Mercury concentrations in Pacific hake, Merluccius productus (Ayres), as a function of length and latitude

Abstract

Mercury concentrations in Pacific hake increase with fish size and with the latitude of collection. While the mercury-size trend is consistent with data for other species, the latitudinal trend is opposite to that reported for other fishes over the same geographical area. Consequently, latitudinal trends of mercury concentrations in fishes do not necessarily indicate trends of mercury concentrations in water. Food habits and metabolism may cause the observed variations.