Evaluation of trace elements contaminations in muscles of Rutilus kutum (Pisces: Cyprinidae) from the Southern shores of the Caspian Sea

Background: There is little information about the trace elements (TEs) concentrations in the muscle tissue of Caspian kutum (Rutilus kutum) in the South Caspian Sea. Methods: A total of 51 R. kutum specimens were caught at five fishing stations (Gorgan, Sari, Kiashahr, Anzali, and Astara) in the South Caspian Sea from September 2018 to January 2019. The inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was employed to measure the TEs concentrations in the fish muscles. Results: The maximum concentrations of Al (7.2 ppm), Pb (0.07 ppm), and Ni (0.02) were reported in Astara, and the highest concentrations of As (0.2 ppm), Cu (0.49 ppm), Cr (0.12 ppm), and Zn (1.56 ppm) were reported in Sari and Gorgan. The TEs concentrations measured in the fish muscles (except Mg, Zn, As, Al, Na, and S) had no significant differences among the sampling areas. The TEs concentrations were higher in the eastern areas (Sari and Gorgan) than in the western areas (Astara, Anzali, and Kiashahr) excluding As and Al. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Mn, Cu, Sn, Sb, Al, Cr, and Cd in muscles of R. kutum were found to be significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the maximum permitted levels according to the WHO/FAO standards, while As concentrations were comparable to these standards. Conclusion: The TEs concentrations in different fishing stations of Kiashahr, Anzali, and Astara, located in the southwestern areas were respectively compared with those obtained from Sari and Gorgan, located in the middle and southeastern shore of the Caspian Sea. According to the results, the TEs concentrations obtained from the fish muscles cannot pose a threat to human health. Keywords: Caspian Sea, Rutilus kutum, Elements, Human healt

Trace and Macro Element Contaminations in Tissues of Vimba persa and Alosa braschnikowi From the South Caspian Sea and Potential Human Health Risk Assessment

Alosa braschnikowi and Vimba persa are commercially important fish species in the southern part of the Caspian Sea. However, little is known about the trace element (TE) concentrations in their muscles. To this end, a total of 82 pieces of V. persa and 74 A. braschnikowi were caught at three different fishing areas (Astara, Anzali, and Kiashahr) around the southwestern shorelines of the Caspian Sea from September 2017 through June 2018. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure the accumulation of 34 traces and macro elements in some tissues of the fish species. Then, comparisons of the element levels in these tissues were made for the three different fishing areas. Overall, in the case of A. braschnikowi, 30, 30, and 28 elements were detected in its skin, gonads, and kidneys, respectively, while in the case of V. persa, 27 and 28 elements were found in its muscle and liver, respectively. The majority of element levels measured in these tissues indicated no significant differences among the sampling areas (P>0.05) except for such elements as copper, lanthanum, and tungsten in skin, lanthanum, rubidium, and vanadium in gonads, as well as molybdenum and zinc in kidney (P<0.05). The capacity of observed elements put human health at risk were examined as well. The TE content in the tissues of A. braschnikowi and in the muscles of V. persa (P<0.05) differed significantly from the international standard levels (P<0.05). In this study, only lead indicated a target hazard quotient (THQ) index above 1. Therefore, high consumption of this fish (360 g per year) may be a matter of concern for the consumer. In the case of other evaluated elements, the THQ value was less than 1

Relationship Between Trace Element Content in the Brain of Bony Fish Species and Their Food Items in the Southwest of the Caspian Sea Due to Anthropogenic Activities

The trace elements (TEs) in aquatic environments due to anthropogenic activities are readily available to aquatic organisms. There are 153 fish species inhabiting the Caspian Sea. However, little is known about TE (TE) concentrations in these species. In this study, we investigated the effects of TEs levels in the brain of some bony fish species inhabiting the Caspian basin. Totally, 405 fish from nine species with different feeding behaviors including Leuciscus aspius (n = 20) and Perca fluviatilis (n = 37) as piscivores, Rutilus kutum (n = 27) and Rutilus caspius (n = 71) as carnivores, Vimba persa (n = 56), Ponticola caspia (n = 25) and Tinca tinca (n = 31) as mollusivores, and Alburnus chalcoides (n = 77) and Alosa braschnikowi (n = 61) as zooplanktivores were collected from the southwest of the Caspian Sea basin from September 2017 to June 2018. The ICP-OES was used to measure TEs in the brain tissue of fish. The variability of TEs concentrations in the brain tissues of these fishes by principal component analysis (PCA) was decreased to 63.59% and 17.68% for PC1 and PC2, respectively, exhibiting that 81.27% of the total variability is associated with K, Mg, P, S, Zn, and Al. The two-dimensional diagrams showed the weight of each component in PCA. The PC1 was mostly influenced by P, Mg, K, and Zn, while the greatest value in PC2 belonged to Al. Furthermore, the entire number of elements determined in this study was found to be a suitable indicator for the distinction between fish species based on their feeding items

