title: Hg concentrations in fish from coastal waters of California and Western North America.
abstract: The State of California conducted an extensive and systematic survey of mercury (Hg) in fish from the California coast in 2009 and 2010. The California survey sampled 3483 fish representing 46 species at 68 locations, and demonstrated that methylHg in fish presents a widespread exposure risk to fish consumers. Most of the locations sampled (37 of 68) had a species with an average concentration above 0.3μg/gwet weight (ww), and 10 locations an average above 1.0μg/gww. The recent and robust dataset from California provided a basis for a broader examination of spatial and temporal patterns in fish Hg in coastal waters of Western North America. There is a striking lack of data in publicly accessible databases on Hg and other contaminants in coastal fish. An assessment of the raw data from these databases suggested the presence of relatively high concentrations along the California coast and in Puget Sound, and relatively low concentrations along the coasts of Alaska and Oregon, and the outer coast of Washington. The dataset suggests that Hg concentrations of public health concern can be observed at any location on the coast of Western North America where long-lived predator species are sampled. Output from a linear mixed-effects model resembled the spatial pattern observed for the raw data and suggested, based on the limited dataset, a lack of trend in fish Hg over the nearly 30-year period covered by the dataset. Expanded and continued monitoring, accompanied by rigorous data management procedures, would be of great value in characterizing methylHg exposure, and tracking changes in contamination of coastal fish in response to possible increases in atmospheric Hg emissions in Asia, climate change, and terrestrial Hg control efforts in coastal watersheds.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. Electronic address: jay@sfei.org.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. Electronic address: johnr@sfei.org.
authors.forename: J R M
authors.initials: JRM
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. Electronic address: shira@sfei.org.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bezalel
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. Electronic address: lawrences@sfei.org.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Marine Pollution Studies Lab, 7544 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA. Electronic address: bonnema@mlml.calstate.edu.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonnema
authors.affiliation: Marine Pollution Studies Lab, 7544 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA. Electronic address: gichikawa@mlml.calstate.edu.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Marine Pollution Studies Lab, 7544 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA. Electronic address: wheim@mlml.calstate.edu.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Heim
authors.affiliation: Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA. Electronic address: kens@sccwrp.org.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. Electronic address: ceagles-smith@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Eagles-Smith
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Science Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Dixon, CA 95620, USA. Electronic address: jackerman@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ackerman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002140:California; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism*; D019601:Pacific States; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Long-term trends; Marine fish; Mixed linear model; Spatial patterns; Western North America synthesis