Element fingerprinting of Catla catla raised in trhe sewage fed aquaculture systems at Nalban, East Kolkata Wetlands

Abstract

Fish is a health food and owing to the health benefits of eating fish, its demand is increasing. Kolkata is one of the largest cities in SouthEastern Asia and much of demand for fish is contributed by sewage fed aquaculture systems of the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). These sewage effluents tainted with different elements can influence the elemental composition of the fishes raised from this system. The present study aims to determine the element profile of sewage fed fish and compared with fish from culture pond to determine the suitability of the fish for consumption. The levels of trace elements (Mn, I, Cu, Fe, Zn), ultra-trace, toxic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Hg, Ni, Pb and Se) and also macro elements (P, K, Ca, Na, Mg) in muscle tissues of Catla catla have been determined by ICP-AES, AAS and iodometric methods. Element distribution showed that, the P, K, Ca, Na, Mg and I were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the muscle tissue of Catla collected from culture pond than sewage fed fish. There was no significant difference in trace elements like Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn. Other elements like As, Cd, Cr, Co, Hg, Ni, Pb and Se were recorded below detectable level from both the samples. This analysis showed that, the toxic elements were recorded within the safe limits as per International standards in sewage fed fish samples.