Mercury Speciation in Piscivorous Fish from Mining-Impacted Reservoirs

• Published in: Environmental science & technology 2007-04, Vol.41 (8), p.2745-2749
• Main Authors: Kuwabara, James S, Arai, Yuji, Topping, Brent R, Pickering, Ingrid J, George, Graham N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Bass; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental impact; Environmental science; Fish; Fishes - physiology; Fresh Water - chemistry; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Mercury; Mercury - chemistry; Mercury - metabolism; Micropterus salmoides; Mining; Morone saxatilis; Predatory Behavior; Reservoirs; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollution; Water Supply
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es0628856

Guadalupe Reservoir (GUA), California, and Lahontan Reservoir (LAH), Nevada, U.S. are both affected either directly or indirectly by the legacy of gold and silver mining in the Sierra Nevada during the nineteenth century. Analysis of total mercury in fish from these lentic systems consistently indicate elevated concentrations (>1 μg·g-1 wet weight; hereinafter, all concentrations are reported as wet weight unless indicated otherwise) well above the U.S. Environmenal Protection Agency's human consumption advisory level for fish (