Basic HTML Version
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2014, Vol.4, No.20, 118
-
122
http://ija.biopublisher.ca
118
Research Report Open Access
Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Muscle Tissues and Head of Some
Commercial Nile Fish in Sudan
Elagba Haj Ali Mohamed
Natural History Museum, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 321, Khartoum, Sudan
Corresponding author Email
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2014, Vol.4, No.20 doi: 10.5376/ija.2014.04.0020
Received: 07 Apr., 2014
Accepted: 18 May, 2014
Published: 24 Jun., 2014
Copyright © 2014
Mohamed, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Mohamed, 2014, Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Muscle Tissues and Head of Some Commercial Nile Fish in Sudan, International Journal of Aquaculture,
Vol.4, No.20: 118-122 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2014.04.0020)
Abstract
The concentration of heavy metals was determined in muscle tissues and head of the Nile fish:
Barbus bynni, Labeo
niloticus, Marcusenius cyprinoides, Mormyrus niloticus, Clarias lazera, Mormyrops anguilloides
and
Protopterus annectens
.
Muscles and head contained 14.3 to 14.7 µg/100g of (Be). The range of (Mo) was 3.5 to 16.25 µg/100g in the muscles, high in
M.
anguilloides
and low in
P. annectens
, while the head of
C. lazera
contained 53.55 µg/100g of Mo. The level of (Ba) was 22 µg/100g in
the muscles of both
L. niloticus
and
C. lazera,
and 67.3 µg/100g in the head of
C. lazera
. A level of 18.8 µg/100g of (Si) was found in
muscles of
M. niloticus
, and 23.5 µg/100g in its head, while
B. bynni
contained 26.75 µg/100g in the muscles. The range of (Mn) in
muscles was 16.8 to 38.5 µg/100g, high of
L. niloticus
, and 41.5 to 89.85 µg/100g in the head, high in
C. lazera
and
M. niloticus
. Low
level was found in both muscles and head of
P. annectens
. The range of (B) in the muscles was 62.25 to 80.8 µg/100g, maximum in
M.
anguilloides
and minimum in
P. annectens
, while it was 74.4 to 91.25 µg/100g in head, maximum in
M. niloticus
and minimum in
M.
anguilloides
. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals varied in the present studied species of the Nile fish.
Protopterus annectens
was
observed to contain the least level of most of heavy metals in muscles and head, due to its habitat in marginal swamps and backwaters
of the Nile. The present results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the distribution of heavy metals between muscles and
head. More concentrations were detected in the head than the muscles, where, the head contained higher concentrations of of Mo, Ba,
Mn and B compared to muscles in all species. Boron was the most common heavy metals in both muscles and head followed by Mn,
Ba and Mo. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals, especially in the head of studied fish, can be used as an index of Nile environment
pollution. Regular monitoring of heavy metals in the Nile and fishes should be done to ensure continuous safety of water and fish food.
Keywords
Aquatic pollution; Head and muscle tissues; Nile fish; Heavy metals
Introduction
Heavy metals are serious pollutants in natural
environment due to toxicity, persistence and
bioaccumulation problems (Tam and Wong, 2000). All
heavy metals are potentially harmful to most
organisms at some level of exposure and adsorption
(Yilmaz et al., 2003; Marcovecchio 2004). High
concentration of heavy metals can result in poor water
quality and low productivity of aquatic ecosystems
(FAO, 1992; Wegwu and Akaninwor, 2006).
The development in industrialization and technological
advances in agriculture, has introduced various
pollutants into the aquatic ecosystems, which serves as
the ultimate sink for most metals (Ogbeibu and
Ezeunara, 2002). Waste water streams containing
heavy metals are produced by many manufacturing
processes and find their way into the environment
(Ogbeibu and Ezeunara, 2002). Some research findings
have shown that heavy metals in aquatic environment
could accumulate in biota especially fish, the most
common aquatic organisms at higher tropic level
(Olaifa et al., 2004; Wariaghli et al., 2013).
Bio-accumulation in fish has been reported by many
researchers (Papagiannis et al., 2004; Yilmaz et al.,
2007; Christopher
et al., 2009;
Njogu et al., 2011)
.
Other factors for bioaccumulation has been reported to
depend upon the rate of uptake through gut from food
and the rate of excretion (Huang, 2003), species
differences as well as feeding habitat and trophic status
of the fish.
Most heavy metals have no beneficial functions to the
body and can be highly toxic. If enter the body through
inhalation, ingestion and skin can accumulate in the
body tissue faster than the body’s detoxification
pathways and disposition (Ekpo et al., 2008). High
concentration exposure, overtime, can reach toxic