Bioaccumulation of two macro-elements (Sodium and Potassium) in relation to body size and condition factor of Notopterus chitala from River Indus, Ghazi Ghat, Pakistan

Notopterus chitala is a member of the primitive teleost lineage and considered as commercially important food fish. To study the concentration of sodium and potassium and the influence of fish size and condition factor on the bioaccumulation of these macro-elements, a total of 16 fish specimens of N. chitala were collected from the River Indus. Mean (±SD) body weight, total length and condition factor was found 250.32±113.93 g, 32.93 ± 4.85 cm and 0.647± 0.094. Fish samples were oven dried, grinded, ashed and digested into 1M HNO3 to make sample solution. Flame atomic absorption measurements were analyzed to detect the concentration of sodium and potassium with atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean concentration of sodium was found 255.51± 32.45 µgg-1 with range values 206.28-298.70 µgg-1, while potassium was observed 1327.15 ± 234.71 µgg-1 with range 815.08-1694.87 µgg-1 in wet body weight of wild captured N. chitala. Body weight, total length and condition factor represented insignificant correlations with the concentrations of sodium and potassium in N. chitala, indicating no dependence of fish size on the bioaccumulation of these essential minerals in the body of this fish species.