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Mercury and methylmercury distribution in tissues of sculpins from the Bering Sea

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Abstract

Fish skeletal muscle is often used to monitor mercury concentrations and is used by regulatory agencies to develop fish consumption advisories. However, the distribution of mercury species (MeHg+ and THg) in muscle tissue and other organs is not well understood in a number of fish species. Here we evaluate the spatial distribution of THg and MeHg+ in skeletal muscle and internal organs (heart, liver, and kidney) of 19 sculpin representing three species: Myoxocephalus scorpius (shorthorn sculpin n = 13), Myoxocephalus jaok (plain sculpin, n = 4), and Megalocottus platycephalus (belligerent sculpin, n = 2). Four subsamples of muscle were taken along the lateral aspect of each fish, from muscle A (cranial) to muscle D (caudal). Using Games–Howell post hoc procedure to compare mean concentrations of all tissues, muscle samples were significantly different from internal organs, although there was no difference between muscle-sampling locations. THg concentrations (ww) were higher in muscle (muscle A through D mean ± SD, 0.30 ± 0.19 mg/kg) than that in heart (0.06 ± 0.05 mg/kg), kidney (0.08 ± 0.06 mg/kg), and liver (0.09 ± 0.08 mg/kg). Percent MeHg+ decreased with age in both skeletal muscle and organs (p < 0.05). In contrast to some previous reports for other fish species, this study found significantly higher THg concentrations in muscle than in the liver. This study highlights the importance of using muscle samples when evaluating potential Hg exposure in risk assessments for piscivorous wildlife and human populations, and assumptions related to organ mercury concentrations should be examined with care.

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Acknowledgments

The research described was supported through the Center for Alaska Native Health Research by Award Number P20RR016430 from the National Center for Research Resources. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to thank Randy Brown of the National Fish and Wildlife Service and Gabrielle Johnson for assistance with mounting otoliths and aging the fish; Rachel Witter and Joel Pierson for their work in developing the rapid methyl mercury technique in our laboratory; Andrea Price Repetto and Bonita Dainowski for their help with the CVAFS MeHg+ determination; Sara Moses for assistance with editing the manuscript; the residents of Mekoryuk, Alaska for their generosity in providing time, skill, and fish; and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Consortium for their support for our research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Dr, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6160, USA

    John Harley

  2. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 905 N Koyukuk Dr, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA

    Camilla Lieske, Shaina Bhojwani & J. Andrés López

  3. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 901 Koyukuk Dr, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7750, USA

    J. Margaret Castellini & Todd M. O’Hara

  4. University of Alaska Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907 Yukon Dr, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6960, USA

    J. Andrés López

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Correspondence to John Harley.

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Harley, J., Lieske, C., Bhojwani, S. et al. Mercury and methylmercury distribution in tissues of sculpins from the Bering Sea. Polar Biol 38, 1535–1543 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1716-x

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