Abstract
Trace metal concentrations in muscle and liver tissues from two offshore species of skate were examined. Concentrations of mercury in muscle of Leucoraja circularis (n=20; 23–110.5cm total length, 157–490m water depth) and L. fullonica (n=24; 28.5–100cm total length, 130–426m water depth) were 0.02–1.8 and 0.04–0.61mgkg−1, respectively. Concentrations of both As and Hg increased with total length. Only the largest specimen had a concentration of Hg in muscle >1.0mgkg−1. Data were limited for specimens>90cm long, and further studies on contaminants in larger-bodied skates could usefully be undertaken.
Highlights
Trace metal concentrations in muscle and liver tissues from two offshore species of skate were examined
Various studies have examined the contaminants of skates from the inner continental shelf of European seas (Dixon and Jones, 1994; De Gieter et al, 2002; Storelli and Barone, 2013) and elsewhere, but data are limited for those skates living in deeper water (Mormede and Davies, 2001), despite there being some evidence that Hg concentrations in marine fish can increase with water depth (Choy et al, 2009)
Sandy ray Leucoraja circularis and shagreen ray L. fullonica are two offshore skates that are widespread along the edge of the continental shelf from Iceland and northern Norway to north-west Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea (Ebert and Stehmann, 2013)
Summary
Trace metal concentrations in muscle and liver tissues from two offshore species of skate were examined. To better understand the concentrations of trace elements in offshore fish, samples of muscle and liver from L. circularis and L. fullonica caught in the Bay of Biscay and Celtic Sea were analysed.
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