Bioaccumulatiion and Elimination of Endosulfan in Muscle, Gills and Blood of Channa punctatus

Abstract

After exposure of Channa punctatus to sub-lethal concentrations of endosulfan for 120 hrs, residues of endosulfan were estimated quantitatively in muscle, gills and blood. Maximum accumulation of endosulfan was observed in the gills. Treated fishes were subsequently transferred to endosulfan free freshwater for another 120 hrs in order to study the recovery response of these fishes. During recovery phase, slow and steady elimination of endosulfan residue was observed in both treated groups, showing non-significant removal in muscle and highly significant removal in gills and blood. Results reveal that muscle, gills and blood of C. punctatus have the ability to bioaccumulate endosulfan even at low concentrations and short exposure. This may in turn lead to various degenerative processes which will influence physiology and nutritive value of the fish.