Bioaccumilation of Heavy Metals in Fish Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822), from Kayamkulam Estuary

Accumulation of Arsenic, Cd, Cu, Pb and Hg in water, gills, liver and muscles of fish Liza parsia were analyzed from the four different sites along the Kayamkulam Backwater. The results showed that the highest concentration of as was found in liver tissues followed by gills. Gill tissues of the fish had a higher accumulation of Cu followed by liver and muscles. Higher accumulation of cadmium was observed in gills followed by liver tissue. Pb accumulation was found to be higher in liver as well as in gills followed by muscles. Accumulations of heavy metals in fish organs showed a seasonal fluctuation. The concentration of the detected metals was highest during warmer months, while the lowest values were observed during colder months. The organ specific comparison of heavy metals level indicated that the highest concentration was found in liver tissues. The lowest concentration was detected in muscle because muscle is not an active tissue in the accumulation of heavy metals. Pearson correlation matrix analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between the accumulation of heavy metals in water and tissues of the fish sample.