Marking Fish with Stable Strontium

Abstract

Stable strontium is fed to fish in a Sr-rich, Ca-free synthetic food for a short period of time. Subsequent identification by flame emission photometry can be made using a single scale from a marked fish. One year after marking, scales from marked fish contain approximately 10 times as much Sr as those from control fish. There is no evidence of damage to fish due to their elevated Sr content.