Total mercury levels in Alaskan Pacifi c Halibut

Since 2002, the International Pacifi c Halibut Commission (IPHC or Commission) has collected halibut muscle tissue samples during our setline surveys from locations within Alaska for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, as part of a larger study on environmental contaminants in fi sh. Summaries of the total mercury levels in samples collected from the fi rst six years of this study show an average total mercury content of 0.340 ppm, with a trend of higher mercury levels in the western Aleutian Islands.