Premium
Mercury in tigerfish ( Hydrocynus vittatus, Castelnau), green happy ( Sargochromis codringtonii , Boulenger) and kapenta ( Limnothrissa miodon , Boulenger) from Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe
Author(s) -
Mhlanga Wilson
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2028.2000.00246.x
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , biology , structural basin , ecology , dry weight , zoology , fishery , botany , programming language , paleontology , computer science
Concentrations of total mercury were determined in Hydrocynus vittatus (Castelnau), Sargochromis codringtonii (Boulenger), and Limnothrissa miodon (Boulenger) from two localities in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The mean concentrations of total mercury in H. vittatus from Basin 5 and Basin 2 were 0.08 mg kg −1 and 0.094 mg kg −1 , respectively. In S. codringtonii, mean concentrations were 0.004 mg kg −1 and 0.026 mg kg −1 for Basins 5 and 2, respectively. No mercury was detected in L. miodon from Basin 2 while samples from Basin 5 had a mean concentration of 0.069 mg kg −1 (wet weight). Total mercury concentrations were also determined on a dry weight basis. Within each sampling area, total mercury concentrations were significantly different among species ( P < 0.05). For H. vittatus and S. codringtonii, total mercury concentrations (in the same species) were not significantly different between the two localities ( P < 0.05). The factors causing the observed differences in total mercury between similar species from different localities and among different species in the same locality (sampling area) are discussed. From the observed low levels of mercury in all three species, it was concluded that the mercury constituted ‘background levels’. These levels are below the maximum concentrations permissible in human fish foods.