c fish
Mean concentrations of !37cs in the flesh of reef and pelagi

Table 7.

from different islands and during different collection periods.

137¢s (pCi/kg wet wt)
Mean

Range

265 + 1112

130-460

Number of samples

Island locator

W

B-1

181 + 1388

9

B-5
B-6
|

B-10

12

1:

66 + 702

12-240

3

a

26 + 184

14-50

24 + 204

7-62

B-12

6

B-13

2

B-17

B-23

Pelagic species

40-370

16 + 73

11-21

6

42 + 284

12-90

2

33 + 164

20-45

13

164 + 1130

60-380

All reef fish (all lagoon locations)
1977-1978

28

119

1980-1981

1]

146

1982-1984

12

97

1977-1984

51

113

@ Mean concentration for all mullet, surgeonfish, goatfish, and parrotfish

collected between 1977 and 1984.

Mean concentration from all pelagic species collected between 1977 and

.

1984.

the trophic position of the fish and their muscle burden of '3/Cs.

The

largest fraction of the !3/Cs is found in the muscle tissue of the fourth-

trophic-level
level

fish,

fish,
mullet.

snapper, and the lowest fraction in the second-trophicHowever,

surgeonfish,

also

a

second-trophic-level

species, have a larger fraction of the total !37cs in muscle tissue than is
found in the third-trophic-level fish, goatfish.

The data on the concentrations of !37cs in the muscle tissue of fish are

presented here in several

ways to help in the interpretation of results.

Table 7 contains a summary of the mean and range of !37cs concentrations (no
corrections were made for radioactive decay) in the muscle tissue of reef fish

5000561

13

Select target paragraph3