To assess the significance of metals in biota of the Barents Sea, prelimina
ry information is presented for the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni, Cu an
d Zn in liver and muscle tissues of 15 marine fish species collected in the
summer of 1994. Lead and Ni concentrations are below limits of detection (
< 0.3 and 1.0 mg kg(-1) dry wt.) in all tissues, as is Cd in muscle (< 0.10
mg kg(-1)). Generally, most of our results are within the reported literat
ure range for various Arctic marine systems, especially regarding some comm
ercially important species like cod and redfish, indicating that metal leve
ls are not elevated. However, the interspecific variability is substantial
and some remarkably high Cd levels (2.4 and 8.1 mg kg(-1) dry wt.) in liver
s of Anarhichas species (catfish) and Raja fyllae (round skate) point to th
e problem of a general 'cadmium-anomaly' in polar marine waters, previously
inferred from reported results for various pelagic and benthic invertebrat
es. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. AU rights reserved.