title: A baseline study of metals in herring (Clupea harengus) from the Norwegian Sea, with focus on mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead.
abstract: The Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring is an ecologically and economically important fish population in the Norwegian Sea. It was the first of several Norwegian fish stocks subject to a baseline study designed to give a comprehensive account of the levels of contaminants in a fish species from most of its area of distribution and during different seasons. During 2006 and 2007, 800 individual herring were sampled in their feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea in spring and autumn and at their spawning grounds off the coast of Norway during late winter. Metals including Hg, Cd, As and Pb were determined in muscle samples of individual herring, and mean concentrations±sd (mg kg(-1) ww) were: Hg: 0.04±0.03, Cd: 0.010±0.006, As: 2.2±0.6 and Pb: <0.01-0.10. Apart from one sample, no individual herring exceeded the EU's maximum level for any of these elements, as has been seen also in previous monitoring. Hg and Cd concentration increased with increasing fish age and As concentration varied seasonally, possibly due to uptake during feeding (summer), elimination during starvation (winter) and up-concentration during spawning (spring).
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: sylvia.frantzen@nifes.no.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frantzen
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Amund
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maage
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duinker
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Julshamn
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Svein A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Iversen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D009664:Norway; D017747:Seafood; D012621:Seasons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenic; Baseline study; Cadmium; Clupea harengus; Mercury; Norwegian spring spawning herring