Baseline levels of cadmium and lead were determined in muscle tissue and liver of hake (Merluccius merluccius) and red mullet (Mullus barbatus), two commercially important fish species from the eastern Adriatic. Concentrations of trace metals in liver (Cd: 6-183 microg kg(-1) w. wt. ; Pb: 39-970 microg kg(-1) w. wt.) were within the range of recently published data for the Mediterranean. In the muscle tissue, cadmium concentrations (4.1-29 microg kg(-1) w. wt.) were among the lowest reported values for the Mediterranean, whereas lead levels (49-158 microg kg(-1) w. wt.) were within the range of values reported for various coastal areas of the Mediterranean. Presented data on cadmium and lead content in the studied fish species provide no proof of the general pollution of the Adriatic. Obtained data were tested in relation to fish length. Metal concentrations in liver decreased with the increase in fish size, whereas no significant correlation was found between trace metal levels in the muscle tissue and the length of both species. Relationships between metal concentrations and sex were also tested, but they gave no significant results. A comparison of contaminant concentrations in the edible tissue of hake and red mullet with the Croatian legislation shows that the consumption of their meat is not harmful for humans, not even for the most endangered population from the coastal region.