Mercury in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) populations from Greenland

Mercury concentrations were determined in muscle tissue of lake resident an d anadromous populations of Arctic char in Greenland. Mercury in lake sedim ent, and in soil and humus from the surrounding area were also determined i n the main localities. Fish length and dry weight were shown to be importan t covariables, which have to be taken into account when comparing mercury l evels between populations. Variations in fat content did not contribute fur ther to the differing mercury concentrations. Mercury concentrations in lak e sediments, humus from around the lakes and resident populations of Arctic char from west Greenland and south-west Greenland were higher than for pop ulations from east Greenland and north-west Greenland. The mercury level in anadromous populations was found to be 10-15-fold lower than that found in lake resident populations, and similar to that found in marine fish specie s. Methyl mercury was determined in two of the populations investigated, an d constituted 72-92% of the total mercury. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.