Assessment of the Presence of Trace Metal Elements (Hg, Pb, Cd) in Six Species of Fish Landed at the Artisanal Fishing Port of Boulbinet Republic of Guinea

Abstract

Aquatic organisms on the Guinean coast are exposed to environmental contaminants including trace metals (TMEs), such as mercury, cadmium and lead, which accumulate in fish tissues and transfer up the food chain to the consumer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of these chemical contaminants in the main species of fish landed at the fishing port of Boulbinet. Trace element analyses were carried out by atomic absorption spectrometry at the Regional Centre for Research in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (CERES-Locustox). This work made it possible to identify two (2) of the three (3) trace metal elements in the six species of fish collected at the artisanal fishing port of Boulbinet. The determination of the demersal and pelagic species studied shows respectively minimum and maximum averages between (0.01 to 0.057 mg/kg) and (0.011 to 0.032 mg/kg) for lead on the one hand and (0.153 to 0.278 mg/kg) and (0.160 to 0.275 mg/kg) for cadmium on the other hand in fish muscle. All these observations show that the bioaccumulation of the trace elements studied varies from one species to another. However, for all six species, an accumulation of trace metals was observed in the muscles of individuals of these six species, with concentrations below the accepted standards for lead and above those for cadmium. Future studies should continue to develop biomarkers for different groups of contaminants and use them in key fish species, at sensitive stages of their life cycle, by combining different multi-stress experimental approaches with field monitoring studies. Given the limited data available on such an important subject, it is desirable to conduct more studies before concluding definitively.