Lepak et al. (2025) publish a formal correction to previously reported mercury concentration data for sport fish from Colorado reservoirs. Although the document is a correction notice, it contains primary concentration data for total mercury (tHg) and/or methylmercury (MeHg) in sport fish from Colorado water bodies, with corrected values for species including walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Correction papers in PLoS ONE are peer-reviewed and carry the same evidence status as the original article; the corrected values supersede and replace values from the original paper.
Key numbers
Exact corrected concentration values (ppb wet weight in fish muscle) were not fully extractable from the available markdown conversion. The correction document provides mercury concentrations for walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass from Colorado reservoirs. Colorado reservoir sport fish mercury data are relevant to US fish consumption advisories, which directly inform exposure-risk estimates for frequent sport fish consumers.
Mercury concentrations in predatory sport fish from temperate freshwater reservoirs typically range from 0.1 to over 1.0 mg/kg wet weight in the literature, with walleye and pike often at the higher end of this range due to biomagnification. The specific corrected values here should be extracted by reading the full document for precise numbers.
Methods (brief)
Total mercury (tHg) measured; speciation methodology and whether MeHg was directly measured vs. assumed at high percentage of tHg not confirmed from available content. Fish muscle tissue, wet weight. Published in PLoS ONE, CC BY license.
Note: This is a correction document. The primary contribution is the corrected dataset, not a new study. The cite key uses “lepak2025” reflecting the correction’s 2025 publication year. Users should be aware that the original study predates 2025 and the original data are superseded by this correction.
Implications
Certification: Freshwater fish as an ingredient in protein powders, fish oils, or supplement products could fall within HMT&C scope. Colorado sport fish mercury data are a US-specific reference point.
Courses: Illustrates the mercury biomagnification pattern in predatory freshwater fish and the role of correction notices in maintaining data integrity in the scientific literature.
App: Sport fish consumed by households represent a direct dietary exposure pathway. Corrected concentration data for walleye/pike/bass are inputs to species-specific fish consumption advisories.