Effects of long-term exposure to a mixture of cadmium, zinc, and inorganic mercury on two strains of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

Abstract

Tilapia are an economically important group of fish. They have a short generation period of 3-6 months, and exhibit successive breeding. In addition, their fast growth, herbivorous or omnivorous feeding habits, high food conversion efficiency, ease of spawning, ease of handling, resistance to disease and good consumer acceptance make this group of fish highly popular in aquaculture in Asia, Africa and other developing countries. Tilapia have been the subject of research on pollution effects over the last decade. The purpose of this study was to determine growth, accumulation and depuration responses of 2 strains of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, chronically exposed to a mixture of heavy metals including cadmium, zinc and mercury.