Heavy metal concentrations in a tropical eel Anguilla bicolor bicolor in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia

Heavy metals are omnipresent in hydrosystems as a consequence of the daily anthropogenic activities and the persistence of some compounds used in the past. The detection and evaluation of the influence of hazardous chemicals is of growing concern because of the potential threat to wildlife and human health by inducing a wide range of adverse effects. Biological indicators such as bivalves (oysters, mussels), crustaceans or fish are commonly used to evaluate the chemical state of aquatic environments. A number of studies supported the use of freshwater eels Anguilla spp. as reliable bioindicators of environmental changes and contaminant concentrations in the eel tissue are suitable indicators reflecting the environmental exposure to pollutants (Le et al., 2009, 2010a, b). The EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels (WG Eel, 2006) and the Scientific, Technical, and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF, 2006) have recommended that the Water Framework Directive should use the anguillid eel as a sentinel species for monitoring the chemical status of surface waters with respect to hazardous substances.