A baseline study of metals in herring (Clupea harengus) from the Norwegian Sea, with focus on mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Frantzen, Sylvia; Maage, Amund; Duinker, Arne; Julshamn, Kaare; Iversen, Svein A.
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 127(2015)
• Page Start: 164
• Page End: 170
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Norwegian spring spawning herring -- Clupea harengus -- Baseline study -- Mercury -- Cadmium -- Arsenic; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.01.037
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Highlights: Levels of Hg, Cd, As and Pb in NSS herring are generally low. Hg and Cd increased with fish age and showed no seasonality. Total As varied seasonally and did not increase with fish age. Pb was very low and mainly below the LOQ. Comparing with data from monitoring back to 1995 showed no evidence of time trends. Abstract: The Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring is an ecologically and economically important fish population in the Norwegian Sea. It was the first of several Norwegian fish stocks subject to a baseline study designed to give a comprehensive account of the levels of contaminants in a fish species from most of its area of distribution and during different seasons. During 2006 and 2007, 800 individual herring were sampled in their feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea in spring and autumn and at their spawning grounds off the coast of Norway during late winter. Metals including Hg, Cd, As and Pb were determined in muscle samples of individual herring, and mean concentrations ± sd (mg kg −1 ww) were: Hg: 0.04 ± 0.03, Cd: 0.010 ± 0.006, As: 2.2 ± 0.6 and Pb: <0.01–0.10. Apart from one sample, no individual herring exceeded the EU's maximum level for any of these elements, as has been seen also in previous monitoring. Hg and Cd concentration increased with increasing fish age and As concentration varied seasonally, possibly due to uptake during feeding (summer), elimination during starvation (winter) and up-concentration during spawning (spring).