Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Five Species of Fish Obtained from the Estuary of Rabat, Morocco

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a dramatic fall in the fish population. This is due to habitat destruction, overfishing, diseases, climate  change, and metal contamination. Despite the advantages of eating aquatic foods, hazardous metals can bioaccumulate in fish, posing a  threat to human health and marine ecosystems. There is a need to evaluate the danger to human health posed by several heavy metals  linked to eating popular edible fish species that are readily available to consumers in the Rabat-Sale region. The study aimed to evaluate  the concentrations and accumulation of heavy metals in the various organs of fresh fish obtained from the Bouregreg estuary. During  the winter and spring of 2023, fish belonging to five different genera (Anguilla, Diplodus, Solea, Mullet, and Lophius) were collected in the  Bouregreg estuary at three different locations: My Youssef, Hassan II, and Mohammed VI Bridges. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Zn, Cd, Pb, Fe, and Cu) in the muscles, livers, and gills were determined using an ULTIMA2 type inductively coupled emission  spectroscopy plasma (ICP-AES). The results showed that all of the fish samples examined were contaminated with the six metallic trace elements. The fish samples meet the World Health Organization's recommended standards, especially for the Anguilla species, which, in  contrast to Lophius, are recognized to be the healthiest fish and have the lowest metallic levels. The findings of the study revealed that  the Bouregreg estuary is contaminated with heavy metals, necessitating regular fish awareness, monitoring, and assessment due to the  significant reliance of the surrounding communities on fish.