HIGHER AVERAGE MERCURY CONCENTRATION IN FISH FILLETS AFTER SKINNING AND FAT REMOVAL

Ten male and ten female brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) ranging in weight from about 500 to 3500 grams were caught in Lake Ontario. Opposite sides of each individual fish were randomly processed and trimmed to yield skinned or unskinned fillets. Skinning resulted in an increase in the average concentration of total mercury in the fillets of fish of either sex but the increases were not significant .
With the exception of the unskinned fillets of the male fish, the concentration of mercury in the fillets increased significantly as the weight of the fish of either sex increased. The fillets of the male fish appeared to be higher in mercury than that in the corresponding fillets of female fish of comparable weight. In all instances, the concentrations of mercury in skinned and unskinned fillets were well below the 1 ppm fresh weight action level of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.