Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 24 No 4 (2020): 546 - 557

 

 

 

 

LEVEL OF HEAVY METALS IN BAMBOO SHARKS (Chiloscyllium sp.) IN STRAITS OF MALACCA, MALAYSIA

 

(Kepekatan Logam Berat di dalam Yu Cicak (Chiloscyllium sp.) di Selat Melaka, Malaysia)

 

Jun-Han Poong¹, Lian-Sheng Tee¹, Evonne Tan¹, Tiam-Hing Yip¹, Muhammad Hasbi Ramli¹, Abd Rahman Ali Hassan², Ahmad Ali³, Chen Meng-Hsien⁴, James Lam Chung Wah⁵, Ong Meng Chuan^1,6,7*

 

¹Faculty of Science and Marine Environment,

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

²Pejabat Perikanan Daerah Larut Matang dan Selama, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia

³Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department,

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), 21080 Chendering, Terengganu, Malaysia

⁴Department of Oceanography,

National Sun Yat-sen University, 70 Lian-Hai Road, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan

⁵Department of Science and Environmental Studies,

The Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

⁶Institute of Oceanography and Environment

⁷Ocean Pollution and Ecotoxicology (OPEC) Research Group

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author:  ong@umt.edu.my

 

 

Received: 20 November 2019; Accepted: 11 June 2020; Published: 11 August 2020

 

 

Abstract

Sharks which are the top predators in the ocean food chain are still high in demand as delicacies (shark meat) in restaurants despite the efforts to protect them. Anyhow, sharks accumulate a significant amount of metals in their bodies. Hence, a study was carried out to examine the presence and concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) in bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium), the most commonly landed species. A total of 43 Chiloscyllium samples were collected from the local fishermen in Lumut, Perak. In this study, the two edible tissue samples, namely the muscle and fins were dissected and analysed using inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following a Teflon bomb closed digestion with HNO₃ acid. Based on the results, the concentration of heavy metals in muscle tissues arranged in a diminution order is Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. Meanwhile, the concentration pattern of metals in fin tissues followed the Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd sequence. The average concentration of metals in the fin tissues was higher than that of muscle tissues. All metals examined were associated with the sharks’ length and weight, whereby the findings also indicated that all metals exhibited positive correlation except for Pb concentration in muscle and Zn concentration in fin tissues. The Pollution Load Index (PLI) was used as the predictor to assess the contamination status in the tissue samples. The average PLI value calculated for the muscle and fin tissues ranged between 3.2 and 12.4, respectively. These values also indicated that the level of contamination is very much under control, hence, no monitoring is needed. Therefore, all findings from this study may be used as a reference for future studies, especially on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia waters.

 

Keywords:  Straits of Malacca, sharks, heavy metals, pollution load index

 

Abstrak

Ikan yu adalah pemangsa teratas dalam rantaian makanan dan boleh mengakumulasi sejumlah besar logam berat dalam badan mereka. Terdapat juga permintaan tinggi daging ikan yu sebagai makanan istimewa di restoran. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan kepekatan logam berat (Cd, Cu, Pb, dan Zn) dalam tisu yu cicak (Chiloscyllium) yang paling banyak didaratkan. Sebanyak 43 sampel Chiloscyllium telah dikumpulkan daripada nelayan tempatan di Lumut, Perak. Dalam kajian ini, dua tisu iaitu daging dan sirip ikan yu telah dipilih untuk dianalisa dengan menggunakan spektrometri jisim-gadingan aruhan plasma (ICP-MS) selepas proses pencernaan tertutup bom Teflon dengan asid HNO₃. Corak kepekatan logam dalam tisu daging dalam urutan Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. Manakala kepekatan logam dalam tisu sirip ikan menurun dalam urutan Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd. Pada umumnya, kepekatan logam dalam tisu sirip adalah lebih tinggi berbanding tisu daging. Kandungan logam dalam setiap organ dikaitkan dengan panjang dan berat ikan yu dan semua logam dalam tisu daging menunjukkan korelasi positif, manakala Pb dalam tisu daging dan Zn dalam tisu sirip menunjukkan korelasi negatif kepada panjang dan berat ikan yu. Status pencemaran ikan yu cicak juga dinilai menggunakan Indeks Beban Pencemaran (PLI) sebagai petunjuk pencemaran. Purata nilai PLI untuk tisu daging adalah 3.2, dan untuk tisu sirip adalah 12.4 dan ini menunjukkan tahap pencemaran berada di bawah kawalan dan pemantauan tidak diperlukan. Hasil dapatan kajian ini boleh digunakan sebagai rujukan pada kajian akan datang terutamanya di perairan barat Semenanjung Malaysia.

 

Kata kunci:  Selat Melaka, ikan yu, logam berat, indeks bebanan pencemaran

 

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