Investigation of fish growth and biomagnification of mercury in lakes in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories

Data have been collected from several lakes the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories since 2013 (August and September) to investigate among-lake variability in fish growth rate and biomagnification of mercury as important controls of mercury concentrations in fish. Different levels of the food webs (i.e., from primary consumers (invertebrates) to tertiary consumers (fish)) and physicochemical properties of lakes (i.e., water chemistry and lake and watershed physical characteristics) have been monitored. Environmental drivers of growth rate in Walleye and Northern Pike is being investigated using fish bony structures and lake physicochemical characteristics. In addition to common chemical properties, water samples, as well as the samples from various levels of the food web, have been analysed for mercury, methylmercury, and stable isotopes, which will be used to study the among-lake variability in biomagnification of mercury. I, as part of team (joined in late 2018), sampled Fish Lake in the field season 2019.

The data was collected to investigate among-lake variability in fish growth rate and biomagnification of mercury as important controls of mercury concentrations in fish.

Dehcho region of Northwest Territories
(picture courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehcho_Region)

Echaot'ı̨e Kų́ę́ (Fort Liard),
Łı́ı́dlı̨ Kų́ę́ (Fort Simpson),
Tthek'éhdélı̨ (Jean Marie River),
Tthenáágó (Nahanni Butte),
Sambaa Kʼe (place of trout), and
Pedzéh Kı̨́ (Wrigley)