Marine protected areas modulate habitat suitability of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in the Baltic Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 229 ◽  
pp. 106380
Author(s):  
Mark Holmes ◽  
Jonne Kotta ◽  
Anders Persson ◽  
Ullrika Sahlin
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-337
Author(s):  
Anton Uspenskiy ◽  
Anastasia Yurtseva ◽  
Dmitry Bogdanov

The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814), is a fish of Ponto-Caspian origin that has been invading the Baltic Sea since the 1990s. Currently, it is abundant and commercially important in some areas of the sea. This species was first reported in the eastern Gulf of Finland (GoF) in 2012. Its occurrence increased thereafter, however it has remained largely unstudied in this region. The aim of this study was to investigate the population characteristics of the round goby in the eastern GoF to better understand its expansion trend and whether it will become abundant enough to be exploited by the local fishery. Fish were caught using multi-mesh gillnets (12–60 mm mesh) and a beach seine (0.5–10 mm mesh). Occurrence, density, catch per unit effort, biomass per unit effort, relative number and biomass in catches, as well as age, size and sex ratio were studied. The species regularly occurred in samplings along the southern coastline of the GoF, as well as some central areas and along the northern coast. Within 2012–2019, its occurrence in catches increased, with the highest frequency in 2015–2019 in shallow waters (<1.5 m) of Koporye Bay (70%) and in the deeper waters of Narva Bay (74%). Similarly, the highest density in the shallow waters was also observed in Koporye Bay (10.0 ind. ∙ 100 m−2), and offshore in Narva Bay. Relative abundance and biomass usually did not exceed 23%, although it reached 93% in Narva Bay. The oldest specimen was five years old. Young-of-the-year (YOY) juveniles predominated in the shallow waters (85%), while three-year-olds prevailed in deeper waters (75%). Among the fish older than two years, females were more predominant (mean ratio 3 to 1), and males were larger than females. Specimens in all life stages were found in the eastern GoF, and their abundance increased annually, suggesting that the round goby has successfully colonized this region of the Baltic Sea. However, compared to other areas of the Baltic Sea inhabited by longer-established populations, its population size is still relatively low.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henn Ojaveer ◽  
Aleksei Turovski ◽  
Kristiina Nõomaa

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per R. Jonsson ◽  
Per‐Olav Moksnes ◽  
Hanna Corell ◽  
Erik Bonsdorff ◽  
Martin Nilsson Jacobi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael van Deurs ◽  
Nicholas Patrick Moran ◽  
Kristian Schreiber Plet-Hansen ◽  
Grete E. Dinesen ◽  
Farivar Azour ◽  
...  

Non-indigenous animals can impact native fauna via predation and competition for food and habitat. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was first observed in the Baltic Sea in 1990 and has since displayed substantial secondary dispersal, establishing numerous dense populations where they may outcompete native fish and negatively impact prey species. There have been multiple round goby diet studies from both the Baltic Sea and the North American Great Lakes where they are similarly invasive. However, studies that quantify their effects on recipient ecosystems and, specifically, their impacts on the benthic invertebrate macrofauna are rare, particularly from European waters. In this study, we conducted the first before-after study of the potential effects of round goby on benthic invertebrate macrofauna taxa in marine-brackish habitats in Europe, focusing of two sites in the Western Baltic Sea, Denmark. Results were in line with those from the Great Lakes, indicating negative impacts to be focused on specific molluscan taxa, particularly gastropods, while other groups appeared to be largely unaffected or even show positive trends following invasion. Round goby gut content data was available at one of our study sites from the period immediately after the invasion. This data confirmed that round goby had in fact been preying on the subset of taxa displaying negative trends.


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