400 500 GOO 



TOO 



8O0 



900 POUNDS 



a00 230 



300 



350 



4O0 kg 



FISH SIZE 









Figure 3. — Relationship between total mercury (ppm) in 

 liver tissue and size offish of blue marlin from Hawaiian 

 waters. 



to a phenomenal 29.55 ppm (Fig. 3). Based upon 

 published literature the latter may be the highest 

 level of total mercury reported for any fish. Coinci- 

 dentally, this high value was from the same 

 211-pound (95.7-kg) fish whose white muscle tissue 

 contained the extremely high level of 7.86 ppm total 

 mercury. There does not, however, appear to be a 

 consistent relationship between total mercury con- 

 tent in livers and the content in white muscle tis- 

 sues. 



Swordfish 



Only the muscle tissue from three swordfish was 

 analyzed for total mercury. The mercury level in a 



juvenile swordfish weighing 6 pounds (2.7 kg), 

 which had been preserved in Formalin, measured 

 0.04 ppm. The analyses from two other fresh 

 specimens from Hawaiian waters weighing 100 

 pounds (45.4 kg) and 500 pounds (226.8 kg), were 

 1.7 and 2.1 ppm total mercury, respectively. 



DISCUSSION 



Results of this investigation may be considered a 

 contribution to the fund of information pertaining to 

 this controversial subject. Confirmation of high 

 mercury levels in billfishes and the relationship of 

 mercury to size, sex, or other variables will require 

 further study. 



LITERATURE CITED 



BERNSTEIN, H. 



1970. Tuna firms facing crisis on mercury. Excessive levels 

 cripple sales in U.S. Los Angeles Times, December 18, 

 Vol. XC, Part I. p. 1, 30, columns 3-8. 



COFFEY, B.T. 



1971. Mercury posing major crisis; swordfish industry har- 

 dest hit. Natl. Fisherman, March, p. 3A, 13A, 19A. 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW. 



1971. NMFS studies heavy-metal contamination of fish. 

 Commer. Fish. Rev. 33(6):3-4. 



FLEMING, LB. 



1970. Unsafe mercury level reported in swordfish. Found in 

 frozen food sold in U.S., says scientist who detected 

 tainted tuna. Los Angeles Times, December 18, Vol. XC, 

 Part I, p. 30, column 1. 

 LOS ANGELES TIMES. 



1970. High mercury level found in canned tuna. Los 

 Angeles Times, December 13, Vol. XC, Sec. C, p. 8. 

 RIVERS, J.B., J.E. PEARSON, and CD. SHULTZ. 



1972. Total and organic mercury in marine fish. Bull. Envi- 

 ron. Contam. Toxicol. 8:257-266. 



UTHE, J.F., F.A.J. ARMSTRONG, and M.P. STAINTON. 

 1970. Mercury determination in fish samples by wet diges- 

 tion and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. 

 J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 27:805-811. 



163 



