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Mercury Contamination of an Introduced Generalist Fish of Intermediate Trophic Level

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Abstract

Mercury contamination is a global issue because mercury concentrations in aquatic systems are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic pathways. Here, liver and muscle total mercury (THg) concentrations in black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus from three boreal lakes in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, were related to age, morphology and physiological traits to better understand the dynamics of mercury accumulation in an introduced generalist fish species. These THg concentrations were then compared to black crappie mercury concentrations in other Canadian water bodies and to mercury concentrations in other freshwater fishes in southeastern Manitoba. Age and size had strong positive correlations (P < 0.001, r ≥ 0.60) with muscle mercury concentrations. No evidence of acute point source contamination or physiological impairment in black crappie was found in the study area. Analysis of liver THg revealed the possible impacts of seasonal and ontogenetic differences in diet on exposure. Furthermore, THg analysis of liver and muscle tissue showed how generalist foraging may curb the progressively greater mercury exposure and resultant physiological consequences expected from ontogenetic diet shifts in black crappie. Although there appeared to be temporally varied levels of mercury exposure (i.e., liver THg) by sex, there was no sex effect observed in long-term mercury accumulation in the muscle. Black crappie bioaccumulated less mercury at age than primary piscivore species in the region. These results will help foster a better understanding of mercury biomagnification within a region impacted by legacy mercury.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the supporting information.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Michaela McKennitt for her efforts during our field season, as well as Dr. Feiyue Wang for permitting the usage of laboratory resources and for providing valuable comments. We are also grateful for the guidance given by Wolfgang Jansen of North/South Consultants Inc. Daniel Rheault and Andrew Burton of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Management (MB), Jennifer Van de Vooren of Manitoba Hydro (CAMP) and Dr. David Depew of Environment and Climate Change Canada provided much appreciated help in gathering supplemental datasets. The Province of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro and CAMP are not responsible for the analysis or conclusions presented in this study.

Funding

This project was funded by a Manitoba Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund (FES #17–016) and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (#05479) awarded to K.M.J.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    D. P. Gedig, M. Hauger & K. M. Jeffries

  2. Department of Environment and Geography, Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    D. P. Gedig & D. A. Armstrong

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  1. D. P. Gedig
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  2. M. Hauger
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Contributions

D.P.G. and K.M.J. conceived the study idea. D.P.G. and M.H. sampled and gathered data. M.H. tabulated morphological and physiological data. D.P.G. performed mercury analysis with the aid of D.A.A. D.P.G. performed data analysis and prepared the manuscript with draft review by K.M.J.

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Correspondence to D. P. Gedig.

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Gedig, D.P., Hauger, M., Armstrong, D.A. et al. Mercury Contamination of an Introduced Generalist Fish of Intermediate Trophic Level. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 85, 13–24 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-023-01004-2

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