Mercury and stable isotope signatures in caged marine fish and fish feeds.
Summary of "Mercury and stable isotope signatures in caged marine fish and fish feeds."
Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were determined in four species of marine caged carnivorous fish, one species of herbivorous fish and three types of fish feeds (dried pellet feed, forage fish and fish viscera), collected from five cage sites in the rural areas along Fujian coastline, China. For the carnivorous fish, the concentrations of THg and MeHg ranged from 0.03 to 0.31μg/g and from 0.02 to 0.30μg/g on wet weight basis, respectively. The concentrations were lower for the herbivorous fish with both within the range of 0.01-0.03μg/g. Out of the three tested fish feeds, tuna viscera contained the highest level of mercury (0.20μg/g THg and 0.13μg/g MeHg), with pellet feed containing the lowest level (0.05μg/g THg and 0.01μg/g MeHg). The calculated trophic transfer factor of MeHg was the highest (12-64) for fish fed on pellet feeds, and was the lowest for fish fed on tuna viscera. A significant relationship was found between Hg concentrations in caged fish and in fish feeds, thus Hg was primarily accumulated from the diet. Furthermore, the stable isotope δ(15)N was positively correlated with the Hg concentration in two caged sites, indicating that δ(15)N may be a suitable tool for tracking mercury in caged fish. We conclude that fish farming may be a good way of reducing the human exposure to Hg because mercury levels can be carefully controlled in such farming systems.
Affiliation
State Key Laboratory for Marine Environmental Science, College of Oceanography and Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Journal of hazardous materials
ISSN: 1873-3336
Pages: 13-21
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22195524
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.11.021
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Fish Diseases
Diseases of freshwater, marine, hatchery or aquarium fish. This term includes diseases of both teleosts (true fish) and elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates).
Salmon
Fish of the genera ONCORHYNCHUS and Salmo in the family SALMONIDAE. They are anadromous game fish, frequenting the coastal waters of both the North Atlantic and Pacific. They are known for their gameness as a sport fish and for the quality of their flesh as a table fish. (Webster, 3d ed).
Fish Products
Food products manufactured from fish (e.g., FISH FLOUR, fish meal).
Salmoniformes
An order of fish comprising salmons, trouts, whitefish, graylings, and other families. They are both marine and freshwater fish, found in all oceans and are quite numerous in the Northern Hemisphere. (From Nelson: Fishes of the World)
Perciformes
The most diversified of all fish orders and the largest vertebrate order. It includes many of the commonly known fish such as porgies, croakers, sunfishes, dolphin fish, mackerels, TUNA, etc.
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