The Application of Otolith Geochemistry in Forensic Fisheries Science

Forensic science has had long successful history solving mysteries and crimes.  A body is found; investigators rush to the scene armed with a multitude of sample jars and plastic bags.  Samples are returned to the lab and variety of tests are run to figure out who died, how they died and who done it.  Forensic fisheries science is similar, however rather than a single dead body we investigate the decline of a fish population, the effect of management practices or the illegal introduction of a voracious predator.  Using the geochemical properties of the fishes otoliths (ear  bone) we can begin to shed light on what happened, why it happened and who did it.  In this paper we discuss the use of otolith geochemistry to reconstruct movements of fish, parentage, and determine the time and source of an illegal fish introduction.  This new type of investigative tool for fisheries science will provide an abundance of information for fisheries managers to assess impacts of management actions on fish populations.