International Journal of Marine Science 2015, Vol.5, No.21, 1-5
3
Figure 2 Zn, Mn, Cu, Co, Fe and Pb levels in the Chinese silver pomfret
Pampus chinensis
from Karachi Harbour between January
and December of 2013
tissues.
P. chinensis
is benthopelagic and
amphidromous fish (Riede, 2004). They occur
seasonally singly or in small schools over muddy
bottoms and prey on mainly ctenophores, salps,
jellyfish, zooplankton and small benthic organisms
(Last, 1997). Therefore it may be suggested that
P.
chinensis
is also very good bio-indicator for
monitoring heavy metals in coastal waters.
Legal thresholds are not available for essential metals
in Europe. However, in the muscle tissues of fish the
average Zn and Cu concentrations were on average
below the maximum tolerance levels for human
consumption established by compared the international
legislation (MAFF, 1995). Mean concentration of Zn
(1.67±0.2 mg/kg dry wt.) found in
P. chinensis
is less
than 50 mg/kg wet wt., well below the guideline level
(MAFF, 1995). Cu concentrations in the Chinese
silver pomfret were low (mean Cu concentration was
1.05±0.12 mg/kg dry wt.) and also quite below the
guideline level of 20 mg/kg wet wt. (MAFF, 1995).
Whereas these metal levels were high in the fish
samples at some months (Figure 2). This should not
be any problem because of liver is not consumed and
the average concentrations of Zn (22±2.6 mg/kg dry
wt.) and Cu (14±1.66 mg/kg dry wt.) in the liver are
lower than permissible levels. The tolerable values of
non-essential metal Pb are indicated by Commission
