Effect of water pollution on gonads, liver and heart of two dominant tilapias of oreochromis spp in lake Mariut

ABSTRACT

Specimens of O. niloticus and O. aureus were caught from polluted and non-polluted basins of Lake Mariut to determine the water pollution effect on gonads, liver and heart of fish. The results indicated that there were highly significant decrease in gonadosomatic, hepatosomatic and cardiosomatic indices in fish living in polluted water. Furthermore, the sensitivity of cardiosomatic index for pollution proved that it can be used as a good indicator of aquatic environmental pollution since it is not affected by the state of fish maturation