Determination of Trace Element Accumulation in Gonads of Rutilus kutum (Kamensky, 1901) from the South Caspian Sea Trace Element Contaminations in Gonads

Caspian kutum, Rutilus kutum Kamensky 1901, is a commercially important fish species in the southern basins of the Caspian Sea. In spite of the popularity and consumption of the gonads, muscles, and viscera of kutum as edible parts in the region, there is no report on concentrations of trace elements (TE) in its gonads. In this study, some 51 specimens of R. kutum caught from five different fishing regions (Astara, Anzali, Kiashahr, Sari, and Gorgan) in the southern shoreline of the Caspian Sea from September 2017 to January 2018. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to assay 36 element concentrations in fish gonads, but only 26 elements were detected and statistically analyzed. The concentration of elements in gonads (except for Ca, Sn, and Sr) did not exhibit significant differences between the eastern and western parts (p < 0.05) of the Caspian Sea. The Ca and Sr concentrations were higher in western parts (Astara, Anzali, and Kiashahr) than in eastern parts (Sari and Gorgan), while Sn showed higher levels in eastern as compared to western parts. In total, the element concentrations in this study were not higher than thresholds permitted by FAO/WHO and USFDA and pose no threat to human health.