Pasożyty jelitowe młodocianych ryb łososiowatych zlewni dolnej Odry i środkowego Niemna

Atlantic salmon died out in Poland during the 1980s. The current population was recreated with Latvian salmon and now forms part of the southern Baltic cohort. Polish sea trout and brown trout come from the home cohort, but have survived only with regular restocking. In Lithuania, all the salmonides are from the home cohort and have not been restocked. The aim of this study was to compare parasitic invasion in juvenile salmonides that come from Poland and Lithuania. The juvenile salmonides in this study came from the lower Oder River basin and from the middle of the Neman River. 153 fish were caught using electrofishing from 2004 to 2006. The salmonides in the Oder had been artificially restocked and those in the Neman were wild. 33 salmon, 58 sea trout and 24 brown trout came from small tributaries of the Oder; 22 salmon, 5 sea trout and 11 brown trout came from tributaries of the middle Neman River. The fish were either 0+, 1+, or 2+ years old. Their size was characteristic for their species at that age, which suggested that they were in good condition. Our examination found 6 species of parasites from 3 taxa: Cestoda – Cyathocephalus truncates; Nematoda – Cystidicoloides ephe¬meridarum and Raphidascaris acus; and Acanthocephala – Acantho¬cephalus lucii, A. anguillae and Metechinorhynchus truttae. We found all three taxa of parasites in all the salmonides that came from the tributaries of the Oder, but all three taxa were found only in salmon from the Neman tributaries. In sea trout and brown trout from tributaries of the Nemen River we found only Nematoda. The invasion frequency was much higher in salmonides that came from tributaries of the Oder River than in salmonides from tributaries of the Nemen River. In tributaries of the Oder River, 57.6% of the salmon, 62.1% of the sea trout, and 58.3% of the brown trout had parasites. In tributaries of the Nemen River, 27.3% of the salmon, 40% of the sea trout, and 36.4% of the brown trout had parasites. In salmonides from both rivers the most common parasites were C. ephemeridarum, M. truttae, and C. truncatus. The other species of parasites were found in very few cases. Older salmonides had greater numbers of parasites. Although the salmonides came from different rivers and had different origins, the species of parasites that they had were typical for their family. In conclusion, parasite invasion is similar in salmonides both from the lower Oder River basin and from the middle of the Neman River.