The levels of heavy metals of copper, zinc and iron in muscle and gill tissues of the three species of (Carassius auratus), (Vimba persa) and (Luciobarbus capito) in the manjil dam

This research was conducted to investigate the concentration of heavy metals of copper, zinc and iron in muscle and gill tissues of Carassius auratus, Vimba persa and Luciobarbus capito in Manjil dam. The results showed that the highest mean metal concentration in the tissues and the three fish species belonged to iron. In both Carassius auratus and Vimba persa, the lowest and highest mean concentrations of the studied metals were observed in muscle and gill tissue, respectively. In Luciobarbus capito, the highest levels of zinc and iron in the gills and the lowest in the muscle, for the copper metal were in reverse, however Gill tissue can be a good indicator of heavy metal contamination since it is the location of metal metabolism. Comparison of copper and zinc in the muscles of the species of Carassius auratus, Vimba persa and Luciobarbus capito, with global standards indicated the lower concentration of these metals compared to the global standards. Muscle tissue iron content of the three species of Manjil Dam Lake was high compared to the standard threshold of the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and low in all three species compared to the WHO standard.