RADIOACTIVITY IN THE REEF FISHES OF BELLE
ISLAND, ENIWETOK ATOLL, APRIL
1954 TO NOVEMBER 1955
Introduction
Previous studies of the radioactivity in the fishes
in the
Marshall Islands have been confined to single surveys made soon
after an atomic detonation,
occasionally followed by one to
three resurveys a few months up to three years later (UWFL-7,
UWFL-16, UWFL-19, UWFL-23, WT-616 (UWFL-33), and UWFL-43 ).
Trends in the levels or decline of radioactivity in the fish
populations could only be estimated by basing assumptions on
physical decay.
The purpose of this investigation was to measure the trend
or decline of radtoactivity in the fish,
in different species,
to compare the decline
in some of the organs or tissues,
and in
the environment and to compare the decline with the physical
decay of radioactivity.
Materials and Methods
Continuous, sequential studies of the amounts of radioactivity in the reef fishes of Belle (Bogombogo)
Island, Eniwetok
Atoll, were made from April 14, 1954, through November 1, 1955,
during and after the weapons testing program at Eniwetok and
Bikini Atolls.
important
The Nectar shot of May 14, 1954, was the most
in these
studies,
since
the detonation occurred but