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

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:242375

Drake, D; Stifel, B; DiDomenico, G; McCartney, R ^[1]

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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

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FOOD CHAINS
LAKES
MERCURY
OREGON
SEDIMENTS
WATER POLLUTION
WATER RESERVOIRS