected specimens of fallfish (Semotilus corporalis), round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) to assess spatial and temporal trends of Hg concentrations in various areas along the Cornwall waterfront, including zones of contaminated sediments and non-contaminated reference sites. This study revealed that (1) Hg concentrations in fish collected from the contaminated zones remain greater than those of fish from non-impacted locations, indicating that natural recovery is not yet achieved, (2) total Hg concentrations in yellow perch collected in 2016 were greater than those obtained during a previous assessment, indicating a reversal of the previously observed long-term declines, and (3) total Hg concentrations in yellow perch collected at the outlet of Gray’s Creek compared with yellow perch from contaminated zones, suggesting other important inputs of Hg to the ecosystem than the legacy contaminated sediments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angradi TR (1994) Trophic linkages in the lower Colorado River: multiple stable isotope evidence. J North Am Benthological Soc 13:479–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azim ME, Kumarappah A, Bhavsar SP, Backus SM, Arhonditsis G (2011) Detection of the spatiotemporal trends of mercury in Lake Erie fish communities: a Bayesian approach. Environ Sci Technol 45:2217–2226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bache CA, Gutenmann WH, Lisk DJ (1971) Residues of total mercury and methylmercury salts in Lake Trout as a function of age. Science 172:951–952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Belzile N, Chen Y-W, Gunn JM, Tong J, Alarie Y, Delonchamp T, Lang C-Y (2006) The effect of selenium on mercury assimilation by freshwater organisms. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 63:1–10

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhavsar SP, Gewurtz SB, McGoldrick DJ, Keir MJ, Backus SM (2010) Changes in mercury levels in Great Lakes fish between 1970s and 2007. Environ Sci Technol 44:3273–3279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birnie-Gauvin K, Peiman KS, Raubenheimer D, Cooke SJ (2017) Nutritional physiology and ecology of wildlife in a changing world. Conserv Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cox030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom NS (1992) On the chemical form of mercury in edible fish and marine invertebrate tissue. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 49:1010–1017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blukacz-Richards EA, Visha A, Graham ML, McGoldrick DL, de Solla SR, Moore DJ, Arhonditsis GB (2017) Mercury levels in herring gulls and fish: 42 years of spatio-temporal trends in the Great Lakes. Chemosphere 172:476–487

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bodaly RA, Rudd JWM, Fudge RJP (1993) Mercury concentrations in fish related to size of remote Canadian Shield Lakes. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 50:980–987

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brett JR (1971) Energetic responses of salmon to temperature. A study of some thermal relations in the physiology and freshwater ecology of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Am Zoologist 11:99–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur P, Reyjol Y, Mingelbier M, Riviere T, Dumont P (2011) Prédation du gobie à taches noires par les poissons du Saint-Laurent: contrôle potentiel d’une espèce exotique? Le Naturaliste Canadien 132(2):89–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Busch W-DN (1983) Decline of mercury in young fishes from Western Lake Erie between 1970-71 and 1974. Progress Fish-Cultur 45(4):202–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cai Y, Tang G, Jaffé R, Jones R (1997) Evaluation of some isolation methods for organomercury determination in soil and fish samples by capillary gas chromatography-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Int J Environ Anal Chem 68:331–345

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell LM, Schindler DW, Muir DCG, Donald DB, Kidd KA (2000) Organochlorine transfer in the food web of subalpine Bow Lake, Banff National Park. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:1258–1269

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carrie J, Wang F, Sanei H, Macdonald RW, Outridge PM, Stern GA (2010) Increasing contaminant burdens in an arctic fish, burbot (Lota lota), in a warming climate. Environ Sci Technol 44:316–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choy ES, Hodson PV, Campbell LM, Fowlie AR, Ridal JJ (2008) Spatial and temporal trends of mercury concentrations in the young-of-the-year spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius) in the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, ON. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 54:473–481

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coker GA, Portt CB, Minns CK (2001) Morphological and ecological characteristics of Canadian freshwater fishes. Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2554

  • Croteau M-N, Luoma SN, Stewart AR (2005) Trophic transfer of metals along freshwater food webs: evidence of cadmium biomagnification in nature. Limnol Oceanogr 50(5):1511–1519

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Barros C, Anderson J (2010) The 2005 Cornwall Sediment Strategy. Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada

  • Environment Canada (1992) Remedial action plan for the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Area of Concern Stage 1 Report. Environment Canada, Ontario Region, Toronto

  • Environment Canada (2014) St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Area of Concern. Stage 3 Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Report

  • Evans MS, Lockhart WL, Doetzel L, Low G, Muir D, Kidd K, Stephens G, Delaronde J (2005) Elevated mercury concentrations in fish in lakes in the Mackenzie River Basin: the role of physical, chemical, and biological factors. Sci Total Environ 351–352:479–500

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eveno, S., 2011. The role of nearshore sediments and vegetation as sources of mercury transfer to yellow perch (Perca flavescens): a study part of the Cornwall Sediment Strategy. Graduation thesis of Bachelor of Water Management. Hogeschool Zeeland, Vlissingen, The Netherlands

