Organisms, including humans, fish-eating birds, and fish-eating mammals such as otters and cetaceans (i.e. whales and dolphins) that consume fish from the top of the aquatic food chain receive the methylmercury that has accumulated through this process, plus the toxins in their habitat. Fish and other aquatic species are the main source of human methylmercury exposure.The concentration of mercury in any given fish depends on the species of fish, the age and size of the fish and the type of water body in which it is found. In general, fish-eating fish such as shark, swordfish, marlin, larger species of tuna, walleye, largemouth bass, and northern pike, have higher levels of methylmercury than herbivorous fish or smaller fish such as tilapia and herring. Within a given species of fish, older and larger fish have higher levels of methylmercury than smaller fish. Fish that develop in water bodies that are more acidic also tend to have higher levels of methylmercury. Biological impact
Human health effects
Ingested methylmercury is readily and completely absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. It is mostly found complexed with free cysteine and with proteins and peptides containing that amino acid. The methylmercuric-cysteinyl complex is recognized by amino acids transporting proteins in the body as methionine, another essential amino acid. Because of this mimicry, it is transported freely throughout the body including across the blood–brain barrier and across the placenta, where it is absorbed by the developing fetus. Also for this reason as well as its strong binding to proteins, methylmercury is not readily eliminated.
According to one study, based on modeled concentrations, pre-Anthropocene tissue-bound levels in fish may not have differed markedly from current levels. However, based on a comprehensive set of global measurements, the ocean contains about 60,000 to 80,000 tons of mercury from pollution, and mercury levels in the upper ocean have tripled since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Higher mercury levels in shallower ocean waters could increase the amount of the toxicant accumulating in food fish, exposing people to a greater risk of mercury poisoning. See also
Canadian Reference Materials include some with methylmercury, e.g. DORM
Dimethylmercury, mercury with a second methyl group
Ethylmercury, a related cation
Mercury poisoning
Mercury regulation in the United States

References
External links
ATSDR - ToxFAQs: Mercury
ATSDR - Public Health Statement: Mercury
ATSDR - ALERT! Patterns of Metallic Mercury Exposure, 6/26/97
ATSDR - MMG: Mercury
ATSDR - Toxicological Profile: Mercury
National Pollutant Inventory - Mercury and compounds Fact Sheet
Methylmercury-in-fish exposure calculator provided by GotMercury.Org, which uses FDA mercury data with the EPAs calculated safe exposure levels. Methylmercury Contamination in Fish and Shellfish Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
nytimes.com, Tuna Fish Stories: The Candidates Spin the Sushi
U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys mercury site
U.S. Geological Surveys mercury site Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
Environment Canadas mercury site
Health Canadas mercury site
International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant 2006-Madison, WI USA  2009-Guizhou, China  2011-Halifax, NS Canada