Why is orange roughy consistently high in mercury regardless of where it was caught?
Answer
Its extreme longevity, often exceeding 100 years, allows decades of mercury accumulation.
The high mercury classification of orange roughy is intrinsically linked to its biological profile, specifically its remarkable longevity. This deep-sea species is documented to live well over 100 years. Because mercury, converted to methylmercury, accumulates up the marine food chain (bioaccumulation), longer-lived predator fish concentrate substantially more of this contaminant in their tissues over time. Orange roughy has decades available to absorb mercury from its deep ocean environment, making the high concentration a structural feature of the species rather than a temporary anomaly related to a specific fishing ground or batch.
Related Questions
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