Evaluation of trace elements contaminations in skin tissue of Rutilus kutum Kamensky 1901 from the south of the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest water body in the world. It is surrounded by five states – Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Caspian kutum, Rutilus kutum Kamensky 1901, is a commercially important fish species in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, but little data available on trace element (TE) concentrations in its skin. In this study 51 R. kutum in the south shoreline of the Caspian Sea (including Astara, Anzali and Kiashahr) were caught during September 2017 to June 2018 and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure TE concentrations in their skin. The trace element concentrations (TECs) measured in the skin (except for potassium) did not exhibit significant differences between the study areas. So that, only concentration of potassium was higher in Kiashahr than other areas.