Total arsenic (As) contents were determined in 540 muscle tissue samples of Baltic fishes (herring, sprat, cod, and flounder) caught in 2001-2003. Effects of fish size and fishing ground location (Eastern, Central, and Southern Baltic) on As accumulation by the muscle tissue were explored, using flounder as a model. The maximum acceptable As content in fish and fish products in 2003 was 4.0 mg·kg^-1 wet weight (w.w.). In none of the samples was this level exceeded. The highest mean As contents (0.78 mg·kg^-1 w.w.) were typical of sprat, the lowest (0.26 mg·kg^-1 w.w.) being recorded in flounder. The species studied differed significantly (p≤0.05) in their muscle tissue As contents, except for cod and flounder that showed no significant interspecific differences (p≥0.05). The Eastern Baltic flounder showed significantly (p≤0.05) higher As contents than their conspecifics harvested in both the Central and the Western Baltic. The As contents in the 30-40 cm long flounder were significantly (p≤0.05) higher than those recorded in smaller fish, i.e., those measuring 20-30 cm and those smaller than 20 cm.

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