HEAVY METALS IN TWELVE EDIBLE MARINE FISH SPECIES FROM JIZAN FISHERIES, SAUDI ARABIA: MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

Jizan is the most fish-productive area (50 edible species out of >250 species) and the third harbor, with a 250 km long coastline, in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Jizan is a densely populated city with many industrial and agricultural activities. However, there are no published studies on the Jizan Environment. This study aims at monitoring and assessing the levels of some heavy metals in twelve commercially important and locally consumed fish species captured from Jizan Fisheries, Red Sea. A wet microwave digestion procedure was applied for sample treatment. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for measurements. Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd were successfully quantified while Co, Cr and Pb were found below the detection limits. Spiking approach was applied to examine the quality of analytical results and acceptable recovery (86.3-99.7%) was achieved. The obtained data were subjected to Pearson's correlation coefficients analysis. Additionally, the levels of heavy metals were found to be <= the levels established by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization for fish destined for human consumption, with some exceptions. Moreover, the target hazard quotient values revealed safe use for weekly intake regarding the examined heavy metals, with the exception of Cd.