Content of microelements in the grass shrimp pandalus kessleri (Decapoda: Pandalidae) from coastal waters of the Lesser Kurilskaya Ridge

The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Pb, and Ni were determined in the hepatopancreas, muscle tissue, and carapace of the grass shrimp Pandalus kessleri from the coastal waters of the Lesser Kurilskaya Ridge. Sex reversal of the grass shrimp, which is a proterandrous hermaphrodite, had a marked influence on the concentrations of such metals as Fe, Cu, Cd, and Mn. The levels of Cd in the hepatopancreas of grass shrimp exceeded maximum permissible concentrations for seafood at all the stations studied. The main factors determining the metal levels in P. kessleri from the investigated locations are discussed.