Title:

Effects of ethanol preservation on total mercury concentrations, and C:N and stable isotope ratios in dorsal muscle tissues of two salmonid species

Abstract:

Effects of in-field ethanol preservation on the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N), and total mercury concentration ([tHg]) of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Round Whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) tissues were investigated using paired subsamples. Ethanol preservation resulted in significant increases in δ15N and [tHg], and species-specific changes in δ13C. No differences were observed in C:N ratios for either species. Error-in-variables linear models were developed to correct isotope ratios and [tHg] of ethanol-preserved fish tissues.