How We Do Things at IISD-ELA: Collecting a fish muscle biopsy
How We Do Things at IISD-ELA is a series of videos that highlight research conducted by scientists at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), a unique freshwater science research facility in northwest Ontario, Canada.
How We Do Things at IISD-ELA is a series of videos that highlight research conducted by scientists at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), a unique freshwater science research facility in northwest Ontario, Canada.
Ever since the incidence of mercury toxicity in Minamata, Japan, high levels of mercury in fish has been a topic of global concern. Mercury gets into lakes either from the atmosphere or from point sources of pollution, and from there it accumulates in the organisms that live in the lake. Through a process called biomagnification, animals at the top of the aquatic food web, including fish, accumulate the most mercury. If these concentrations are high enough, the fish can be unsafe for people to eat.
By examining mercury accumulation in fish at IISD-Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), we can help scientists and governments better understand how this process works, and how long it takes for mercury levels to decrease after pollution stops. The lakes at IISD-ELA are small and have low numbers of fish, so we developed a method of determining mercury levels without killing the fish. This method, called a biopsy, allows us to track mercury concentrations in individual fish over time and is a great alternative to the lethal sampling used in many mercury studies. The biopsies we have collected from fish at IISD-ELA have increased our understanding of how fish mercury concentrations change over time and give us insight into the recovery of mercury-contaminated fisheries in lakes around the world.
For more information about this procedure, please refer to the following paper or contact IISD-ELA Biologist Lee Hrenchuk.
Baker, R.F., Blanchfield, P.J., Paterson, M.J., Flett, R.J., and Wesson, L. (2004). Evaluation of nonlethal methods for the analysis of mercury in fish tissue. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 133, 568-576.
You might also be interested in
This Is What Young People Have to Say About INC-5
The treaty must address the entire life cycle of plastics, youth tell INC-5 negotiators. We couldn’t agree more.
COP 29 Outcome Moves Needle on Finance
In the last hours of negotiations, concerted pressure from the most vulnerable developing countries resulted in an improved outcome on the finance target, with a decision to set a goal of at least USD 300 billion per year by 2035 for developing countries to advance their climate action.
Stabilization Clauses: The hidden provisions that can hinder tax and investment policy reform
Stabilization clauses should no longer automatically be included in contracts between states and investors. If they are, they should, at a minimum, build on the latest international standards on stabilization to avoid being a barrier to sustainable development.
Why Trade Matters in the Plastic–Pollution Treaty Negotiations
The global push to end plastic pollution by 2040 highlights the critical intersection of trade and environmental action, with upcoming INC-5 negotiations focusing on reducing plastic production, consumption, and waste within a fair and effective international framework.