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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Mercury and fish tissue -- Status of Oregon reservoirs and lakes

Conference ·
OSTI ID:242375
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Dept. of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR (United States)

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality monitors contaminants in fish and sediment. Total mercury was analyzed in fish tissue taken from ten water bodies in 1993 and 1994. Mercury was measured in bass (Micropterus salmoides, M. dolomieui), salmonids (Salmo trutta, Oncorhynchus mykiss, O. clarki) and catfish (Ictalurus punctatus, I. nebulosus) in support of health department consumption advisories. Elevated mercury concentrations above the EPA screening value of 0.6 mg/kg wet were found in fish from watersheds with cinnabar geology or historical mining activity. Established bioaccumulation correlations between mercury and species, age, and length were also observed. Results from East Lake, a popular recreational fishery that had not previously been studied, were found to have fish mercury concentrations approaching 3.0 mg/kg wet. Regulatory and fish management issues will also be presented.

OSTI ID:
242375
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English