First record of the European hake ( Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758): Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merlucciidae) in the coastal zone of Lithuania (southeastern Baltic Sea: eastern Gotland basin)
2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 27; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/21658005.2017.1323588
ISSN2165-8013
AutoresEgidijus Bacevičius, Žilvinas Kregždys,
Tópico(s)Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
ResumoOn 10 September 2015, a specimen of the European Hake (Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758). It is the first documented report on this boreal-subtropic, benthopelagic fish in the brakish water area of the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea. The fish was caught during the hydrological autumn, before the disappearance of the seasonal thermocline near Šventoji. The fish assemblage was dominated by seasonally prevalent marine and freshwater straggler fishes. The total length (TL) of the specimen was 51.3 cm, and weight 901.75 g. It was a 3.5–4-year-old male fish with its ogives in maturity stage III. A roundworm Contracaecum acus (Rudolphi, 1809) was detected in its intestine. Remains of Bylgides sarsi were found in the gut. The specimen was caught after the Major Baltic Inflow in December 2014. This marine fish entered the semiclosed low-salinity zone, which is beyond the optimal feeding and reproduction area in the North Sea, indicating spatial and temporal connections between the two seas. A distributional shift of rare marine fishes, which was evidenced by their more frequent catches in 2015–2016. Straggler fishes are distinguished from native species by the presence of translocated Trematoda and Nematoda that are characteristic of higher salinity waters.
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