RELATIVE EFFECTS OF HEAVY METALS ON Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, Cyprinus carpio OF HEAD PUNJNAND AND HEAD ISLAM

Fish are a crucial part of the aquatic food web and are regarded as a top-notch source of protein for human consumption. Fish provides about 25% of the animal protein consumed by humans worldwide. A rising human population and a critical need for food supply are driving up demand for fish and fish products. Heavy metals are metallic substances which are not biodegradable, including extremely toxic metals (lead, mercury, cadmium etc.), toxic metals (nickel and cobalt etc.) and essential metals (zinc, aluminum, manganese, copper and beryllium etc.). The goal of present study is to examine the toxicity of heavy metals in fishes from two major natural resources of southern Punjab. Three species of fishes Cirrhinus mrigala, Labeo rohita, and Cyprinus carpio were selected to examine cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Manganes (Mn), lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), and iron (Fe). Specimen fishes were collected from Head Islam, and Head Punjnand. Data was analyzed by using mean, standard deviation and ANOVA. Elevated levels of all heavy metal were observed than the permitted levels established by international groups. In the muscles of fish from Head Islam, the highest concentrations were observed for Copper (130.5 ± 0.21081 μg/g) and Zinc (613.2 ± 0.43491 μg/g) in Labeo rohita, while the lowest concentrations were found for Lead (0.055 ± 0.00645 μg/g) in Cirrhinus mrigala. In contrast, for fish from Head Punjnand, Labeo rohita exhibited the highest concentrations of Copper (159.71 ± 0.6615 μg/g) and Zinc (823.478 ± 0.38246 μg/g), while Cirrhinus mrigala had the highest Iron concentration (140.5263 ± 6.58872 μg/g). Moreover, the concentrations of copper and zinc in fish muscle tissues were significantly higher in Labeo rohita, while manganese showed the highest concentration in Cirrhinus mrigala. Cadmium and lead concentrations were comparatively low in all three fish species. Prolong consumption of these fishes having heavy metals prove toxic to human health. To properly understand this serious problem, more in-depth research that is more focused and precise must be observed.