Abstract
Atmospheric emissions of mercury in the US are being reduced, but worldwide mercury emissions remain high. Mercury is also being removed from many consumer items. Changes over time in mercury concentrations in fish remain important to resource managers and the general public. There is hope that mercury concentrations in fish will decline, and the number of fish consumption advisories due to mercury will decrease. We compared mercury concentrations in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from a group of Adirondack lakes with data collected 12–17 years earlier and found variable responses among lakes. We observed an average decline of 14% in yellow perch mercury concentrations over the past 15 years.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Analytical Software (2003) Statistix 8. Tallahassee, Florida
Armstrong RW, Sloan RJ (1980) Trends in levels of several known chemical contaminants in fish from New York State waters. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Technical Report 80-2, Albany, NY
Blette VL, Munson RK, Gherini SA, Driscoll CT, Schofield CL (1995) Mercury in Adirondack fish and surface waters. Research Report prepared for Empire State Electric Energy Research Corporation, NY
Driscoll CT, Yan C, Schofield CL, Munson R, Holsapple J (1994) The mercury cycle and fish in the Adirondack lakes. Environ Sci Technol 28:136A–143A. doi:10.1021/es00052a003
Driscoll CT, Driscoll KM, Roy KM, Dukett J (2007) Changes in the chemistry of lakes in the Adirondack region of New York following declines in acidic deposition. Appl Geochem 22:1181–1188. doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2007.03.009
Engstrom DR, Swain EB (1997) Recent declines in atmospheric mercury deposition in the Upper Midwest. Environ Sci Technol 31:960–967. doi:10.1021/es9600892
Hammerschmidt CR, Fitzgerald WF (2006) Methylmercury in freshwater fish linked to atmospheric mercury deposition. Environ Sci Technol 40:7764–7770. doi:10.1021/es061480i
Hrabik TR, Watras CJ (2002) Recent declines in mercury concentration in a freshwater fishery: isolating the effects of de-acidification and decreased atmospheric mercury deposition in Little Rock Lake. Sci Total Environ 297:229–237. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(02)00138-9
Hutcheson MS, Rose J, Smith CM, West CR, Pancorbo O, Sullivan J, Eddy B (2006) Massachusetts Fish Tissue Mercury Studies: Long-term Monitoring Results, 1999–2004. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Report, Boston, MA
Jeremiason JD, Engstrom DR, Swain EB, Nater EA, Johnson BM, Almendinger JE, Monson BA, Kolka RK (2006) Sulfate addition increases methylmercury production in an experimental wetland. Environ Sci Technol 40:3800–3806. doi:10.1021/es0524144
Lynch JA, Bowersox VC, Grimm JW (2000) Changes in sulfate deposition in eastern USA following implementation of Phase I of Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Atmos Environ 34:1665–1680. doi:10.1016/S1352-2310(99)00426-4
Raynal DJ, Mitchell MJ, Driscoll CT, Roy KM (2004) Effects of atmospheric deposition of sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury on Adirondack ecosystems. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY. Report 04-03
Simonin HA, Gloss SP, Driscoll CT, Schofield CL, Kretser WA, Karcher RW, Symula J (1994) Mercury in yellow perch from Adirondack drainage lakes (New York, U.S.). In: Watras CJ, Huckabee JW (eds) Mercury pollution, integration and synthesis. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, p 457
Simonin HA, Loukmas JJ, Skinner LC, Roy KM (2008a) Strategic monitoring of mercury in New York State fish. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY. Report 08-11
Simonin HA, Loukmas JJ, Skinner LC, Roy KM (2008b) Lake variability: key factors controlling mercury concentrations in New York State fish. Environ Pollut 154:107–115. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2007.12.032
USEPA (2001) Method 1631, Appendix A, Total mercury in tissue, sludge, sediment, and soil by acid digestion and bromine chloride oxidation. Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-821-R-01-013)
VanArsdale A, Weiss J, Keeler G, Miller E, Boulet G, Brulotte R, Poissant L (2005) Patterns of mercury deposition and concentration in Northeastern North America (1996–2002). Ecotoxicology 14:37–52. doi:10.1007/s10646-004-6258-x
Acknowledgments
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided substantial funding for this project. We thank E. Latremore, D. Edwards, C. Swamp, N. Liddle and T. Pope for technical and field assistance and the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries personnel for assistance with fish collections.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Simonin, H.A., Loukmas, J.J., Skinner, L.C. et al. Trends in Mercury Concentrations in New York State Fish. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83, 214–218 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9717-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9717-5