My project is focused on determining the relationship between TMAO concentration and lipid accumulation in teleost and elasmobranch fishes. TMAO is responsible for a variety of functions within the cell, including roles in osmoregulation and protein stability. However, the mechanisms responsible for TMAO maintenance require further investigation. My research is aimed at characterizing how lipid storage relates to TMAO concentration in species of Hawaiian teleosts and how this characteristic changes with depth. The second aspect of my project focuses on how TMAO concentration is affected by diet in the local elasmobranchs Squalus acanthias and Leucoraja erinacea .