Mercury in oceanic upper trophic level sharks and bony fishes - a systematic review

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities contribute to nearly half of current Hg emissions to the atmosphere. In the marine habitat, oceanic predator fishes bioaccumulate Hg throughout their lives, making their consumption the main route of Hg exposure in humans. In this context, several publications, between 1973 and 2022, were selected, analyzed, and duly compiled, with the objective to investigate Hg contamination in nine species of bony fish: Thunnus thynnus (8 publications), Thunnus albacares (19), Thunnus obesus (7), Thunnus atlanticus (5), Thunnus alalunga (4), Katsuwonus pelamis (8), Xiphias gladius (18), Coryphaena hippurus (7) and Euthynnus alletteratus (4), as well as two species of cartilaginous fishes Prionace glauca (13 publications) and Isurus oxyrinchus (8). These studies totaled 5973 individuals. We classified species according to taxonomic groups and region of capture and found a significant difference between sharks and bony fishes, with higher Hg concentrations in sharks. The regions of occurrence were divided into 4 large areas (North Atlantic - NAO, South Atlantic - SAO, Equatorial Atlantic Ocean - EAO, and Mediterranean - MED), but no significant differences were observed when comparing the overall Hg concentrations in fish among regions (including all species). Additionally, a thorough discussion of the risks associated with human consumption of these species was conducted, as nine of the selected species presented individuals with Hg concentration values that exceeded the safety limits (1 ppm) set by health agencies worldwide.