Recent progress on our understanding of the biological effects of mercury in fish and wildlife in the Canadian Arctic

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dc.contributor.authorScheuhammer, Anton
dc.contributor.authorBraune, Brigit
dc.contributor.authorChan, Hing Man
dc.contributor.authorFrouin-Mouy, Héloïse
dc.contributor.authorKrey, Anke
dc.contributor.authorLetcher, Robert
dc.contributor.authorLoseto, Lisa
dc.contributor.authorNoël, Marie
dc.contributor.authorOstertag, Sonja
dc.contributor.authorRoss, Peter
dc.contributor.authorWayland, Mark
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-30T17:54:23Z
dc.date.available2018-05-30T17:54:23Z
dc.date.copyright2015en_US
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractThis review summarizes our current state of knowledge regarding the potential biological effects of mercury (Hg) exposure on fish and wildlife in the Canadian Arctic. Although Hg in most freshwater fish from northern Canada was not sufficiently elevated to be of concern, a few lakes in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut contained fish of certain species (e.g. northern pike, Arctic char) whose muscle Hg concentrations exceeded an estimated threshold range (0.5–1.0 μg g- 1 wet weight) within which adverse biological effects begin to occur. Marine fish species generally had substantially lower Hg concentrations than freshwater fish; but the Greenland shark, a long-lived predatory species, had mean muscle Hg concentrations exceeding the threshold range for possible effects on health or reproduction. An examination of recent egg Hg concentrations for marine birds from the Canadian Arctic indicated that mean Hg concentration in ivory gulls from Seymour Island fell within the threshold range associated with adverse effects on reproduction in birds. Mercury concentrations in brain tissue of beluga whales and polar bears were generally lower than levels associated with neurotoxicity in mammals, but were sometimes high enough to cause subtle neurochemical changes that can precede overt neurotoxicity. Harbour seals from western Hudson Bay had elevated mean liver Hg concentrations along with comparatively high muscle Hg concentrations indicating potential health effects from methylmercury (MeHg) exposure on this subpopulation. Because current information is generally insufficient to determine with confidence whether Hg exposure is impacting the health of specific fish or wildlife populations in the Canadian Arctic, biological effects studies should comprise a major focus of future Hg research in the Canadian Arctic. Additionally, studies on cellular interactions between Hg and selenium (Se) are required to better account for potential protective effects of Se on Hg toxicity, especially in large predatory Arctic fish, birds, and mammals.en_US
dc.description.reviewstatusRevieweden_US
dc.description.scholarlevelFacultyen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors wish to thank the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, in particular Russel Shearer, Scott Tomlinson and Jason Stow, for their funding support and assistance in the preparation of the assessment report from which this review is drawn, and Rami Yassine for helping with the graphics. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Aboriginal organizations in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut for their support of the NCP and their active participation in many of the studies.en_US
dc.identifier.citationScheuhammer, A., Braune, B., Chan, H.M., Frouin, H., Krey, A., Letcher, R. & Wayland, M. (2015). Recent progress on our understanding of the biological effects of mercury in fish and wildlife in the Canadian Arctic. Science of the Total Environment, 509-510, 91-103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.142en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.142
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/9411
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherScience of the Total Environmenten_US
dc.subjectCanadian Arctic
dc.subjectMercury
dc.subjectBiological effects
dc.subjectFish
dc.subjectMarine mammals
dc.subjectSeabirds
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Earth and Ocean Sciences
dc.titleRecent progress on our understanding of the biological effects of mercury in fish and wildlife in the Canadian Arcticen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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