Muscle element fingerprint is a comprehensive reflection of the accumulated transformation of elements from different sources in muscles, and has habitat indicator functions such as stability and representativeness. Leiocassis longirostris (Ll), Coilia mystus (Cm) and Collichthys lucidus (Cl) are important fishery species in the Yangtze River Estuary with different ecological habits. In this study, the element fingerprint of three fish species (Ll, Cm, Cl) and two environmental media of water (W) and sediment (S) were analyzed. According to the PERMANOVA, significant differences (p