Assessment of heavy metals in four wild sparid species from the central coast of Algeria: effects of fish size on metal bioaccumulation.

Heavy metal (Hg, As, and Cr) concentrations were measured in the muscle tissue of four wild sparid species (Sparus aurata, Pagrus pagrus, Pagellus erythrinus, and Pagellus acarne) from the central coast of Algeria. The relationships between muscle metal content and fish size (fork length and total weight) were also examined. Accumulation patterns based on mean metal concentrations in sampled fish muscle tissues showed the same descending order in all species: As > Hg > Cr. Concentration ranges of the analyzed metals (mg kg-1 wet weight) were as follows: As (1.323-3.396), Hg (0.102-2.004), and Cr (0.232-0.915). The highest mean Cr concentration (0.65 ± 0.02 mg kg-1) was recorded in the muscle of Sparus aurata, while the highest levels of Hg (0.98 ± 0.10 mg kg-1) and As (2.70 ± 0.07 mg kg-1) were found in Pagrus pagrus. Strong positive linear correlations (r = 0.92-0.99, p < 0.01) were observed between fish size and muscle metal concentrations in all cases. The mean metal concentrations in the selected sparid species were within the safe limits established by international organizations for human consumption.