Bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) in Tigertooth croaker fish tissues (muscle and skin) from Makoran, Oman Sea

Abstract

In this investigation 18 Tigertooth croaker fishes (Big and small sizes) were samples from Macoran(Chabahar bay, Pozm and Ramin), the Oman Sea, in
January 2018 to evaluate mercury levels in muscle and skin tissues and compare the potential of each tissue in mercury accumulation.
After dissecting the fish tissues, muscle and skin samples were digested in laboratory using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and their mercury levels
were analyzed using ICP-MS, HP 4500.
Mercury accumulation in tissues of small fishes were higher than that in big sizes (except for fish muscle tissue from Ramin), which could be related
to dilution factor. The accumulation pattern of mercury in the fish muscle and skin tissues, according to the sampling stations were as: Chabahr >Posm
>Ramin and Posm>Chabahr>Ramin.
In this study mercury levels in muscle tissues were compared with WHO maximum consumption limit (0.5 ppm) and also the correlations
between mercury accumulation in muscle and skin tissues of big and small sizes of Tigertooth croaker fish, as well as in between sampling stations
were investigated (ANOVA, P<0.05). The maximum mercury level was found in muscle and skin of small size of fishes in Posm, which was lower
than WHO maximum consumption limit.