FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 74, NO. 4 



Table 4.-Correlation coefficients for relationship of mercury level in the edible flesh to weight, age, and 



sex of sablefish.' 



'Correlation coefficients significant at the 0.1% level unless otherwise indicated. 

 2Not significant. 

 ^Significant at 5% level. 

 ■•Significant at 1% level. 







WEIGHT (kg) 

 1 2 



2 00- 



4 



— I— 



r=0.748 



4 6 8 



WEIGHT(pounds) 



10 



Figure 8.-Relationship between heads-off eviscerated weight 

 and mercury concentration in muscle tissue of sablefish from 

 southern California. 



Effect of Sex 



The females show better correlation between 

 weight and mercury than do the males, and cor- 

 relation coefficients are significant for females 

 from all areas (Table 4). Correlation coefficients 

 for weight to mercury are also significant for 

 males in all areas except Washington and southern 

 California. Sex was not obtained on fish from the 

 Bering Sea-Kodiak Island or northern California. 



Effect on Utilization of Sablefish 



It is apparent that sablefish can accumulate 

 mercury in amounts that exceed the maximum 

 level permitted in fish by the FDA. Spinelli et al. 



(1973) noted that fish withheld from food use due 

 to high mercury levels constitute a significant loss 

 to the industry and showed that such losses could 

 be reduced by using a cysteine treatment to lower 

 the mercury content of the fish during processing. 

 Teeny et al. (1974) conducted a similar study on the 

 reduction of mercury in sablefish, and found that 

 up to 80% of the mercury present in the edible 

 tissue could be removed. Processing techniques of 

 this type could result in all sablefish being ac- 

 ceptable for human consumption. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



We thank Laura G. Lewis of the Pacific Utiliza- 

 tion Research Center; Lyle Morimoto and Michael 

 Bienn, formerly of the Pacific Utilization Research 

 Center for assistance in mercury analyses; and 

 Richard L. Major of the Northwest Fisheries 

 Center for determining the age of the specimens. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Anas, R. E. 



1974. Heavy metals in the northern fur seal, Callorhinus 

 iirsinus and harbor seal, Phoca vitvlina richardi. Fish. 

 Bull., U.S., 72:133-137. 

 Clemens, W. A., and G. V. Wilby. 



1961. Fishes of the Pacific Coast of Canada. 2d ed. Fish. 

 Res. Board Can., Bull. 68, 443 p. 

 Hall, A. S., F. M. Teeny, L. G. Lewis, W. H. Hardman, and E. J. 

 Gauglitz, Jr. 

 1976. Mercury in fish and shellfish of the northeast Pacific. I. 

 Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis. Fish. Bull., U.S. 

 74:783-789. 

 Hearnden, E. H. 



1970. Mercury pollution Fisheries Department acts quickly 

 to safeguard public health. Fish. Can. 22(10):3-6. 

 Malaiyandi, M., and J. P. Barrette. 



1970. Determination of submicro quantities of mercury in 

 biological materials. Anal. Lett. 3:579-584. 



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