Bioaccumulation of mercury in muscle tissue of fish in the Elbe River (Czech Republic): multispecies monitoring study 1991–1996

Abstract

The study monitored mercury (Hg) contamination of fish muscle tissue at 13 geographical sites that can be regarded as crucial points for an ecotoxicological assessment of the Czech Republic section of the Elbe River. The descriptive part of the study was primarily aimed at comparative evaluation of the Hg load during the period 1991–1996. The conclusions were supported by multivariate statistical analyses of the content of Hg in the muscle tissue of 1251 fish belonging to 23 species with four dominant indicator species: Perca fluviatilis ( n = 163 ), Abramis brama ( n = 173 ), Rutilus rutilus ( n = 148 ), and Leuciscus cephalus ( n = 166 ). Considering data from 3- to 5-year-old fish, significantly increased contamination was detected in typical predators compared to the other fish species in all sites ( P < 0.001 ). On the other hand, omnivorous and planctivorous species were ranked as the least sensitive for Hg pollution. Perch appeared to be the most contaminated species in the sample with muscle Hg concentration in the range of 0.840–1.398 mg Hg kg −1. Although less contaminated than perch, muscle contamination of bream sensitively separated differently contaminated sites; the highest load ranged from 0.368 to 0.543 mg Hg kg −1. Time-related comparison of sampling campaigns revealed no significant trend changes, in either sediment samples or fish tissue. Thus, the analyses documented an evidently rather stabilized total Hg pollution in the Elbe River environment. Multivariate multispecies analyses found the age of analyzed individuals and the feeding strategy of a given species as the most important, however mutually interactive, covariates for Hg accumulation in muscle tissue. The analyses revealed decreasing sensitivity of older predator individuals to differentiate highly and moderately contaminated sites. Benthophagous species mostly kept their discrimination capacity toward contaminated sites in all age categories, with the exception of bream that was rather linked to the pattern typical for predator species. The unclear position of omnivorous species, represented namely by roach, corresponded with their weak bioindicator power, mainly in the young age categories.