Complementary accumulation of selenium and mercury in fish muscle.

The concentrations of total selenium and total mercury in the muscle of striped mullet from four stations in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea and one in the Black Sea were analyzed. If the sum of the concentrations of mercury and selenium (expressed as nmoles/g) is plotted against the age of the specimens, a single function describes all of the results. The explanation suggested by the authors is that Se-Hg receptors exist and increase with the age of the animal. These receptors may be occupied by mercury in proportion to its concentration in the environment.