Time to refine mercury mass balance models for fish

FACETS

Paul J. Blanchfield¹  Charles P. Madenjian²  Steven R. Chipps³ 

[1] Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada;U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, 1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA;U.S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA;

关键词: bioenergetics models;    fish;    mercury accumulation;    mercury elimination;    mercury mass balance models;    sex effects;   

DOI  :  10.1139/facets-2020-0034

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Mercury mass balance models (MMBMs) for fish are powerful tools for understanding factors affecting growth and food consumption by free-ranging fish in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Moreover, MMBMs can be used to predict the consequences of global mercury reductions, overfishing, and climate change on mercury (Hg) concentration in commercially and recreationally valuable species of fish. Such predictions are useful in decision-making by resource managers and public health policy makers, because mercury is a neurotoxin and the primary route of exposure of mercury to humans is via consumption of fish. Recent evidence has emerged to indicate that the current-day version of MMBMs overestimates the rate at which fish eliminate mercury from their bodies. Consequently, MMBMs overestimate food consumption by fish and underestimate Hg concentration in fish. In this perspective, we explore underlying reasons for this overestimation of Hg-elimination rate, as well as consequences and implications of this overestimation. We highlight emerging studies that distinguish species and sex as contributing factors, in addition to body weight and water temperature, that can play an important role in how quickly Hg is eliminated from fish. Future research directions for refining MMBMs are discussed.

【 授权许可】

Unknown