This project indentifies the level and prevalence of mercury and organochlorine contamination in the western Steller sea lion population to assess potential links between continued and anthropogenic contaminant sources.

This project investigates the source and pathways of mercury contamination in relation to diet and feeding ecology of Steller sea lion in the Western and Central Aleutian Islands in order to gain a better understanding how mercury contamination is transported through the food web.

The total mercury content of hair in Alaskan pinnipeds has been found above the 20pppm threshold of concern for potential toxic effects.

(Source: J. Avery et al. - 2017 Alaska Marine Science Symposium poster)

(Source: J.M. Castellini - Poster)

A paper by Castellini et. al. is featured in the June 2022 issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. The TOC cover reads: Alaska Steller sea lions, as piscivorous predators, are sentinels for their marine environment, providing valuable information about food-web Hg, food security, and potential for adverse effects.

Link to paper: Total Mercury, Total Selenium, and Monomethylmercury Relationships in Multiple Age Cohorts and Tissues of Steller Sea Lions ( Eumetopias jubatus ), J.M. Castellini , L.D. Rea , J.P. Avery , T.M. O'Hara, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 41 Issue 6, pp. 1477-1489.