  • Fowlie AR, Hodson PV, Hickey MBC (2008) Spatial and seasonal patterns of mercury concentrations in fish from the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario: implications for monitoring. J Great Lakes Res 34:72–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • French TD, Campbell LM, Jackson DA, Casselman JM, Scheider WA, Hayton A (2006) Long-term changes in legacy trace organic contaminants and mercury in Lake Ontario salmon in relation to source controls, trophodynamics, and climatic variability. Limnol Oceanogr 51(6):2794–2807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fry FEJ (1971) The effect of environmental factors on the physiology of fish. Fish Physiol 6:1–98

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Golder and Associates (2004) Evaluation of sediment management options for the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Area of Concern. 163 pp

  • Hickey MBC, Fowlie AR (2005) First occurrence of the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, in the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario. Can Field-Nat 119:582–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodson PV, Norris K, Berquist M, Campbell LM, Ridal JJ (2014) Mercury concentrations in amphipods and fish of the Saint Lawrence River (Canada) are unrelated to concentrations of legacy mercury in sediments. Sci Total Environ 494–495:218–228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson TB, Allen M, Corkum LD, Lee VA (2005) Comparison of methods needed to estimate population size of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) in western Lake Erie. J Great Lakes Res 31:78–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JH, Nack CC, Chalupnicki MA (2009) Predation by fallfish (Semotilus corporalis) on Pacific salmon eggs in thte Salmon River, New York. J Great Lakes Res 35:630–633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jude DJ, Reider RH, Smith GR (1992) Establishment of Gobbidea in the Great Lakes basin. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 49:416–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King RB, Ray JM, Stanford KM (2006) Gorging on gobies: beneficial effects of alien prey on a threatened vertebrate. Can J Zool 84:108–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kornis MS, Mercado-Silva N, Vander Zanden MJ (2012) Twenty years of invasion: a review of round goby Neogobius melanostomus biology, spread and ecological implications. J Fish Biol 80:235–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leggett MF, Johannsson O, Hesslein R, Dixon DG, Taylor WD, Servos MR (2000) Influence of inorganic nitrogen cycling on the δ15N of Lake Ontario biota. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:1489–1496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magar V, Chadwick D, Bridges T, Fuchsman P, Conder J, Dekker T, Stevens J, Gustavson K, Mills M (2009) Technical Guide: Monitored Natural Recovery at Contaminated Sediment Sites. Final Report. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, Arlington, VA. ESTCP Project ER-0622. May

  • Marentette JR, Gooderham KL, McMaster ME, Ng T, Parrott JL, Wilson JY, Wood CM, Balshine S (2010) Signatures of contamination in invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus): a double strike for ecosystem health? Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 73:1755–1764

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marvin C, Painter S, Rossmann R (2004) Spatial and temporal patterns in mercury contamination in sediments of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Environ Res 95:351–362

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mason RP, Laporte J-M, Andres S (2000) Factors controlling the bioaccumulation of mercury, methylmercury, arsenic, selenium, and cadmium by freshwater invertebrates and fish. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 38:283–297

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Milani D, Grapentine LC (2015) Benthic conditions in the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall Area of Concern 2012 and trends from 1997 to 2012. Environment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate

  • Mills EL, Casselman JM, Dermott R, Fitzsimons JD, Gal G, Holeck KT, Hoyle JA, Johannsson OE, Lantry BF, Makarewicz JC, Millard ES, Munawar IF, Munawar M, O’Gorman R, Owens RW, Rudstam LG, Schaner T, Stewart TJ (2003) Lake Ontario: food web dynamics in a changing ecosystem (1970–2000). Can Fish Aquat Sci 60:471–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monson BA, Staples DF, Bhavsar SP, Holsen TM, Schrank CS, Moses SK, McGoldrick DJ, Backus SM, Williams KA (2011) Spatiotemproal trends of mercury in walleye and largemouth bass from the Laurentian Great Lakes region. Ecotoxicology 20:1555–1567

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison HA, Whittle DM, Haffner GD (2000) The relative importance of species invasions and sediment disturbance in regulating chemical dynamics in western Lake Erie. Ecol Model 125:279–294

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neff MR, Robinson JM, Bhavsar SP (2013) Assessment of fish mercury levels in the upper St. Lawrence River, Canada. J Great Lakes Res 39:336–343

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NRC (1997) Contaminated Sediments in Ports and Waterways: Cleanup Strategies and Technologies. National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • OMOE (2005) Sport fish contaminant monitoring data for 1975–2000. Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, Rexdale, Canada

  • OMOECC (2008) Guidelines for identifying, assessing and managing contaminated sediments in Ontario: an integrated approach. Ontario Ministry of the Environment

