A study was done to ascertain the concentration of copper and cobalt in the muscle tissues of Oreochromis niloticus, Protopterus aethiopicus, Clarias gariepinus and Bagrus docmac, in four fish species of socio-economic importance to the people living around Lake George. Fish species were purchased from Kasenyi and Kahendero fishing villages along the shores of Lake George and analyzed for copper and cobalt levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. A sample of 17 Oreochromis niloticus, 13 Protopterus aethiopicus, 13 Clarias gariepinus and 14 Bagrus docmac was taken. The results indicated relatively higher levels of copper in the muscle tissue of the four fish species compared to cobalt. There was no significant difference in the mean copper levels between Protopterus aethiopicus (0.88 ± 0.63 µg/g dry weight), Clarias gariepinus (0.90 ± 0.23 µg/g dry weight) and Bagrus docmac (0.87 ± 0.17 µg/g dry weight). However, there was a significant difference in the mean copper levels between these three species and Oreochromis niloticus (0.51 ± 0.19 µg/g dry weight). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the mean cobalt concentration between the four species i.e. Bagrus docmac (0.65 ± 0.18 µ/g dry weight), Clarias gariepinus (0.58 ± 0.12 µ/g dry weight), Protopterus aethiopicus (0.56 ± 0.11 µ/g dry weight), and Oreochromis niloticus (0.54 ± 0.14 µg/g dry weight).
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