Most of the species selected were reef dwellers and more or less

sedentary; however, a few which prefer open sandy bottom, such

as goatfish, jacks and flatfish, were also taken and ashed for
counting.
The fish which best fulfilled the criteria listed above
were the damsel fish (Pomacentridae),

surgeon fish (Acanthuri-

dae), groupers (Serranidae) and wrasse (Labridae).

Appendix

Table 3, which summarizes the material used in the analysis for
radioactivity, shows that these four families were taken at all
stations.

Certain species such as the grouper, Epinephalus

merra, the damsel fish, Abudefduf biocellatus, the surgeon fish,
Acanthurus triostegus, and the wrasse, Halichoeres trimaculatus,

were taken at a majority of the stations.
A total of 237 specimens representing 58 species, 33 genera
and 22 families of fishes were counted for radioactivity on

768 plates.
The following organs of the large specimens selected were
analyzed for radioactivity:

gut (including contents).
combined for analysis:

muscle, skin, bone, liver, and

In small fish the following were

(1) muscle, skin, and bone; (2) gut

and liver; or (3) entire fish.

Omnivores and carnivores were

selected in approximately equal numbers at each station.
In order to compare the activity found in various samples

of entire fish, the total activity per gram of an individual
fish was calculated as the sum of the activity

of

tissues, the procedure followed in 1949 (AECD-3446).
sults are recorded in Table 10.

- 44 -

all

The re-

The tissues listed in this

Select target paragraph3