Historic River Pollution Threatens Coastal Great Lakes Fish

Historic River Pollution Threatens Coastal Great Lakes Fish

By DANIELLE KAEDING

Source: Associated Press

3/28/2021

A new study finds that historic sources of mercury pollution are driving higher concentrations of the contaminant in sport fish that live and feed in the Duluth-Superior harbor. The results indicate contamination from long ago still holds risks for coastal areas of the Great Lakes.

Industrial pollution from contaminants like mercury threatens fish and wetland habitats in coastal areas, including the largest port on the Great Lakes. The contamination has led to fish consumption advisories in the St. Louis River estuary that runs between Duluth and Superior. Mercury is known to build up in fish tissue and people over time potentially causing developmental issues in children, muscle weakness and loss of coordination.

The study’s lead author Sarah Janssen said it was unclear whether older industrial contamination or modern-day mercury pollution from atmospheric sources led to the higher concentrations in fish.

Until now.

The study that’s set to be published in the journal Science of the Total Environment relied on a new method to fingerprint mercury within fish that’s coming from historical contamination in the Duluth-Superior harbor, according to Janssen, a research chemist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Middleton.

St. Louis River

Walleye

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