Abstract: The concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd and Zn) were measured in the tissues of some selected fish species (Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus and Synodontis gambiense) from River Taraba at Bali, and also the condition factor of these fish species inhabiting the river was evaluated. The concentrations of these heavy metals in the fish sample was determine by Atomic Absorption Spectrophometry (AAS). The result show that among the five element analyzed only two were detected i.e. Cu and Zn, while Pb, Cr and Cd were below detection limit. The mean value of metal concentration of Cu and Zn in C. gariepinus, O. niloticus and S. gambiense is (0.092, 0.110 and 0.092 mgkg-1) and (0.223, 0.238 and 0.172 mgkg-1) respectively. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in tissues of the fish were different among species, this indicated that different species from the same area contained different levels of heavy metals in their tissues. The result also revealed that the concentration of metals among the species as compared with the international permissible limit were within the acceptable limit. The results of the ANOVA pointed that there is no significant difference in the concentration of heavy metals in fish flesh of the various fish species at (P-value < 0.05). It was also observed that the fish species recorded varying condition factors, some samples shows slight increases in K – value while others within the normal range. Most of the fish species sampled in this present study had condition factors ≥ 1, and were within the normal recommended ranges. It was also stated from previous study that condition factor greater or equal to one is good, indicating a good level of feeding, and proper environmental condition.
Keywords: Heavy Metals, River Taraba, Fish Species, Condition Factor.
Title: Determination of Some Heavy Metals Contamination Status in Some Selected Fish Species Collected from River Taraba at Bali
Author: Haruna Ibrahim, Nasiru Yahaya Ahmed, Abdulrahman Adamu
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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