Title
Mercury levels in the smooth hammerhead Shark Sphyrna zygaena (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae) from Northern Perú
Other title
Niveles de mercurio en el tiburón martillo Sphyrna zygaena (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae) del norte del Perú
Date Issued
01 December 2017
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Abstract
The smooth hammerhead shark Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the elasmobranch species most used for human consumption in Perú. However the level of mercury in hammerhead muscle tissue is unknown. This study assessed the level of mercury found in the muscle of hammerhead sharks and its relation with human health. Moreover we evaluated the relationship between shark body size and mercury levels. We analyzed 27 muscle samples of neonates and juveniles captured in northern Perú. Mercury concentrations varied between 0.13 and 0.86 mg kg-1 wet weight. Moreover we found a negative and significant relationship between shark body size and mercury levels. This study represents the first evaluation of mercury levels of sharks in Perú. Although the values found do not exceed levels recommended by the World Health Organization (< 1 mg kg-1), we recommend expanding this study to include other size classes of sharks as well as other marine resources used for human consumption.
Start page
407
End page
411
Volume
24
Issue
4
Language
Spanish
OCDE Knowledge area
Biología marina, Biología de agua dulce, Limnología
Conservación de la Biodiversidad
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85039736897
Source
Revista Peruana de Biologia
ISSN of the container
15610837
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus