PAKISTAN
VETERINARY
JOURNAL
     
 
previous page   Pak Vet J, 2012, 32(1): 107-111   next page
 
Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Fish Collected from the River Ravi, Pakistan
 
Ghazala Jabeen*, Muhammad Javed and Hamda Azmat
Department of Zoology and Fisheries, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
*Corresponding author: ammararahal@yahoo.com

Abstract   

The toxicity of heavy metals viz. aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) in fish at three main public fishing sites of the river Ravi viz. Shahdara bridge, Baloki headworks and Sidhnai barrage has been studied from June, 2009 to May, 2010. The concentrations of heavy metals in the body organs (gills, liver, kidney, intestine, reproductive organs, skin, muscle, fins, scales, bones, fats) of three fish species viz. Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhina mrigala were determined. The present results reveal that the toxicity of metals fluctuated significantly in fish at all the three sampling stations with season. The fish samples collected from all the three sampling stations had significantly higher aluminium and zinc. However, the fish at Sidhnai barrage showed significantly lower metallic toxicity, followed by that at Baloki headworks and Shahdara bridge. Significantly higher metals were observed in fish liver, followed by that of kidney, gills, intestine, reproductive organs, skin, scales, fins, bones, muscle and fats. The accumulation of metals in carnivorous fish body organs showed significantly direct dependence on the metallic toxicity of herbivorous cyprinids. Fish liver and kidney showed significantly higher abilities for the accumulation of all metals while accumulations were lowest in fish muscle and fats. The health status of river Ravi at three main public fishing sites viz. Shahdara bridge, Baloki headworks and Sidhnai barrage, with respect to eco-toxicity of Al, As, Ba, Cr, Ni and Zn was above the recommended permissible standards.

Key words: Accumulation, Fish, Heavy metals, Organs, River Ravi

 
   

ISSN 0253-8318 (Print)
ISSN 2074-7764 (Online)



scopus
 
DOI
 
DOAJ SEAL