M8 AM Persistent Organic Pollutants
Monday, 14 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 337-338

(HUD-1118-067126) Tribal assessment of PBT contaminant concentrations across size ranges of commonly harvested Lake Superior fish.

Hudson, M¹, ¹ Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, Odanah, WI, United States

ABSTRACT- Wisconsin and Michigan Chippewa tribes harvested 1,400,000 lbs of whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) 264,000 lbs of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush namaycush), and 11,000 lbs of siscowet trout (Salvelinus namaycush siscowet,) from Lake Superior in 2003. This fishery constitutes both a source of subsistence food and commercial income. The objective of the current study was to analyze composites of Lake Superior whitefish, lake trout, and siscowet trout, across the size range of commonly harvested fish (whitefish, 43-61 cm, lake trout, 43-72.5 cm, siscowet trout, 43-65 cm) for 37 persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) contaminants. Each species of fish were composited within these size ranges based on length, age, and tissue type (skin, fat, muscle) within four size groups. PBT contaminant concentrations were measured in the muscle tissue and estimated in skin and fatty tissue using percent lipid in those tissues and lipid normalized muscle concentrations. The relationship between concentration and length and/or age, regression analysis, and comparison of fillet data to current health advisory trigger levels are evaluated and discussed.

Key words: Bioaccumulation, PBT Contaminants, Lake Superior fish