Acute toxicity of two pesticides Diazinon and Deltamethrin on Tench (Tinca tinca) larvae and fingerling

Diazinon and deltamethrin are common useful agricultural pesticides in the world. The present research compared the acute toxicity of diazinon and deltamethrin to tench larvae and fingerling. LC50 of 24 h, 48-h, 72 h and 96 h were determined using a probit. Fish samples (21 fish in each test group) were exposed to different concentrations of diazinon and deltamethrin (diazinon: for fingerling between1-20 ppm and larvae 0.25-2 ppm, deltamethrin: for fingerling between 0.01-0.2 ppm and larvae 0.0025-0.02) for 96 h and mortality were recorded. The LC50 96 h of diazinon for fingerlings and larvae were 6.77 and 0.63, respectively. The LC50 96 h of deltamethrin for fingerlings and larvae were 0.07 and 0.005 ppm, respectively. According to the results, larvae are more sensitive than fingerlings, LC50 values indicated that deltamethrin is more toxic than diazinon to Tinca tinca, so we suggest to use diazinon instead of deltamethrin in agriculture

Morphological comparison of western and eastern populations of Caspian kutum, Rutilus kutum (Kamensky, 1901) (Cyprinidae) in the southern Caspian Sea

This study aimed to investigate morphological differences of western and eastern populations of Caspian kutum Rutilus kutum in the southern Caspian Sea and its providing length-weight relationships and condition factor (CF). A 13-landmark based morphometric truss network system was used to investigate the hypothesis of population fragmentation of western and eastern populations of this species. The studied populations were differentmorphologically based on pre anal, body height, distance from pectoral fin to ventral fin, distance from pectoral fin to anal fin, caudal peduncle length, head length, pre orbital, pre ventral, and dorsal length. The results also revealed a negative allometry (b<3) of length-weight relationships for both sexes. Maximum condition factors was found in March. The results suggest distinct stocks in the western and eastern of Caspian Sea for fisheries management

Acute toxicity of Diazinon to the Caspian vimba, Vimba vimba persa (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae)

The present research was performed to determine lethal concentrations of diazinon for the Caspian vimba, Vimba vimba persa. Fish samples (50 ± 5 g) collected from Sefidroud river were acclimatized for 5 days and exposed to 5 concentrations of diazinon, 0.07, 0.08, 0.1, 0.13 and 0.16 mg/l (with three replicates) and lethal concentrations (LC) LC1, LC10, LC30, LC50, LC70, LC90 and LC99 for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h were determined using a probit analysis. The results indicated that the 96 h LC50 value of diazinon for Caspian Vimba was 0.08 mg/l

Some aspects of the life history of Oxynoemacheilus bergianus (Actinopterygii: Nemacheilidae) from the Jajrud River in the Namak Lake basin, Central Iran

The length-weight relationship, breeding season and condition factor of Oxynoemacheilus bergianus from Jajrud River in the Namak Lake basin, Tehran Province, Central Iran, were investigated. Sampling was performed from March 2017 to February 2018. The biometric measurements and the body and gonad weights were monthly carried out for one year log sampling occasions, in a total of 546 specimens. The range of total length in males and females were 3.8-7.5 and 3-7.6 cm, and the range of total weight were correspondingly 0.36-3.53 and 0.2-4.67 g respectively. The calculated coefficient of determination (r2) in males and females was found to be 0.94 and 0.95, respectively reflecting a positive allometric (b > 3, p > 0.05) growth in both sexes. The gonadosomatic index and modified gonadosomatic index showed that O. bergianus spawns in the middle of spring in May. In agreement with that, the condition factor reached the minimum (0.60) in February, while the maximum (0.96) in May. Since there is poor conservation status of the species, this study aims to give a contribution for biologists and wildlife managers

An Overview of Carp

Common carp with the scientific name Cyprinus carpio is one of the many freshwater fish. The main birthplace of this fish is commonly thought to have originated in Asia and was later introduced to Europe, North America and elsewhere regions. They can grow up to 120 cm and reach a weight of 37300 grams at the age of 47. Although they are resistant to various environmental conditions, they prefer a large amount of water with a slow or stagnant flow, and of course, they prefer succulents and bedding plants. They tend to be in groups of 5 or more and naturally live in temperate climates in fresh and salty waters with a pH of 7.5-7.5 and a hardness of 10-15. Their adapt temperature range is between 3-24 degrees Celsius. Camphor is omnivorous and eats almost everything it comes across. They enjoy eating plant seeds, aquatic plants, insects, crustaceans, or dead fish