Mercury Content of Oregon Groundfishi

The mercury content of Oregon groundfish was determined. The mercury content of rex sole. Glyptocephaills :,achirlls; Dover sole, MicroSlo/llllS pacijicII.\'; petrale sole, Eopse((a jorda/li; English sole, Parophrys \,etllills; sand sole, Psettiehthys lI1e!al1ostietlls; starry flounder Pla{ie"t"ys stellatlls; canary rockfish, Sebas{es pil1l1iRer; flag rockfish, Sebastes rllbri\,il1c{lIs; yellowtail rockfish, Sebas{es fla\'idm; rougheye rockfish. Sebas{es alellthlltlls; sableflsh, AIIOplopoll1o fill1brio; lingcod, Ophiodol1 e!OI1Ratlll.\'; Paciflc hake. Merlllccills prodllctlls; and arrowtooth flounder, Atheresthes s{oll1ios; was significantly lower than 0.50 ppm mercury. All spiny dogfish, Sqllaills aean/hias, samples contained >0.50 ppm. No highly significant relationship in those species appropriately examined between (a) catch location, (b) time of catch, (c) weight and length of fish, or (d) sex and mercury content was observed. Although the possibility of seafood organisms Containing large amounts of mercury has been of recent concern, no systematic survey of a major American marine fishery has been published. A number of freshwater studies in the United States (Willford, 1971), Canada (Uthe and Bligh, 1971; Bligh, 1972), England (Taylor, 1971), and Sweden (Ackefors, 1971), and marine studies in Canada (Zitko et aI., 1971) and Sweden (Ackefors, 1971) are found in the literature. The present study was undertaken to determine the extent of mercury contamination of commercially important groundfish in the Oregon fishery, with data being obtained which Would allow evaluation of the effect of species, location of catch, size of fish, time of catch, and sex on mercury content. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fish were obtained from each of the three major fishing areas off the Oregon Coast (Figure 1). Specimens were immediately dissected, Packed in evacuated film, and held at -40°C Until mercury analyses were performed. Fivegram samples of the epaxial musculature on ---;-A !,echnical Paper No. 3422, Oregon State University gncultural Experiment Station. a ~Seafoods Laboratory, Department of Food Science 9~10 Technology, Oregon State University, Astoria, OR 3. :-:----~iSItE"R~t accepted December 1972. BULLETIN: VOL. 71, NO.3, 1973. Wash.