Area: 75 x 75 yds 
Cube: 25 lbs 
Index: 857/5 525 
FIELD DATA RECORD 
Division of Fishes 
,155U. S. National Museum 
POISON 
Acc. No. _ Tag No. - S * a * No ' - 
Stofe or Country: _SiKitti-Atoll- 
County: - City: - 
Locality: Qmrukaen I si and ( Code _ Name:. OrukJ.. Out side r e e: 
(r ee f on SW s ide .of_island)_ 
Drainage: _ Date: 
Water: _P. 1 ® 0 **--- 
Vegetation- numerous coral heads with paths _between 
_' Time: _ U00-1430___„. 
Current: .SUTglng. brealfi TS 
Bottom: _ 
Shore: _ 
Distance from shore: - Tide: - 
Depth of capture: ___ Dzpth of water: — -- 
hAethod of capture: _ J?P-P? P- ?- 
Collected by: __EL*r&lCi. ^ _ MoJlii-QE. -.. 5-- 
Preservative: _ ... formalin_ Temp: _.-— A it: 
List of species or kinds, with fag numbers if drawn or discussed: - 
Went around South end of island to the SW side 
onthe outer reef where the station was run. The sou 
th end of the island was covered with oil andheavy 
gu mm y tar which gave a reading on the Geiger counte. 
which was as high as the instrument would read- 
ie on the 20 scale-ie the reading was .16 roentgen 
units per 24 hours (highest reading possible on mete: 
wich is over tolerence (tolerence being given as 
.1 (or 1/10) roentgen Units per 24 hours). Conseq¬ 
uently this area on the south side of the island was 
avoided and some l/3 of a mile to the west of this 
contaminated area was found another area which 
was typical flat outside reef with low growing coral; 
---it gave a reading of *2 MR (milleroentgen units) 
per 24 hours, which was below tolerence-so this 
area was worked. It should be net ed that the read¬ 
ings on the fishes varied from .1 MR to .5 MR-this 
latter reading being obtained when the counter was 
nut down inside of the 16 gal tank and within two 
Inches of the formalin solution. It was .-found that 
with the same species of fish, the reading would be 
different, ie higher, if his gut was cut open and 
the radio-active algae within the guts exposed t o 
closer proximity of the gounter. The question is 
raised as to whether these fishes have received 
enought radioactivity, either through food or throug! 
their nresence adjacent to a contaminated area so th 
t they'willsuccumb within the next few months. 