  • OMOECC (2017) Guide to eating Ontario fish 2017–2018. Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. Queen’s Printer for Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Post DM (2002) Using stable isotopes to estimate trophic position: models, methods, and assumptions. Ecology 83(3):703–718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post DM, Layman CA, Arrington DA, Takimoto G, Quattrochi J, Montanã CG (2007) Getting to the fat of the matter: models, methods and assumptions for dealing with lipids in stable isotope analyses. Oecologia 152:179–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Power M, Guiguer KRRA, Barton DR (2003) Effects of temperature on isotopic enrichment in Daphnia magna: implications for aquatic food-web studies. Rapid Comm Mass Spectrom 17:1619–1625

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Razavi NR, Ridal JJ, De Wit W, Hickey MBC, Campbell LM, Hodson PV (2013) Ebulition rates and mercury concentrations in St. Lawrence River sediments and a benthic invertebrate. Environ Toxicol Chem 32(4):857–865

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Razavi R, Windle M, Savard L, Ridal J (2015) Spatial analysis of mercury concentrations in shoreline sediments of the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Area of Concern. Report prepared for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Kingston, ON

  • Reyjol Y, Brodeur P, Mailhot Y, Mingelbier M, Dumont P (2010) Do native predators feed on non-native prey? The case of the round goby in a fluvial piscivorous fish assemblage. J Great Lakes Res 36:618–624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ridal JJ, Yanch LE, Fowlie AR, Razavi NR, Delongchamp TM, Choy ES, Fathi M, Hodson PV, Campbell LM, Blais JM, Hickey MBC, Yumvihoze E, Lean DRS (2010) Potential causes of enhanced transfer of mercury to St. Lawrence River biota: implications for sediment management strategies at Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. Hydrobiologia 647:81–98

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Riget F, Vorkamp K, Muir D (2010) Temporal trends of contaminants in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from a small lake, southwest Greenland during a warming climate. J Environ Monitor 12:2252–2258

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadraddini S, Azim ME, Shimoda Y, Mahmood M, Bhavsar SP, Backus SM, Arhonditsis GB (2011) Temporal PCB and mercury trends in Lake Erie fish communities: a dynamic linear modeling analysis. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74:2203–2214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott WB, Crossman EJ (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull Fish Res Board Canada 184:1–966

    Google Scholar 

  • SLRIES (2012) Monitoring of fish in Zone 1 and at references sites to determine trends in bioavailability of mercury. Report prepared for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Eastern Region, Kingston, ON, in support of the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Remedial Action Plan and the Canada-Ontario Agreement

  • Somers CM, Lozer MN, Kjoss VA, Quinn JS (2003) The invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in the diet of nestling double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario. J Great Lakes Res 29:392–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southward Hogan L, Marschall E, Folt C, Stein RA (2007) How non-native species in Lake Erie influence trophic transfer of mercury and lead to top predator. J Great Lakes Res 33:46–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinhart GB, Stein RA, Marschall EA (2004) High growth rate of young-of-the-year smallmouth bass in Lake Erie: a result of the round goby invasion? J Great Lakes Res 30:381–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suns KR, Hitchin GG (1992) Species-specific differences in organochlorine accumulation in young-of-the-year spottail shiners, emerald shiners, and yellow perch. J Great Lakes Res 18(2):280–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (2005) Contaminated Sediment Remediation Guidance for Hazardous Waste Sites. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA-540-R-05-012

  • Vander Zanden MJ, Rasmussen JB (1999) Primary consumer δ13C and δ15N and the trophic position of aquatic consumers. Ecology 80(4):1395–1404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Windle M, Ridal JJ (2016) Spatial analysis of mercury concentrations and other contaminants in nearshore sediments of the Cornwall Area of Concern (AOC) in 2015. Report prepared for Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences. Cornwall, ON. 59 pp

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to M. Windle, E. Hickey, D. Roundpoint, T. Sunday, K. Schwartz, J. Lounsberry, J. Baker, J. Filion, and P. Kraska for their help with the fish collections. The authors also thank E. Hickey and M. Waller for their assistance with sample preparation for the mercury and stable isotope analyses, respectively, as well as E. Yumvihoze and the Poulain laboratory at the University of Ottawa for the mercury analyses. Stable isotope analyses were performed by the GG Hatch Stable Isotope Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. This project has received funding support from the Governments of Canada and Ontario. Such support does not indicate endorsement by the Governments of Canada and Ontario of the contents of this material. Funding to the River Institute from a private foundation in the support of DL is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dominique Lapointe

    Present address: Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 880 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC, G1S 4X4, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, 2 St. Lawrence Drive, Cornwall, ON, K6H 4Z1, Canada

    Dominique Lapointe & Jeffrey J. Ridal

Authors
  1. Dominique Lapointe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeffrey J. Ridal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dominique Lapointe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lapointe, D., Ridal, J.J. Mercury Concentrations in Sentinel Fish Exposed to Contaminated Sediments Under a Natural Recovery Strategy Within the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern at Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 76, 216–230 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-018-0583-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-018-0583-1

Search

Navigation