Metadata: Fish Mercury Datalayer for Canada (FIDMAC)

Metadata: Fish Mercury Datalayer for Canada (FIDMAC).

Excerpt:

SUMMARY

Until now, characterization of mercury (Hg) risks posed to piscivorous fish and wildlife through the consumption of prey fish has generally remained limited to local or regional surveys. Furthermore, spatiotemporal and sample characteristic effects in fish-mercury data can lead to difficulty comparing results from different studies. The Fish Mercury Datalayer for Canada (FIMDAC, Depew et al. 2013a) provides model-derived estimates of Hg in a common indicator species (12-cm whole-yellow perch), and represents a useful preliminary national-level standardized index of Hg exposure to piscivorous fish and wildlife.

DESCRIPTION

The FIMDAC represents a model-derived output of Hg concentrations in a common indicator species (12-cm whole-yellow perch), established from the application of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish (NDMMF, Wente 2004) to the Canadian Fish Mercury Database (CFMD, Depew et al. 2013b). The geographical distribution of yellow perch is wide-ranging, and they represent an important prey species for piscivorous fish, birds, and mammals. Parameters estimated by way of NDMMF were unbiased, and strong spatial biases in prediction error were not evident. The FIMDAC records represent the estimated Hg burden (ug.g, wet weight) for a standard length (12 cm) whole-yellow perch at 1936 unique freshwater sites across Canada, collected between 1990 and 2010. Further details regarding the development of the FIMDAC can be found in Depew et al. (2013a).