Assessment of heavy metal contamination in various tissues of six ray species from İskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean Sea.

This study was performed to investigate the heavy metal concentrations in muscle, liver, gill and intestine of six ray species from İskenderun Bay. The present study is the first for rays in İskenderun Bay, providing valuable preliminary information about heavy metal contents in different tissues of the examined ray species from the bay, and indirectly, indicating the environmental contamination of İskenderun Bay. Heavy metal levels in intestines were generally higher than those in other tissues for all species. Metal levels in ray muscle tissue were below the international maximum allowable levels for fish and fishery products, as well as Turkish national guidelines, with the exception of the highest value for Cd in Dasyatis pastinaca.