the target islands were brought to the Applied Fisheries Laboratory during the summer of 1951. At this writing this material has a specific activity of as much as 7.5 x 106 a/m/g Or approximately 3 wc per gram. Unfortunately we do not have data concerning the location from which the sample was taken, nor do we know whether the sample was scraped only from the surface or taken from some depth. Consequently it is impossible to calculate either the average activity or the total activity present on a given island. In any case, this is obviously suf- ficient radioactivity to permit valid radioassays of organisms taken from the area. Except for the problems of transportation, Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls are almost ideal locations for studying the over- all problems of radioactive contamination. The combination of terrestrial and aquatic environment is ideal. The land forms of the atolls have a unique advantage in the simplicity of their ecology as compared with continental areas. and species of animals and plants, Since the number the types of soils, areas are more narrowly circumscribed, and the it is reasonable to suppose that here is an excellent opportunity to determine the pattern of effects of radioactive contamination in a natural environment. and reconstruction of soil in completely devastated \) Revegetation