Mercury contamination of fish is dependent upon a system’s ability to transform inorganic Hg into biologically available forms; however, fish biometrics also play an important role. To assess long term trends in Hg concentrations in sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) a polynomial model, corrected for fish length, was used to evaluate temporal trends and spatial variability, while growth rates were estimated using the Von Bertalanffy length-at-age model. Hg concentrations showed no decrease over time, and generally remained near recommended consumption levels (0.5 mg kg1). Previously reported spatial differences in Hg concentrations were not supported by the data once the models were corrected for fish length. Growth rate variation accounted for a large part of the previously published spatial differences. These results suggest that inclusion of fish biometrics is necessary to facilitate an accurate interpretation of spatial and temporal trends of contaminant concentrations in long term estuarine and marine monitoring programs.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Mercury bioaccumulation Biometric modelling Von Bertalanffy growth curves Long term monitoring Estuarine management
Research Division:	Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries Sciences
Research Field:	Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment
Objective Division:	Environment
Objective Group:	Ecosystem Assessment and Management
Objective Field:	Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments
UTAS Author:	Jones, H (Mr Hugh Jones)
UTAS Author:	Swadling, KM (Associate Professor Kerrie Swadling)
UTAS Author:	Tracey, S (Associate Professor Sean Tracey)
UTAS Author:	MacLeod, C (Associate Professor Catriona MacLeod)
ID Code:	85791
Year Published:	2013
Web of Science® Times Cited:	10
Deposited By:	Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration
Deposited On:	2013-08-08
Last Modified:	2014-04-14
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