The level and bioaccumulation of Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn in benthopelagic species from the Bering Sea

Abstract

The Bering Sea is an area of high biological productivity, with large populations of sea-birds, demersal and pelagic fishes, so it seemed desirable to assess the bioaccumulation of trace metals in the marine organisms from this area. However, few data on trace metal concentrations are available for the benthopelagic organisms from the Bering Sea till now. Ten specimens of benthos (including 120 biological samples) were collected in the western Bering Sea in August 2008 during the 3rd Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions, and the concentration of Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. Zn, Cr and Cd concentrations in muscle tissues of the crab species were much higher than those from fish and cephalopod species, and the highest concentration of Cu was observed in the muscle tissues of Cylichna nucleoli. The results showed a similar hierarchy for Zn, Cr, Cd and Cu concentrations among different tissues as follows: hepatopancreas>muscle tissue>gonad. Bioconcentration factors indicated that benthic organisms had high accumulation abilities for Zn and Cu.