Bioaccumulation of arsenic and selenium in bycatch fishes Diapterus peruvianus, Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, and Trachinotus kennedyi from shrimp trawling in the continental shelf of Guerrero, México

Abstract

With the aim of determining arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) concentrations in bycatch fishes from SW Mexico and comparing elemental concentrations with limits for human consumption set in the national and international legislation, three fish species (Diapterus peruvianus, Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, and Trachinotus kennedyi) were collected from Guerrero state during trawling operations. Additionally, As and Se levels in muscle tissue were compared with similar species from diverse areas. The order of As and Se concentrations was T. kennedyi > P. grandisquamis > D. peruvianus. In Mexico, there is no regulation of As and Se levels in fish. In comparison to the legal limit (0.1 μg g⁻¹ wet weight) set by legislation in Venezuela, As levels in the edible portion of T. kennedyi (0.632 μg g⁻¹ wet weight), P. grandisquamis (0.166 μg g⁻¹ wet weight), and D. peruvianus (0.157 μg g⁻¹ wet weight) were above this limit. In the case of Se, average concentrations in T. kennedyi (0.323 μg g⁻¹ wet weight) were above the maximum permissible limit (0.30 μg g⁻¹ wet weight) set in the Chilean legislation. Se concentrations in Carangoides bajad from Saudi Arabia were comparable to values in T. kennedyi (this study). In relation to As, concentrations varied in magnitude orders; the highest As concentration (range 10.35 to 23.71 μg g⁻¹ wet weight) corresponded to Mullus barbatus from the Iberian Mediterranean.