Evaluation of dietary exposure to minerals, trace elements and heavy metals from the muscle tissue of the lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus 1758)

Heavy Metals in Muscle Tissue of Pterois volitans from the Veracruz Reef System National Park, Mexico

“…Lionfish consumption has been promoted as protein source because, theoretically, it poses no risks caused by the HM presence [15], and the present study corroborates that the human consumption of this fish from the PNSAV does not represent such a risk. However, this study recorded Pb concentrations close to the international limits (0.11–0.17 mg kg −1 wet weight) [16], which are the cause of serious public health problems [16].…”

“…Lionfish could behave as an indicator species and would allow the assessment of pollution levels in the marine environment [11]. Various heavy metals have been detected in muscle from specimens captured in Florida, USA [12,13], Curacao [14], and Jamaica [15], these concentrations have not exceeded the maximum limits allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) [16]. Since the VRSNP dministration is promoting the capture and consumption of lionfish as a strategy to reduce their populations, the objective of this study has been to analyze the concentration of Cd, Pb, V, and Zn in the muscle tissue of P. volitans , to determine whether it represents any risk to human health.…”

Bioaccumulation of mercury and other metal contaminants in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from Curaçao

“…Although V is a demonstrably good indicator for oil pollution (Guzmán and Jarvis, 1996), the absence of detectable V concentrations in lionfish around Curaçao suggests that Refinería Isla is not contributing significant amounts of V to Curaçaoan lionfish. Additionally, Cr was not detected in any lionfish using the study methods, consistent with a prior study observing lionfish Cr concentrations below detectable limits (Hoo Fung et al, 2013). However, one previous study measured strikingly high concentrations of Cr in seagrasses collected around Curaçao, which were attributed to high amounts of pollution discharged into aquatic systems around the island (Govers et al, 2014).…”

“…In general, Hg concentrations in Curaçaoan lionfish fell well below the World Health Organization safety limit of 0.5 mg/kg. Mean Hg concentration was lower in lionfish from Curaçao than in lionfish captured from Florida and Jamaica (Hoo Fung et al, 2013; Huge et al, 2014; Tremain and O’Donnell, 2014), even though this study analyzed lionfish with greater maximum body sizes and across a broader body size range. Growth rates of Curaçaoan lionfish have not been measured, but other studies have found faster growth rates in Bonaire (Farquhar, 2017) and Little Cayman Island (Edwards et al, 2014) than lionfish collected farther north in Florida (Jud and Layman, 2012) and North Carolina (Potts et al, 2010).…”

“…Although lionfish are not a staple food source for the local population, select restaurants around Curaçao and other Caribbean islands support spearfishing efforts by offering lionfish on their menu (Ritger, personal observation ). Previous studies of contaminant loads in lionfish from Jamaica (Hoo Fung et al, 2013) and Florida (Huge et al, 2014; Tremain and O’Donnell, 2014) have found relatively low concentrations of Hg in lionfish, although there is variability between regions.…”