Assessment of Metals in Fish from Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia A. C. Roach Æ W. Maher Æ F. Krikowa Received: 9 April 2006 / Accepted: 16 July 2007 / Published online: 31 August 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007 Abstract The concentrations of the metals cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, silver, selenium and zinc were measured in the muscle and gonad tissues of five species of fish, yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), silver- biddy (Gerres subfasciatus) and trumpeter whiting (Sillago maculata), southern log finned goby (Favonigobious lat- eralis), and the halfbridled goby (Arenigobius frenatus) from the contaminated Lake Macquarie NSW and three relatively uncontaminated reference estuaries, Wallis Lake, Port Stephens, and St. Georges Basin NSW. Fish from Lake Macquarie were found to have elevated concentra- tions of selenium, lead, cadmium, and zinc in one or both of these tissues in these species. Increased concentrations relative to background concentrations were most often observed at Cockle Bay, the site with the highest concen- trations of these metals in sediments. The degree to which fish accumulated metals appeared to be related to life history characteristics of the species, with sediment- dwelling fish showing the greatest propensity to accumu- late metals. Keywords Lake Macquarie Á Metals Á Fish Á Bioaccumulation Á Estuaries Á Sediments Á Cadmium Á Lead Á Selenium Á Zinc Á Australia Introduction Metals occur naturally in aquatic systems and accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms (Bury et al. 2003). When additional sources of metals from polluting indus- tries enter these systems, aquatic organisms can be exposed to concentrations that are deleterious (Biddinger and Gloss 1984). The effect on organisms can range from acute mortality to chronic effects such as reductions in growth and reproductive output (Jarvinen and Ankley 1999). The consequences of these biological effects can be profound: reductions in productivity and biodiversity, changes in the structure of biological communities, and effects on human health have been observed in various locations (Lemly 1993; Kingsford and Gray 1996; Weis et al. 2001). Investigations of metal concentrations in sediments throughout Lake Macquarie have shown a marked con- tamination gradient of cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, and zinc (Roy and Crawford 1984; Batley 1987; Peters et al. 1999; Roach 2005). These metals are a legacy of more than 100 years of industrial activity (i.e., copper, lead, and zinc smelting), 40 years of coal-fired power generation and continued urban development (Syme et al. 1997). Past studies of trace metal concentrations in biota have shown bioaccumulation of some of these metals (Batley 1987; Kirby et al. 2001a, 2001b). These activities are ongoing but significant reductions in the loads of contaminants entering the lake, and therefore reduction of dissolved metals in the water column, have been achieved through regulation (Anon. 1993). The question remains, however: Does the sink of metals in sediments pose a risk to the biota? Lake Macquarie has a significant recreational fishery, and concerns had been raised about whether the elevated concentrations of metals in fish, particularly selenium, have A. C. Roach (&) Ecotoxicology and Environmental Contaminants Section, New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change, P.O. Box 29, Lidcombe, NSW 1825, Australia e-mail: tony.roach@environment.nsw.gov.au W. Maher Á F. Krikowa Ecochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Applied Ecology, Health, Design and Science, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2601, Australia 123 Arch Environ Contam Toxicol (2008) 54:292–308 DOI 10.1007/s00244-007-9027-z