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Bio-transfer factors and temporal variation of heavy metals in different sexes of three species of edible brackish water fish

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An Erratum to this article was published on 08 July 2017

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Abstract

This article discusses bioaccumulation and temporal variation of heavy metals in three edible lagoon fish species with references to gender. Cd and As were undetected in the three fish species (i.e., below the method detection limits of 1 μg Cd/kg wet weight and 2 μg As/kg wet weight) irrespective of the periods, and Cd was undetected in the water too (i.e., below the detection limit of 0.0003 mg/L). Except for Zn (which was mainly available as Zn2+ in the water), Pb was present largely as low labile metal-chloride complexes and As as HAsO4 2− as per Visual MINTEQ, version 3.1. Bio-transfer factors of Sn (which was also undetected in the water; below the detection limit of 0.05 mg/L), Hg, Pb, and Zn were <1 in both sexes, justifying that bioaccumulation was largely attributed to food rather than uptake from the water. Metal accumulation patterns differed drastically between the fish species. Arius maculatus (a carnivore) exhibited higher Zn, Hg, and Sn accumulations during the drier periods (June–September) compared with Mugil cephalus (a detritivore/herbivore) and Etroplus suratensis (an omnivore). Pb was detected only in A. maculatus (July–August) possibly due to biomagnification. Zn was present in higher levels in all species (irrespective of sex) compared with the other metals, but levels were below admissible limits. However, the relationship between temporal variation of Zn and gender in all species was insignificant. In M. cephalus, the temporal variation of Sn and Hg between the sexes was also insignificant. Female A. maculatus and E. suratensis showed higher Hg concentrations, while males showed higher Sn concentrations. Temporal variation patterns of Pb were unclear.

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Change history

  • 08 July 2017

    An erratum to this article has been published.

Notes

  1. A considerable amount of rains occurred in May (287.4 mm) with some rains in October too (60.7 mm). All other periods were relatively dry (no rainfall was reported in June).

  2. In shrimp farming activities, fertilizers are used to increase plant nutrient concentration and stimulate phytoplankton growth and some algicides and herbicides are used to reduce the abundance of nuisance aquatic plants. Sometimes, insecticides and other pesticides are used to kill unwanted organisms before stocking with shrimp (Boyd and Massaut 1999).

  3. In Sri Lanka, the EU Regulations and the Sri Lanka Export Regulation of Fish (fish product export regulation No. 1528/7, 2007, in the Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Act No. 2 of 1996) are considered with reference to metal limits in fish (i.e., 0.02, 0.05, and 0.5 mg/kg wet weight for Pb, Cd, and Hg, respectively). However, limits are not available for Zn and As, considering the above regulations and limits for Sn are not available with reference to the Sri Lanka Export Regulation of Fish (fish product export regulation No, 1528/7, 2007, in the Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Act No. 2 of 1996). Nevertheless, the EU limit of 200 mg/kg wet weight for Sn is considered in Sri Lanka.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka (NSF Grant No. NSF/SCH/2015/05). We thank Dr. Philippe Garrigues (Chief Editor of this journal) and the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions which enabled us to drastically improve this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kularatne Associates, No. 16, Samudra Sanna Road, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka

    Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne

  2. Department of Zoology, Eastern University, Vantharumoolai, Chenkalady, Sri Lanka

    Jalaldeen Mohamed Harris & Periyathamby Vinobaba

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Ruhuna, Hapugala, Galle, Sri Lanka

    Champika Ellawala Kankanamge

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  1. Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne
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  2. Jalaldeen Mohamed Harris
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Correspondence to Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

An erratum to this article is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9679-9.

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Kularatne, R.K.A., Harris, J.M., Vinobaba, P. et al. Bio-transfer factors and temporal variation of heavy metals in different sexes of three species of edible brackish water fish. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 18680–18690 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9407-5

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