plete collection of data is available for use in inter- 
pretive studies. It is also anticipated that the data will be 
made available to the public, in the future, through the 
National Oceanographic Data Center, Environmental 
Data Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 
ministration, Rockville, Md. 
This work represents an essential first step towards a 
better understanding of possible constraints that may be 
placed upon the safe and economic utilization of the 
Nation’s fishery resource due to contamination by trace 
elements. It provides a broad view of the occurrence of 15 
elements and contains baseline information that should 
be of assistance in planning future, more detailed inves- 
tigations of trace element levels in selected species of 
fishes and shellfishes. Several such in-depth studies are 
currently underway on species revealed to be relatively 
high in one or more elements. Some underutilized species 
are also being studied in depth because of their potential 
commercial value, not necessarily because they are 
known to be high in any element. Other surveys of this 
kind are being undertaken in locations believed to be pol- 
luted. Elements selected for detailed investigations 
include those found in toxic form and those believed to 
offset the toxic effects of others through chemical or bio- 
chemical interactions. In the long term, the ability to dis- 
tinguish between toxic and relatively harmless contami- 
nants would be extremely valuable from a public health 
standpoint and in assisting efficient management of the 
fishery resource. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
This has been a cooperative project involving sample 
collection by NMFS’s many field laboratories and statis- 
tical agents; sample preparation by the College Park and 
Seattle NMFS laboratories; chemical analysis by a con- 
tractor in Puerto Rico; and sample packaging and ship- 
ping, review of the raw experimental data, data manage- 
ment, and preliminary and final data report preparation 
by the College Park Laboratory. Thanks are due to all 
NMFS personnel who assisted with fish collection; E. 
Gauglitz and other members of the Seattle staff who par- 
ticipated in sample preparation; College Park personnel 
involved in sample preparation and data handling, es- 
pecially J. Powell for supervising the collection of fish 
and preparation of samples, and T. Chambers and S. 
Nealis for their part in checking data and assembling 
tables; G. Moyer of NOAA/OMCS for his contribution in 
creating and maintaining the Microconstituents Data 
Bank; and G. Knobl and H. Seagran, past and present 
Directors of the College Park Laboratory, for their 
valuable comments and suggestions throughout the 
course of this work. 
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