Comparison of Heavy Metal Levels in Muscle and Gills of Four Benthic Fish Species from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

In the present study, the concentration of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) in the gill and muscle tissues of four benthic fish species (Merluccius merluccius, Lophius budegassa, Helicolenus dactylopterus, and Chlorophthalmus agassizi) from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea in Turkey were investigated. From the obtained results, the heavy metal concentrations in muscle were lowest and highest in the gills for each species. Cd was not detected in any tissues of the species. The order of heavy metal concentrations were found as Zn>Fe>Cu>Pb=Cd in muscle tissue samples for four selected fish species (p<0.05). In the muscle tissue, the highest concentration of Zn (5.875 mu g/g) was found in Lophius budegassa. The concentrations of heavy metals in gills of four selected fish species were Fe>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd (p<0.05). In the gills, the highest concentration of Fe (73.730 mu g/g) was also found in Lophius budegassa. The comparison of our results with previous studies showed that the metal levels of tissues are variable in organisms caught from the same area. In our study, the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Fe in the muscle tissue are less than the permissible limits set for heavy metals by food regulations.