Contamination of selected heavy metals in (Boulenger, 1906) in the four strata of Lake Kariba Zambia: are the consumers at risk?

Pollution of aquatic ecosystems is one of the major challenges affecting many countries of the world. Heavy metal pollutants, in particular, threaten the life of aquatic organisms (fauna and flora) and, more importantly, humans who consume aquatic products as a critical source of proteins. In the present study, the concentrations of selected heavy metals (cobalt- Co, Chromium-Cr, nickel- Ni and manganese- Mn) in , locally known as 'Kapenta' were assessed using the Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (MP AES) 4200 at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI).