Chernobyl-derived radiocaesium in fish as dependent on water quality and lake morphometry

137Cs concentrations in perch Perca fluviatilis, pike Esox lucius and roach Rutilus rutilus obtained from lakes of different size and water quality in an area which received about 10–67 kBq m−2137Cs, were compared with environmental data. Radiocaesium concentrations were highest in pike, and were about two to three times higher in the pike and perch than in the roach. The largest perch had about four times more 137Cs than the smallest ones, but the activities in the pike and roach were independent of fish size. All of the water quality parameters examined correlated with 137Cs concentrations in the fish, but the concentrations of 137Cs in the bottom sediment did not. l37Cs fallout and water…