Post‐mortem changes in the lenses of fish eyes: Assessment of storage time and fish quality

The eye lenses of fish stored for increasing lengths of time in ice become progressively turbid. The cause of this turbidity is shown to be the diffusion of water through the corneas into the intra‐ocular fluid, followed by gradual hydration of the lens. In iced fish kept in a room of fairly constant air temperature, it was found possible by examination of 20 or more lenses to assess the storage time with an error of not more than 1 day. The limitations of the method are discussed.