A method for obtaining small samples of muscle from living fish is described. The procedure employs a modified Silverman biopsy needle and samples of approximately 40 mg are obtained. Survival rate in a group of fish held in aquaria and periodically biopsied is excellent. Quantitative mercury analyses were carried out on multiple biopsy samples from a group of fish and the precision of the results is as good as that obtained when analyses were carried out on excised portions of muscle.
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J. F. Uthe (1971) studied this question.
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