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

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 (delta N-15) and carbon (delta C-13), 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 mu g & BULL;g(-1) wet weight (ww), below the levels described in several jurisdictions for subsistence fisheries (0.2 mu g & BULL;g(-1) ww), 70% of lake trout were above this guideline (0.35 mu g & BULL;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.

Automated summary

This study analyzed mercury levels in fish species from the Arctic waters, finding that most species had mercury levels below the guidelines for subsistence fisheries, but 70% of lake trout samples exceeded the safe threshold and 19% exceeded commercial sale levels. Therefore, it is recommended to establish consumption advisories for lake trout to protect human health.