The use of Micropogonias furnieri and Mugil liza as bioindicators of heavy metals pollution in La Plata river estuary, Argentina

This paper presents, the concentrations of total Hg, Cd and Zn in edible muscle tissue, and in the liver of the fish Micropogonias furnieri and Mugil liza from the Samborombon Bay, La Plata river estuary, Argentina. The highest accumulation of the three metals was observed in liver samples, whereas in muscle tissue concentrations they were always lower, values even lower than the detection limit of the analytical method used. A marked relationship between metal contents of the studied species and their trophic and ecological habits was observed. In all cases, metal levels found in edible muscle tissue were lower than the international standards of reference for organisms directed to human consumption. Finally, the validity of using these two species as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution in the assessed ecosystem was discussed.