Abstract
Copper, zinc, lead and cadmium levels were measured in tissues of 12 blue sharks (Prionace glauca L.) and in muscle of selected fish occurring in their diet. No concentration of metals from fish prey to sharks was observed on analysis of muscle-tissue samples. In sharks, the highest levels of zinc were recorded in the gonad and epigonal organ; copper values were more variable and no tissue showed a high concentration of this metal. In the liver and gonal plus epigonal tissue, concentrations of copper and zinc appeared to decrease with increasing body weight, whereas in muscle they were independent of size. 98% of samples analysed for lead and 73% for cadmium were below detectable limits for these metals, although individual sharks showed elevated levels in liver and gonad plus epigonal tissue.
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Communicated by J.H.S. Blaxter, Oban
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Stevens, J.D., Brown, B.E. Occurrence of heavy metals in the blue shark Prionace glauca and selected pelagic in the N. E. Atlantic Ocean. Mar. Biol. 26, 287–293 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391512
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391512