Accumulation of heavy metals in freshwater fish in cage aquaculture at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Freshwater fish demand in West Java is supported by cage aquaculture in reservoirs. Cirata Reservoir is one of three cascading hydropower reservoirs built along the Citarum River that receives domestic and industrial wastes. Water pollution by heavy metals, such as copper and lead, increases the health risk of humans who consume the fish. The study was aimed to evaluate the concentration of copper and lead in fish, specifically on Cyprinus carpio, that are widely cultivated in the Cirata Reservoir. Two sizes of fish were collected from five sampling points around floating-cage area. The liver of the fish was found to contain the highest copper level, followed by gills, skin, and muscle. In contrast, lead was also high in the liver, followed by skin, gills, and the muscle, but the copper concentration found in the tissues studied was much higher (31.111 +/- 17.911 mg/kg dry wt) than the lead content (0.290 +/- 0.346 mg/kg dry wt). The concentration of metals in smaller fish was always higher than than that in bigger fish. The metals content was also compared to those in fish exposed in a semistatic laboratory-scale study using Oreochromis niloticus. After 28 days exposure with 0.01 mg Cu/L, fish accumulated 21.53 mg Cu/kg dry wt, whereas for Pb exposure of 0.016 mg/L, fish accumulated up to 7 mg/kg dry wt. However, estimates of Cu and Pb intake from C. carpio consumption were still below the average daily intake (ADI) limit. This study suggested that monitoring of water quality and heavy metals in cultured fish is important in protecting human health.