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| Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) are one of the greatest threats to aquatic biota for their persistence, bioaccumulation and biomagnification across the globe. This study presents the first hand data of toxic trace metals in edible fish muscles, sediments and water sampled from Head Punjnad (HP), Pakistan during 2017. The likely reason for the selection of HP as a study target was its emergent prominence as an irrigation hub and holidaymakers spot largely for angling and feasting. The investigated five fish species are Ctenopharyngodon idella, Oreochromis niloticus, Eutropiichthys vacha, Rita rita and Sperata sarwari. The results divulged the pattern of metals concentration in fish in the order of Cd > As > Hg. However, R. rita, O. niloticus and C. idella showed higher accumulation of the metals that clearly alluded to species-linked metal bioaccumulation, which might be due to their unique feeding mood. Cadmium presence ranged between 0.04 – 1.12 ppm while As and Hg fluctuated between 0.01 – 0.04 and 0.001 0.18 ppm, respectively. Conversely, higher bioaccumulation was detected in gills rather than the muscle tissues that evidently indicated gradual water quality degradation conceiving higher metal concentrations in the environment. Similarly, a higher concentration of Cd was observed in water (0.78 ppm) and sediment (0.64 ppm) samples. In acquiescence to the above-given outcomes, the metal concentration hierarchical arrangement in sediment and water was identical to the witnessed in fish species (Cd > As > Hg). In conclusion, this study established that selected metals level in HP water and sediments displayed levels higher than the permissible limits. However, As and Hg remained lower than the international guidelines for sediments. Cd showing the higher levels in edible tissues may produce toxic effects in the fish and its consumers, therefore, it is not safe to consume these studied fish species from Head Punjnad. Novelty Statement | This investigation highlights the occurrence of Cd, Hg and As at the higher levels in water samples, while As and Hg persisted lower than the international guidelines for riverine sediments at Head Punjnad. The higher levels of Cd in edible fish tissues alluded that it is not safe to consume fish from Head Punjnad. Article History Received: March 12, 2019 Revised: January 24, 2020 Accepted: February 24, 2020 Published: May 08, 2020 Authors’ Contributions SF, NK, HM, HA, BYAK, MTS and GA collected the fish data. SF, UA and SI wrote and revised the manuscript under the supervision of KJI. UA, AJ and Irfan performed the statistical analyses while UA and SI prepared the il-

Toxic Trace Metals Assessment in Selected Organs of Edible Fish Species, Sediment and Water in Head Punjnad, Punjab, Pakistan