Marine migration influences mercury accumulation in anadromous Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus )

Abstract

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed toxic metal present in northern natural environments that biomagnifies in food webs and bioaccumulates in apex predator fish, such as Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus )—an iteroparous species with a circumpolar distribution. Arctic char exhibit a variety of life history types, with the migrating, anadromous life‐history type supporting many subsistence and small‐scale commercial fisheries in the Arctic and sub‐Arctic. Despite anadromous Arctic char having generally lower Hg concentrations than non‐anadromous conspecifics, the mechanisms that contribute to significant inter‐individual differences within this life‐history group have not been well investigated. A total of 119 anadromous Arctic char were captured from inner Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island near Iqaluit, Nunavut, in 2018 and 2019, to investigate causes of inter‐individual differences in Hg concentrations in the anadromous life‐history type of Arctic char. As hypothesized, Hg concentrations significantly decreased with increasing marine prey reliance; marine prey reliance—quantified using δ ³⁴ S ratios—explained 93% of the variability in Hg. Arctic char that relied more on marine (vs freshwater) prey had lower Hg concentrations. Delta ³⁴ S ratios and average somatic growth rate (size‐at‐age) were the best predictors of Hg concentrations among the set of biological variables assessed, and both were negatively related to Hg concentrations in common age groups (i.e., ages 9–13). For samples that had migration data available, Hg concentration increased with age‐at‐first migration ( R ²  = 0.32) and decreased with number of marine migrations ( R ²  = 0.57), suggesting that plasticity in life history tactics affects Hg concentrations in anadromous Arctic char. Overall, results indicate that differences in habitat use and feeding environment (i.e., freshwater vs. marine) play a significant role in determining Hg bioaccumulation in anadromous Arctic char.