Lead abundances in bony fish from the world oceans: Significance for contaminated marine habitats and environmental policies

Abstract

This manuscript presents the largest review of lead (Pb) content in bony fish collected worldwide. Lead analyses are assigned to specific species and localized using the Food and Agricultural Organization geographical fishing zones. The data set is expanded according to the number of analyses in each cohort leading to a record of 22190 and 5954 Pb concentrations for muscle and liver, respectively. Descriptive and comparative statistics demonstrate the usefulness of this chronicle to examine Pb content differences in bony fish from the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific oceans, and basins of the Mediterranean Sea. Investigation of distinct tissues are indicative of contaminated habitat imprints on metabolic Pb accumulation at global and regional scales. Muscle and liver Pb content from all mixed species are significantly correlated above 0.1 ppm (wet weight) suggesting a threshold above which liver metabolism may not efficiently balance uptake and excretion of Pb that accumulates more readily in both tissues. This review constitutes a prerequisite to monitor the effect of environmental policies on fish bioindicators, and to examine inter- and intraspecies responses to environmental Pb insult according to various habitats and biological factors.