The concentrations of selected trace elements such as Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), and Nickel (Ni) were assessed in the muscle, gill, and liver of three selective fish species, namely Cyprinus carpio (L, 1758), Aspius vorax (Heckel, 1843), and Barbus xanthopterus (Heckel, 1843). Samples were collected between March 2022 and February 2023 from four strategically chosen sites spanning different areas of the river. The results indicate that the trace elements are clearly concentrated in the muscle and gill according to the following order: Fe>Pb>Mn>Cd>Co>Ni. However, in the liver, the results showed that these trace elements followed the concentration levels Fe>Pb>Cd>Mn>Co>Ni. This result confirms our findings that muscles, which are the edible portion of the fish for the Iraqi people, contain higher levels of Cd, which exceeded the permissible limits, especially in Cyprinus carpio in sites 1 and 2. Barbus xanthopterus has registered the highest concentration of Cd if compared to the safety limit in all sampled sites. Fe and Cd in the muscle and liver in Cyprinus carpio displayed significant differences between sites (ANOVA, p<0.0001). The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) confirms our results that Co and Mn in site 3 were associated with the three fish species (Cyprinus carpio in muscle tissue, Aspius vorax in the liver, and Barbus xanthopterus in the gill). However, Cd, Co, Mn, and Ni in site 4 were associated with the liver and gill in Cyprinus carpio and with muscle tissue in Aspius vorax. The estimated daily intakes for all trace elements were lower than the tolerable daily intakes. Therefore, the consumption of fish species would not cause health problems for consumers. Whereas the total target hazard quotients (TTHQs) for Barbus xanthopterus from sites 2, 3, and 4 exceed one, this means that there may be a potential for adverse non–cancer health effects to occur. This proposes a potential health risk for individuals who consume large quantities of this fish species from these specific sites. These findings suggested that fish should be used, under a future project of biomonitoring programs, as bioindicators for trace element contamination and a relevant tool for water quality assessment in the Tigris River.