Mercury is a very dangerous toxic metal that bioaccumulates very easily in organisms, and it migrates through the food
web. The specimens studied in this study were Scomber colias. In the results obtained for the years 1973, 1992, and 2021,
the concentration of mercury has been decreasing considerably over the decades, starting with 0.23±0.04 mg/kg in 1973,
and having less than half in 2021 with 0.11±0.01 mg/kg. This may be due to the laws imposed by the countries against
pollution and to a greater extent in the elimination of mercury; thanks to these measures it has been possible to reduce the
concentration of mercury by half in S. colias. Otherwise, the conservation and availability of historical collections of living
beings should be considered an unvalued source of information which could help to monitor legislation measures launched
to ameliorate the human impact on the natural environment.
