Mercury in some commercial fish from Kuwait: a pilot study.

We investigated the total mercury content in the muscles, liver and gonads of eight commercial fish from Kuwait. Mercury concentrations in the muscle of all the fish were below the action level of 1 microgram g-1 (wet weight) set by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, large specimens of Epinephelus tauvina (Hamoor) and Lutjanus Coccineus (Hamrah) showed concentrations which were close to the action level. The relationship between mercury concentration and fish age and length was in the form of an exponential correlation (Y = aXb), in which concentration increases with an increase in fish age or length. Correlation coefficients obtained ranged between 0.65 and 0.86.