Elemental Composition of Fish Otoliths: Results of a Laboratory IntercomparisonExercise

摘要

Within the past decade, otolith elemental analysis has become increasinglyutilized in studies of fishery biology. Based on the premise that differences in habitat chemistry are manifested in otoliths as differences in chemical composition, otolith elemental analysis has been used to address important questions in fishery research. However, this application has been hindered by the lack of an adequate standard for analytical quality control. As a newly emerging research technique, otolith elemental analysis requires further standardization between laboratories in order to optimize its usefulness. Standardization can be achieved through the use of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) and participation in intercomparison exercises. A CRM is a substance, one or more of whose properties is sufficiently well characterized to be used for the calibration of an apparatus or the assessment of a measurement method. Results of CRM analyses can be used to validate a laboratory's analytical results. They also provide a basis for comparing data generated at different laboratories or using different analytical methods. At the time of this exercise, no otolith CRMs were available, although one has since been developed through a collaboration between the Western Australian Marine Research Laboratories and Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies.