Oa es Foo Files October 5, 1959 1. E. Wallen, Aquatic Blologisc, £tnvironmenzal Sciences Branch, Division of Biology & Medicine BANNER CONTRACT, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SYMBOL: BHES : LEW On Thursday, Septesber 24, I visited Dra. Banner and Helfrich and their assistants at the University of Hawaii to discuss progress of the poison fish project. In ome sense this project is nearly completed and I expect that their west useful report will be forthcoming scon. This report will state thet no relationship could be found between radioactivity eed human poisoning from fishes. The report will simply confirm the already reperted lack of relationship from the rather superficial studies af the Taft Senitary Engineering Center of the U.3. Public Health Service. i concer with Dr. Banner in feeling thet the study should not stop at this negative point. They ere interested in establishing two additional points, positive ones, for the record. They have made subetantial progress toward izolating the poison. They have extracted the toxic component from fish filets and concentrates it at least 20 tiees in a solvent. Varicus chemical procedures are under way to directly identify the toxin. These studies sre supported by the National Institutes of Health, jointly with AKC. The second positive acientific problem concermus the source of the toxin in the ecology of the fishes. A fish becomes taxic and retains the toudeity in the laboratory for a year and lenger. The toxin seemingly is appearing in new places and perhaps disappearing elsewhere. There would seem to be a fish food organism that produces the toxin but which one, if any, is sot known. this objective in mind. Banner proposes to make further studies with Last year poisonous fishes appeared in Majuro Atoll. These fishes were collected on 3 occasions by Ors. Banner and Melfrich. On bringing the fishes to the Laboratory it was found that they were only slightly toxic. Since quantity of taxin is necessary for atudies, they collected at several places but hit the jackpot at Palmyra. Red Snappers collected there were highly toxic without exception. It is estimated by Or. Helfrich that the 300 pounds of filet will yield about .7 pounds of extract at its present stage, enough for six months vork. The Air Force acnds a a BEST COPY AVAILABLE DOS ARCHIVES