Heavy metals in burbot (Lota lota L.) caught in lakes of Northeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Summary: Burbot could be a source of raw material for the commercial isolation of liver oil for a nutritional therapeutic product. Burbot liver oil have been found to contained high content of Vitamin D, Vitamin K and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also anticipated that the resulting burbot tissue would be commercial sold for human-food uses. The two target lakes, Athapapuskow Lake and Amisk Lake, of planned burbot catches are located downwind from a large copper-zinc smelter in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. There was particular concern that burbot caught in these lakes may be contaminated with toxic heavy metals. Exploratory studies showed that the key toxic metals, viz., arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, were largely below the acceptable limits set forth in the guidelines of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin.