| Issue № 2 |
Original research |
pdf-version |
Mercury accumulation rate in the muscles of commercial fish species of the Gorky and Cheboksary reservoirs
| Revukhin Alexander Andreevich | Nizhny Novgorod branch of the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution “Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and oceanography”, 31, Moskovskoe highway, Nizhny Novgorod, 603116, Russia, cahek19981110@gmail.com |
| Yakimov Vasiliy Nikolaevich | DSc, Nizhny Novgorod State University, 23, Gagarin Ave., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia, damselfly@yandex.ru |
| Kudrin Ivan Aleksandrovich | PhD, docent, Nizhny Novgorod State University, 23б Gagarin Ave., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia, kudriniv@mail.ru |
| Shurganova Galina Vasilevna | DSc, professor, Nizhny Novgorod State University, 23 Gagarin Ave., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia, galina.nngu@mail.ru |
| Komov Victor Trofimovich | DSc, I. D. Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia, 152742, Yaroslavl region, Nekouzsky district, village Borok, vkomov@ibiw.ru |
|
Keywords: mercury Hg mercury content fish accumulation rate body length Gorky reservoir Cheboksary reservoir environmental monitoring |
Summary: The paper provides a comparative assessment of the intensity of mercury (Hg) accumulation in the muscle tissue of commercial fish species (perch, roach, bream, silver bream) of the Gorky and Cheboksary reservoirs of the Middle Volga. The research was carried out based on the analysis of 1239 fish specimens selected in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Mercury concentration was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. To estimate the rate of Hg accumulation, a multivariate linear model of the "Hg – body length" relationship was used, taking into account the species and reservoir. It was found that the mercury content significantly depended on the body length of fish, their species and the conditions of the reservoir (p < 0.001). Differences in the rate of mercury accumulation between species, as well as between reservoirs, were revealed. In Cheboksary reservoir, Hg concentrations in the sample of the studied fish species were generally higher than in Gorky reservoir. It was shown that the differences in accumulation were related not only to the level of pollution, but also to the peculiarities of the hydrological regime and trophic conditions determining the bioavailability of mercury and the effectiveness of its transfer. The analysis of the factors defining the differences in the content and accumulation of bioavailable methyl mercury by fish was carried out between the Gorky and Cheboksary reservoirs. The highest accumulation rate was observed in perch, the lowest - in bream. It was shown that interspecies differences in mercury accumulation were water-dependent, which was confirmed by the significance of a three-factor analysis. The obtained results demonstrate that the studied dependencies are an informative indicator of the dynamics of mercury bioaccumulation and can be used for ecological monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. © Petrozavodsk State University |
Received on: 11 May 2026 Published on: 26 June 2026 | |
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