The Gulf of Urabá, currently considered a national strategic ecoregion, could be threatened by the presence of heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), which directly affect the aquatic ecosystem. In Colombia, investigations on marine species pollution are scarce; however, their products are consumed. The aim of this study was to quantify the contents of Hg, Pb, and Cd in muscle and in waste material (head-gills, viscera, fins-tail), in one of one of the most commercialized resources, the crevalle jack (Caranx hippos), and to determine their presence in some of the body portions that are used in the production of sub-products. The concentrations of Hg, Pb, and Cd were compared between the waste material and muscle of the crevalle jack fish that were caught from each of the following sites the community usually uses to catch them: Bahía Candelaria, Bahía Marirrío, Bocas del Roto, and Bocas del Atrato. They were captured every 1 year in each climatic period. All body portions exceeded the maximum allowed limits for Pb (0.667-23.378 mg kg-1); the highest Hg concentrations were found in muscle (0.515-7.019 mg kg-1) and viscera (0.172-1.883 mg kg-1), and for Cd, the parts with the highest levels were the fins-tail (0.040-0.15 mg kg-1) and viscera (0.040-0.174 mg kg-1). Considering the obtained results, it is not recommended to use the waste material for the production of fish meal or fish silage due to the adverse effects it could cause on both animals and humans.
Keywords: Fish; Heavy metals; Muscle; Viscera.