Analysis of mercury, carbon, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in lake trout from the US EPA Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program archive revealed declining concentrations and shifts in sources of mercury in fish in the late 1980s in response to domestic regulatory reductions in regional mercury emissions; changes in fish diets and growth rates in response to zebra and quagga mussel invasions in the late 1990s dampened declines in mercury concentrations expected from further emissions reductions, according to the study.
Article #19-07484: "Mercury source changes and food web shifts alter contamination signatures of predatory fish from Lake Michigan," by Ryan F. Lepak et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: James P. Hurley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI; tel: 608-262-0905, 608-320-0908; e-mail: jphurley@wisc.edu ; Ryan Lepak, University Of Wisconsin-Madison, WI; tel: 218-529-5048, 715-370-5330; email: rlepak@wisc.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences