Datasets / Mercury contaminants in fishes and water birds of the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge


Mercury contaminants in fishes and water birds of the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge

Published By US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior

Issued over 9 years ago

US
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Summary

Type of release
a one-off release of a single dataset

Data Licence
Not Applicable

Content Licence
Creative Commons CCZero

Verification
automatically awarded

Description

The Ouachita River and adjacent Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge NWR, located in northcentral Louisiana, are subject to several types and sources of contamination. During 1993, raccoons, water birds, and fishes were collected for mercury analyses. Muscle, liver, and hair or feathers were analyzed from the raccoons and birds. Fishes were analyzed as wholebody samples, except in the case of nine largemouth bass from which both filet and carcass samples were analyzed. The analytical results indicate the presence of mercury at levels warranting concern in all biota analyzed. Mercury bioaccumulation in water birds was the most significant; the maximum level observed was 109.6 ugg in the liver of a great blue heron. A great blue heron egg was also analyzed for mercury. Mercury contamination is discussed in terms of the published literature on known hazards to reproduction in piscivorous water birds. Mercury data from the raccoon samples are presented by Facemire et al. In Press.