Investigation of the Toxic Effects of Mercury in Landlocked Arctic Char ...

• Main Authors: Basu, Niladri, Barst, Benjamin, Drevnick, Paul, Köck, Günter, Derek, Muir
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2019
• Subjects: Cornwallis Island; Greenland; Nunavut
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.21963/12667; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/?doi_id=12667

Data collected from landlocked char in northern Canada and Greenland indicates that 30 percent of the populations surveyed exceed toxicity thresholds for Hg in fish. Collections were conducted in cooperation with the char "core" monitoring project led by Derek Muir. The lakes sampled (Small, 9-mile, North, Amituk) span a gradient of Hg contamination, allowing for the comparison of biological endpoints in char with low Hg concentrations to char with high Hg concentrations. Endpoints relate to reproduction, oxidative stress biomarkers, and general health. ... : Mercury (Hg) causes toxic effects in fish. In northern Canada, and especially Nunavut, Hg concentrations can be high in predatory fish, including landlocked Arctic char. In 2015, landlocked char were collected from lakes on Cornwallis Island, as part of an ongoing project, to determine whether wild populations are indeed experiencing Hg toxicity. The project goes beyond documenting Hg concentrations in fish and will provide critical knowledge concerning the status of fish health, and because Indigenous populations rely on Arctic ecosystems, information about the health of these ecosystems will be pertinent to these communities. ...