Incidence and estimation of chitinase activity associated with marine fish and other estuarine samples

Abstract

A procedure for the determination of chitinase activity was adapted for the seawater environment. Preliminary data indicate that the controlled bacterial environment within the digestive tracts of marine fishes and possibly other marine animals plays a significant role in the decomposition and recycling of chitin. It is estimated in the stomachs of a single population of Enophrys bison (buffalo sculpin) of 1×105 fish that ca. 16 metric tons of chitin could be decomposed annually.