Abstract

The Atlantic Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus itajara, is threatened by pollution due to its shallow, coastal distribution. Heavy metals are some of the pollutants of concern as exposure may affect the health of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper, its prey and predators (e.g. humans). We investigated the concentrations of seven heavy metals: Cadmium, Nickel, Lead, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Zinc, in the dorsal fin tissue, liver, and stomach contents of Atlantic Goliath Grouper caught in Trinidad. The tissues were dried, digested and then run in the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer to obtain the concentration levels. The results showed the highest average levels of Iron, Zinc Copper and Cadmium in the liver, while the stomach contents were highest in Nickel and Manganese and the dorsal fin tissue highest in Lead. The relationship between fish length and dorsal fin tissue concentrations found Cadmium to have a significant negative relationship (p=0.013) and Lead a near significant negative relationship (p=0.053) indicating there may be higher levels of heavy metals in juvenile habitats or their prey. Manganese though demonstrated a significant positive relationship with length (p=0.007) and may bio accumulate or be limited during the juvenile life stage. Elevated levels of Lead in some dorsal fin tissue samples (comparable to the muscle that humans consume) is of concern for our health, but by most international standards the Atlantic Goliath Grouper tissues were below thresholds for the heavy metals we tested. Further study is needed on other heavy metals and pollutants, e.g. Mercury and petrochemicals, continued monitoring is recommended

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