Baseline
Essential and non-essential heavy metal levels in key organs of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and their potential impact on body condition

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112378Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Winter flounder had detectable levels of most heavy metals, some at levels of concern.

  • Significant reductions in weight-for-length, exacerbated with age compared to 1980

  • 1.4 incidence of structural abnormalities

Abstract

This study explored whether winter flounder, a benthic species, are potentially exposed to contaminants such as heavy metals released from the sediment of the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine, both critical habitats identified to have increases in heavy metal levels. Experimentally in fish, exposure to certain heavy metals resulted in reduced weight for length and structural abnormalities, but it is unknown if this occurs in wild fish. Winter flounder (n = 72), harvested between 2015 and 2018 from the aforementioned western Atlantic region of Canada/USA, had detectable levels of most heavy metals, with some exhibiting levels of concern (arsenic, cadmium, lead, selenium, zinc) in muscle, liver, and kidney. A 1.4% incidence of structural abnormalities was noted. When compared to 1980 regionally matched flounder data, the 2018 flounder had significantly reduced weight for length, exacerbated with age. Clearly winter flounder are affected by worsening heavy metal contaminant levels in this geographic area.

Section snippets

CRediT authorship contribution statement

MF is graduate student whose thesis work this is and initiated the spine abnormalities portion of study, analyzed and tabulated all the data and wrote the manuscript. NA procured the flounder samples and documented morphometric data. MB guided the project, protocols and heavy metal analysis. CW is senior author, Foleys supervisor and as veterinarian oversaw the necropsies and diagnosed any abnormalities found and assisted with writing of the manuscript. All authors had input to the final

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgments

We recognize Tally Ferguson, Lauren Lawson, Echo Jing, and Jessica Robichaud for their contribution to the necropsies as PSL398REP University of Toronto students. The reference alewife data was provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada with our gratitude to Mike McMahon, Population Ecology Division, Dartmouth, for his help with that data.

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