Mercury concentrations of two toothfish and three of its pre

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TitleMercury concentrations of two toothfish and three of its prey species from the Pacific sector of the AntarcticAbstractMuscle tissue samples were collected from Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni Norman) and Patagonian toothfish (D. eleginoides Smitt) in 1998 and from D. mawsoni and three of its prey species-Whitson's grenadier (Macrourus whitsoni (Regan)), ice fish (Chionobathyscus dewitti Andriashev & Neyelov), and blue antimora (Antimora rostrata (Gunther))-in 2006 to determine their mercury. Mercury levels were highly variable both within and between the five species studied but were positively correlated with fish length in four of the species. Once the factors length and year had been accounted for, the mercury levels in D. eleginoides were more than four times greater than in D. mawsoni. The low levels of mercury in D. mawsoni relative to its prey species and the four-fold difference in mercury concentrations between it and D. eleginoides were unexpected. Reasons for these different levels of bioaccumulation were explored including differences in diet, growth and longevity, and location. Differences in bioaccumulation between the two toothfish species could be explained partly through differences in their geographic distribution and differences in trophic position. However, the low levels of mercury in D. mawsoni relative to its prey species can only be explained by a lower rate of mercury assimilation and/or a higher rate of mercury elimination by D. mawsoni. ©2011 Antarctic Science Ltd.AcknowledgementsWe thank the scientific observers Sarel Du Plessis, Marli Dee, Donavan Cole, David Bilton, and Rodney Hansen for the collection of data and samples, and Hill Laboratories for analysis of tissue samples for mercury. We thank the captains and crew of the vessels on which samples were collected. Thanks to NZFSA for providing funding for the 2004 analysis of samples and for providing the data for this research. We would also like to thank the members of the New Zealand Antarctic Fisheries Working Group and three anonymous referees for input into this paper. This research was funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries under various projects including ANT2005/02.

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1st AuthorHanchet, S.AuthorHanchet, S.Tracey, D.Dunn, A.Horn, P.Smith, N.Year2012JournalAntarctic ScienceVolume24Number1Pages34-42DOI10.1017/S0954102011000654URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....d165a483341934e60098263d0Keywordsbioaccumulationbody sizeconcentration (composition)dietgeographical distributionlongevitymercury (element)muscleperciformprey captureteleosttrophic level, AntarcticaPacific SectorSouthern Ocean, AntimoraAntimora rostrataChionobathyscusChionobathyscus dewittiDissostichusDissostichus eleginoidesDissostichus mawsoniMacrourusMacrourus whitsoni, rank3Author KeywordsAntimoraCCAMLRChionobathyscusDissostichusMacrourus

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TypeArticleCitationHanchet, S., Tracey, D., Dunn, A., Horn, P. and Smith, N. (2012). Mercury concentrations of two toothfish and three of its prey species from the Pacific sector of the Antarctic. Antarctic Science, 24(1): 34-42