Abstract
Fish is used as a global pollution indicator by environmental scientists. The current study's goal is to evaluate the fish characteristics as a common food and heavy metal contents of some fish species in the Tripoli market by measuring different parameters, including density, pH, nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P) as indicators of fish protein levels, moisture content, organic matter, inorganic ash, and the concentration of heavy elements, especially As, Pb, Cd, Fe, V, and Zn. A total of 36 fish samples from three regional species: red porgy, red scorpion fish, and brushtooth lizard fish were chosen for analysis. The findings show that the three fish species under study all have the following distributions of protein in the form of phosphorous and nitrogen: Red porgy fish > Red scorpion fish > Brushtooth lizard fish. The findings showed that the density of all fish samples was within the usual range and was always greater than the water's density. With an average pH value of 6.71, fish almost reached the neutrality level. The average amount of water in the fish was between 66 and 69%, the average amount of organic matter was between 29 and 33%, and the amount of ash was not more than 2%. According to the findings of heavy metal analyses, none of the fish tested are positive for (Pb), (Cd), or (V). It was discovered that the porgy fish was polluted with (As), (Zn), (Fe), and (Cu) in the following proportions: As > Zn > Fe > Cu. The proportion of (Zn) in red scorpion fish was the greatest of the elements studied, while (As) came in last. The percentage of heavy elements is organized as follows: Zn > Fe > Cu > As. The proportion of (Fe) was found to be the greatest in Brushtooth lizard fish while (Cu) filled the last position among the components listed in descending order as follows: Fe > Zn > As > Cu. Despite the relatively high levels of Fe, Zn, and Cu, all of which are nutritious elements for humans, and it was concluded that arsenic (As), which was found in the highest concentration in Red porgy fish was the only dangerous element. The typical concentration of this element in fish is 116 mg/kg. Keywords: Red porgy fish, Red scorpion fish, Brushtooth lizard fish, heavy metals, fish characteristics.