Mercury concentrations, habitat and trophic position of Antimora rostrata and Macrourus holotrachys from South Georgia (Southern Ocean)

Mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxic element that can harm marine wildlife. Hg can reach the Southern Ocean through atmospheric and oceanic currents. However, data on Hg in Southern Ocean deep-sea fishes remain scarce. Our study assessed the influence of biological and ecological factors on Hg bioaccumulation in two deep-sea species, blue antimora (Antimora rostrata) and bigeye grenadier (Macrourus holotrachys), inhabiting the South Georgia region. Specifically, we aimed to: 1) analyse the habitat and trophic position of both species; 2) understand how Hg concentrations vary between tissues (muscle, brain, liver and gills); 3) evaluate how biological (length and weight) and ecological characteristics (trophic position (δ15N) and habitat (δ13C)) influence Hg concentrations. Muscle tissue had the highest Hg concentrations in both species, while the liver in A. rostrata and gills in M. holotrachys had the lowest. Overall, A. rostrata exhibited lower Hg concentrations (51.0 ± 9.0) than M. holotrachys (62.0 ± 11.0). No significant relationships were found between Hg concentrations and length, weight nor trophic position of A. rostrata. In contrast, M. holotrachys showed a positive relationship between Hg concentrations and habitat in all tissues, whereas for length and weight this positive relationship was observed in most tissues except the brain. A. rostrata is a pelagic feeder, whereas M. holotrachys mostly feeds near the sea bottom, highlighting how feeding strategy and habitat influence Hg bioaccumulation. It also reveals unexpected patterns of Hg distribution among tissues, particularly in the brain, where M. holotrachys exhibited one of the highest Hg concentrations.

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