Mercury bioaccumulation in Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) from offshore waters of South Carolina, USA.

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) have been reported to be one of the highest of all fish species, resulting in advisories that, historically, have recommended zero consumption. The current study assesses Hg bioaccumulation in Tilefish targeted by the commercial fisheries operating off the coast of South Carolina, USA. We provide results for an under-sampled region and explore how life history potentially impacts Hg uptake in Tilefish.

Mercury in South Carolina fishes, USA.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has collected, processed, and analyzed fish tissue total mercury (Hg) since 1976. For this study, skin-on-filet data from 1993 to 2007 were examined to determine biotic, spatial and temporal trends in tissue Hg levels for SC fishes. Because of the relatively high number of tissue Hg values below the analytical detection limits interval censored regression and censored least absolute deviations were used to construct several models to characterize trends.