Abstract

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that bioaccumulates in tissues of long-lived fishes and can pose health risks to humans when consumed in large quantities. While the accumulation of Hg in marine fishes in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been established, Hg levels above the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) methylmercury crite-rion (0.3 ppm) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) action limit (1.0 ppm) have only recently been reported for Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Recent studies of Hg concentrations in Red Drum from Florida and Texas waters showed larger size classes accumulated Hg to levels above acceptable USEPA and FDA limits; however, Hg levels for large Red Drum were lacking from the north central region of the GOM. Our study examined total Hg in north central GOM Red Drum and compared Red Drum total Hg to that of other GOM species. Results indicated mean total Hg was 0.67 ppm and 0.47 ppm for fishery independent and fishery dependent collections, respec-tively. Approximately 80% of all Red Drum in this study had tissues containing concentrations greater than the EPA criterion and 5% were above the FDA action limit. The allowable catch limits for all GOM states except Florida include large sizes and present the possibility for human consumption of high total Hg concentrated Red Drum. Understanding concentrations of Hg in GOM Red Drum is essential to effectively include this public health issue in management strate-gies.

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