Abstract
Seven major commercially important marine fisheries species, Fenneropenaeus indicus, Chaceon quinquedens, Lethrinus nebulosus, Scomberomorus commerson, Plectropomus pessuliferus, Pampus argenteus, and Epinephelus summana were seasonally sampled from Jeddah main local fisheries market, Saudi Arabia. The heavy metals, namely arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) were assessed. Except for arsenic, the results indicated that the levels of tested heavy elements were within the standard limits. The levels of arsenic were high in F. indicus, C. quinquedens, L. nebulosus, P. pessuliferus and E. summana. In addition, Pb showed higher mean levels of 0.89 +/- 0.14 mg/kg and 5.05 +/- 0.86 mg/kg in S. commerson and P. pessuliferus, respectively, compared to the permissible standard limits. Cd was not found in most samples, except for F. indicus and C. quinquedens where its detected levels exceeded the acceptable standards. Our results may prove the significant roles of seasonal impacts and species variations in the acquisition mechanisms of heavy metals in marine environments. Therefore, the application of a detection program for cumulative residual levels of heavy metals in marine fisheries products is recommended before marketing to ensure the safety of these products.