This study focused on accumulation of organochlorine compounds (OCs), including dichloro-diphenyltrichloroethanes
(DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) accumulation in the muscle of four sturgeon (Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus;
Stellate sturgeon, Acipenser stellatus; Ship sturgeon, Acipenser nudiventris and Beluga sturgeon, Huso huso)
from the southern Caspian Sea. The DDT group was prominent in all of the sturgeon muscle tested constituting
almost half or more of the total organochlorine content. Contaminant concentration generally
followed this order: DDTs > PCBs > HCHs > HCB. The OCs concentrations in Beluga sturgeon (H. huso)
were the highest and over four times higher than in the next highest species (A. nudiventris). From an ecotoxicological
point of view, the concentrations of OCs in experimental fishes do not reflect a comparatively
clean and pollution-free environment; however, results from this study shown that the inflow of
organic pollutants into the Caspian Sea has been reduced when compared with prior studies. Levels of
measured OCs in sturgeon were relatively low, but the level of some OCs in some of the specimens tested
exceeded the guidelines for food; therefore, the maximum allowable daily consumption rate for sturgeon
from this watershed may be limited by DDTs and PCBs content for high risk populations.
