Quratulan Ahmed and Levent Bat
The present study was conducted to determine Hg levels in edible tissues of the Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta collected at Karachi Harbour of Pakistan between March 2013 and February 2014. Hg levels ranged from 0.01 to 0.09 with mean ±SD 0.042±0.023 mg/kg dry wt. The Hg level in R. kanagurta is relatively low when compared to those studied in other parts of the world and is able to meet the legal standards by EU Commission Regulation and other international food standards. The findings obtained were also compared with established allowable weekly intake values. It is concluded that the Hg levels in the Indian mackerel from Karachi coasts did not exceed the permission limits (0.5 mg/kg). The results show that the Indian mackerel appears to be useful bio-indicator due to their accumulation of Hg, however, continued sampling is required for further researches.
