Trace elements and stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) in fish from deep-waters of the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea

Trace elements (TEs) and stable isotope ratios (δ15N and δ13C) were analyzed in fish from deep-water of the Sulu Sea, the Celebes Sea and the Philippine Sea. Concentrations of V and Pb in pelagic fish from the Sulu Sea were higher than those from the Celebes Sea, whereas the opposite trend was observed for δ13C. High concentrations of Zn, Cu and Ag were found in non-migrant fish in deep-water, while Rb level was high in fish which migrate up to the epipelagic zone, probably resulting from differences in background levels of these TEs in each water environment or function of adaptation to deep-water by migrant and non-migrant species. Arsenic level in the Sulu Sea fish was positively correlated with δ15N, indicating biomagnification of arsenic. To our knowledge, this is the first study on relationship between diel vertical migration and TE accumulation in deep-water fish.