Field Assessment of Colorado pikeminnow Exposure to Mercury Within Its Designated Critical Habitat in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico

Mercury contamination in freshwater fish is widespread across North America, including the western United States. Atmospheric mercury from both natural and manmade emissions deposits into watersheds and, through methylation and biomagnification, accumulates in aquatic food webs. Highest mercury concentrations are found in predatory fish. The endangered Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) is a long-lived, top-level piscivore endemic to the Colorado River basin. Mercury exposure to Colorado pikeminnow and another native fish species, the roundtail chub (Gila robusta), was assessed by analyzing muscle tissues collected using a nonlethal technique. Mercury concentrations in Colorado pikeminnow > 400-mm long, captured from critical habitat throughout the species’ present range, exceeded the tissue threshold-effect level of 0.2 µg/g wet weight (WW) for whole body fish (0.31 µg/g WW in muscle) recommended to protect fish from injury. Mercury is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor, and impacts to fish may include reduced ability to avoid predators, secure food, and reproduce. The highest mercury concentrations were found in both Colorado pikeminnow and roundtail chub collected from the White River, a tributary to the Green River. Colorado pikeminnow from the White and Green rivers had the highest mean mercury concentrations and the lowest mean relative body conditions. Exposure to high mercury concentrations may act in concert with other threatening factors to compromise Colorado pikeminnow population viability and eventual recovery.