NUCLEAR MICROSCOPY STUDY OF FISH SCALES

Fish scales are useful to ichthyologists for purposes of classificatio n, identification, age determination and history study. So far, all st udies of fish scales, for whatsoever purposes, have relied on the use of optical or electron microscopes to study their form and structure. Employing the NUS nuclear microscope, we measured the concentrations o f Sr, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cr, As, Se, Br and Pb in the scales of 17 fi sh species. The objective was to test the hypotheses that the trace el ements in scales could be used for species differentiation, and that t he fish scale could potentially be used as a monitor for the environme nt. Our preliminary results gave positive indications. (C) 1997 Elsevi er Science B.V.