Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this sp...

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Main Authors: Eric G Johnson, Angelina Dichiera, Danielle Goldberg, MaryKate Swenarton, James Gelsleichter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0234534&type=printable
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author Eric G Johnson
Angelina Dichiera
Danielle Goldberg
MaryKate Swenarton
James Gelsleichter
author_facet Eric G Johnson
Angelina Dichiera
Danielle Goldberg
MaryKate Swenarton
James Gelsleichter
author_sort Eric G Johnson
collection DOAJ
description Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida's least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.
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publishDate 2021-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-ce24676cc7d34975b4492eb30005e2c42025-08-20T02:17:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01169e023453410.1371/journal.pone.0234534Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.Eric G JohnsonAngelina DichieraDanielle GoldbergMaryKate SwenartonJames GelsleichterInvasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida's least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0234534&type=printable
spellingShingle Eric G Johnson
Angelina Dichiera
Danielle Goldberg
MaryKate Swenarton
James Gelsleichter
Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
PLoS ONE
title Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
title_full Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
title_fullStr Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
title_full_unstemmed Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
title_short Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida.
title_sort total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish pterois volitans miles from the atlantic coast of florida
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0234534&type=printable
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