The cientificWorldJOURNAL Research Article Distribution of Mercury in Rainbow Trout Tissues at Embryo-Larval and Juvenile Stages

Copyright © 2012 Renáta Kenšova ́ et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The aims of the study were to determine total mercury concentrations in “rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) ” at their embryo-larval and juvenile stages and to assess mercury concentration dynamics in individual tissues. Samples of rainbow trout were collected at two-month intervals over a period of 18 months (one stock production cycle) at the Velka ́ Losenice trout farm. Feedstuff samples were collected at the same time and analyzed for mercury concentrations. Tissue mercury concentrations were determined in muscle, liver, and kidneys. Analyses were performed using the AMA 254 atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The lowest mercury concentration was found in 14-day-old embryos (hard roe), and the highest concentrations in muscle tissue, liver, and kidneys at the end of monitoring, that is, in rainbow trout aged 18 months. The amount of mercury in feedstuffs showed an increasing trend and ranged between 0.0126 and 0.0859mgkg−1. A significant effect (P < 0.001) of mercury intake on mercury concentrations in muscle tissue, liver, and kidneys was demonstrated. Muscle mercury concentrations in 18-month-old market-ready rainbow trout of 0.128 ± 0.048mgkg−1 met the criteria for fish meat hygiene. 1