Levels of mercury and organohalogen compounds in the muscle and liver of kidako moray eels (Gymnothorax kidako) caught off the southern region of Japan.

We analyzed the levels of total mercury (T-Hg), methylmercury (M-Hg) and Cd in the muscle and liver of kidako moray eels (Gymnothorax kidako) of different body lengths caught off Kochi Prefecture in southern Japan. Furthermore, we analyzed the levels of organohalogen compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p'-1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE), trans-nonachlor and 2,3,3',4,4',5,5'-heptachloro-1'-methyl-1-2'-bipyrrole (Q1) and stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) in the muscle of eels. The concentrations of T-Hg and M-Hg in the muscle (edible part) were 0.31±0.08 µg/wet g and 0.25±0.06 µg/wet g (n=26), respectively, and those in large eels exceeded the Japanese legislated levels of T-Hg (0.4 µg/wet g) and M-Hg (0.3 µg/wet g) in fish and shellfish, respectively. The T-Hg and M-Hg concentrations in the liver were markedly higher than those in the muscle, respectively. The ratios of M-Hg to T-Hg in the muscle and liver were about 80 and 60%, respectively, and those ratios tended to decrease with increased body length. The Cd concentrations in the liver tended to increase proportionally with body length, while that in the muscle was trace (around or below 0.03 µg/wet g). The concentrations of PCBs, p,p'-DDE, trans-nonachlor in the muscle tended to increase proportionally with body length, while that of Q1 did not. The δ(13)C and δ(15)N values in the kidako moray eel were markedly higher than those in offshore habit predators reported elsewhere, which may reflect the inshore habitat of this eels.