Heavy metal bioaccumulation in different tissues of two fish species with regards to their feeding habits and trophic levels

Abstract

Heavy metals residues (i.e. Cu, Zn, Mn, and Pb) were determined in seven chosen tissues of two fish species (Esox lucius and Carassius auratus) from Anzali wetland. The impact of feeding habit on metal accumulations in different tissues as well as the respective contribution of water and food to matel uptake by fishes were considered. No tendency for bioamplification was observed for the metals along the wetland trophic levels. Generally, there was no statistically significant relationship between the metal content of the tissues and the fish length for both species. In all cases, except for lead, the mean amounts of the metals in the flesh of the species were higher than those in commercially important fishes from the Caspian sea. However, they were below the recommended levels for human consumption.

Metals in the Tissues of Two Fish Species from the Rare and Endemic Fish Nature Reserve in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

“…In our study, significant negative correlation was found between concentration of Cu in muscle of P. vachelli and fish length (p \ 0.01), while significant positive correlations were observed between fish length and concentrations for As in liver of C. heterodon, Cu in gill, and Hg in liver of P. vachelli (p \ 0.05). Positive relationships between metal concentrations in fish tissues and length were also reported in other studies (Pourang 1995;Farkas et al 2003). Fish often demonstrate increasing levels of toxicants with size or age, which appears to be consistent with the longer exposure of older animals (Jureša and Blanuša 2003).…”

Heavy metals in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) from three reservoirs in the Czech Republic

“…Cadmium, mercury, and lead were determined in a dorsal muscle due to their important role in human nutrition and for ensuring the safety of consumers. The liver was analysed as an organ where main metabolism and major injuries take place (Pourang 1995). The obtained results were assessed and compared.…”

Determination of Lead, Mercury and Cadmium in Wild and Farmed Barbus sharpeyi from Shadegan Wetland and Azadegan Aquaculture Site, South of Iran

“…Most of fish organs are sensitive against toxicity of metals. In this study, muscle tissues due to their important role in human nutrition and the need to ensure the safety of consumption, gill tissues due to their role in respiration and osmotic balance, and liver due to being a member that main metabolism and major injuries will endure in, were chosen (Pourang 1995). The study showed that the highest concentrations of metals are found in the gill and liver (p [ 0.05), while the lowest concentrations are found in the muscle.…”

“…These are non-essential metals due to their toxicity, even in tracing amounts (Fernandes et al 2008). Metals enter fish bodies through body surface, gill or the digestive tract (Pourang 1995). Food may also be an important source of metals accumulation in fishes (Clearwater et al 2000), and potentially lead to bio magnification and increase of pollutants in food chain.…”