CORRELATION BETWEEN WEIGHT AND THE MERCURY CONCENTRATION IN MUSCLE OF ORANGE-SPOTTED SPINEFOOT (Siganus guttatus BLOCH, 1787) IN COASTAL QUANG BINH

Abstract

Orange-spotted spinefoot (Siganus guttatus Bloch, 1787) belongs to the family of Siganidae, order of Perciformes, class of Actinopterygii, which is one of the common fish species, high economic value in the coastal Quang Binh province and consumers are favored by its high nutritional value. However, the consumption of Orange-spotted spinefoot may pose potential risks to human health since they can accumulate significant amounts of heavy metals in their tissues. A total of 30 samples of Orange-Spotted spinefoot were collected in the coastal of Quang Binh province from November 2021 to February 2022 to determine the concentration of mercury in the muscle, which to calculate the termites correlated with the weight of fish. The Hg concentration was analyzed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AAS). The results disclosed that most of the samples showed traces of Hg, although at relatively low concentrations. By correlation and regression analysis, it was found that Hg concentration was positively correlated with fish weight.