National Marine Fisheries Service survey of trace elements in the fishery resource.

Trace elements have been determined in tissues of 204 species of finfish, Mollusca, and Crustacea taken from 198 sites around the coastal United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The survey was undertaken as a part of the Microconstituents Program of the National Marine Fisheries Service, and covers the occurrence of 15 elements: antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, tin, vanadium, and zinc. Total concentrations of each element were determined without regard to chemical form. The species analyzed represent approximately 93% of the volume of the U.S. commercial and sportfish catch. The analytical data are summarized in several ways in order to emphasize different aspects of the trace element distributions. Mean levels of each element are presented in relation to the number of species examined, the U.S. (commercial and sportfish) catch, and the U.S. catch intended for consumption. More detailed analytical data on all 15 elements are given for individual species with reference to tissue analyzed, length and weight of fish, and location of catch. For the most part, experimental results are presented without interpretive comment. Mean levels of mercury, the only element for which a regulatory action level is in force, were found to exceed 0.5 ppm Hg in species representing less than 2% of the U.S. catch intended for consumption.