An Examination of Elemental Stability in the Fin Ray of the White Sturgeon with Laser Ablation Sampling–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (LAS-ICP-MS)

Abstract

Laser ablation sampling–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LAS-ICP-MS) was used to examine the elemental composition of the opaque growth zones in the leading ray from the pectoral fin of 10 white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus recaptured from the Columbia River. Changes in the elemental composition were detected within 2 years after their initial capture, with significant correlations among the concentrations of Sr, Mg, Pb, Br, Zn, Ba, Sn, Mn, and Na in the fin rays between the two capture periods. Concentrations of K suggested that fin ray material had been resorbed between captures and that the entire fin ray may be available for resorption. The cause of the changes in elemental composition of the fin rays was not determined. For this reason the use of fin rays from white sturgeon as biomonitoring structures must account for any resorption of the fin ray with time.