Mercury Concentration in Muscle and Liver of Pike (Esox lucius) Collected from Anzali International Wetland, Iran

Mercury (Hg) is a major environmental contaminant due to its global ubiquity, tendency to bioaccumulate, and toxicity in wildlife. Mercury accumulation in wetlands threatens critical breeding and foraging habitats of many fish and wildlife species. In this study, mercury concentrations were detected in different tissues of pike. To achieve these purposes, 58 pikes (Esox lucius) were hunted from Anzali wetland. Mercury concentration was analyzed by Advanced Mercury Analyzer (Leco, AMA 254). T-test was used to determine any significant differences between muscle and liver samples. The results revealed a significant difference (t = 0.85) in mercury concentrations between the tissues, whereas no significant differences were found in mercury concentrations between pikes of different sexes. This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility assessment to recognize bioindicatory index usage and to determine restricted standards to human consumption. Our data can contribute to the development of management programs for understanding the ecotoxicological status of Anzali wetland and can help determine restricted standards for human consumption.