how to analyse the dead fish in river?

Question

i have been ask to do a research about a dead fish found suddenly in a river in my hometown. i need the method and why i choose that method and also the analyte i should analyzed.

Answer 1

i would start by asking yourself some questions that you will want to answer....what caused the death? in what state of decay is the flesh? are there any marks on the fish?....thses types of questions will help give you a guideline to follow. you will want to establish how long the fish died and to ascertain no other animal either caused the death or has eaten on the fish since its death...examine the mouth, look in it as well as around it...is there any pin holes that would establish that a fishermans hook had been in its lip or had it swallowed the hook and been pulled out and so some of its intestines are now in its mouth. if there are no outward sign of death, very carefully remove the skin and scales in one piece...look for things such as parasites or little black spots that can be seen on as well as in the flesh. also, examine minutely every inch of its innards, this means removing them as carefully as possible, not as when you do for cooking. a scalpel will help a lot. if there are no signs of parasites....then you have to begin testing for other things, such as poisoning (water pollution) and fish diseases. here are some links that can help you there.

http://ottawariverkeeper.ca/issues/dead_fish_mystery/
http://www.deq.state.va.us/info/srfishkill.html
http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=vc2%5C2my%5Cmy2_foxriver.html
http://www.clean-flo.com/dead-fish-and-fish-kill.html
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/METRO/701240394/1050/SPORTS06

Answer 2

cook it up