Three female fish species of Snapper (Lutjanus goreensis), Herring (Sardinella maderensis) and Oarfish (Regalecus glesne) were sampled from Lagos Lagoon during the dry and wet seasons of 2008 and 2009 and subjected to cold extraction and clean-up procedure. Their muscle tissues were analysed for chlorinated hydrocarbons because they can concentrate pesticide residues from sediments and water. The identification and quantitation of the chlorinated hydrocarbon residues were performed using a gas chromatograph with a 63Ni electron capture detector. The fishes had condition factor of more than 1 except Regalecus glesne. A higher concentration of the residues was observed during the dry season. The residue distribution pattern in muscle tissues of the fishes were: Regalecus glesne > Sardinella maderensis > Lutjanus goreensis. Regalecus glesne recorded the highest chlorinated hydrocarbon content: 6181.16 ng/g. Except for endrin and heptachlor, the estimated daily intakes of the organochlorines were within the acceptable daily intakes while the levels of residues in the fishes were within the permissible residue limits.
Keywords. Chlorinated hydrocarbons, Lutjanus goreensis, Sardinella maderensis, Regalecus glesne, Lagos Lagoon