Marine biomonitoring with lead isotopic compositions and metal concentrations using coastal British Columbia pink salmon ...

• Main Author: Chase, Jasmine Elizabeth
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2024
• Subjects: Oncorhynchus gorbuscha; Pink salmon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0443835; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0443835

Fish biomonitoring by quantifying metals is a method with global applications for aquatic environmental health. Such studies measure anthropogenic metal contamination and often include an assessment of human health risks from fish consumption. However, these techniques are infrequently applied to complex marine environments and need more standardization, hindering data comparison over time. This study tests different methods to (1) optimize fish preparation methods for biogeochemical analyses to minimize metal contamination, (2) quantify metals in fish tissues to determine the best samples for metal biomonitoring, and apply these methods to wild pink Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) to (3) demonstrate applications and limitations of analyzing Pb isotopic compositions in concert with metal concentrations in marine fish biomonitoring. Analyses from 32 Pacific salmon reveal sample contamination from homogenization with porcelain tools but minimal variation between freeze- and oven-dried samples. Results ...