Comparison of metals in tissues of fish from Paradeniz Lagoon in the coastal area of northern east Mediterranean.

Present study was performed to examined the metal concentrations in muscle, liver, gonad and gill of gilthead seabream, European seabass, Leaping mullet and Flathead grey mullet from Paradeniz Lagoon, Mediterranean coastal area. The metal concentrations found in muscle tissue varied for Fe: 2.3-51.4, Zn: 6.63-14.8, Cu: 0.38-1.10, Mn: 0.38-1.06, Cr: 0.34-1.13, Ni: 0.58-.074, Pb: 0.32-1.02, Cd: 0.20-0.67 and Co: 0.30-0.61 mg/kg wet weight. Iron showed the highest levels in all tissues, and generally followed by zinc. On the other hand, cadmium, cobalt and lead showed lower levels than other metals. Statistically significant differences were observed in the mean metal values obtained from investigated fish species and their tissues. The levels of metals in the examined fish were well below the regulatory values of various govermental agencies.