Total mercury content--fish weight relationship in swordfish (Xiphias gladius) caught in the southwest Atlantic Ocean
2001
Mendez, E. | Giudice, H. | Pereira, A. | Inocente, G. | Medina, D.
The total mercury content in the edible part of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) was determined in 192 specimens ranging from 10 to 412 kg, in the period January 1997-December 1999. Total mercury values between 0.04 and 2.21 mg kg(-1), with a mean value of 0.62 +/- 0.35 mg kg(-1), were obtained. Data were analyzed in two subsets. One of them, for specimens under 100 kg, yielded a mean value for total mercury content of 0.53 +/- 0.02 mg kg(-1), and the other, for specimens above 100 kg, had a mean value of 0.94 +/- 0.06 mg kg(-1). The existence of these subsets of data is related with the rate of mercury incorporation into swordfish flesh, in accordance with a potential model for total mercury bioaccumulation. Swordfish weighing below 100 kg can be considered safe for human consumption, according to international regulations.
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