MEPS 349:303-306(2007) - doi: 10.3354/meps07283
Invading Mnemiopsis leidyi as a potential threat to Baltic fish
Holger Haslob1,*, Catriona Clemmesen1, Matthias Schaber1, Hans-Harald Hinrichsen1, Jörn Oliver Schmidt1, Rüdiger Voss1, Gerd Kraus2, Friedrich W. Köster2
*Email: hhaslob@ifm-geomar.de
ABSTRACT: The occurrence of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi as a new invasive species in the Baltic Sea and the potential consequences for fish stock recruitment was investigated in spring 2007. The study focused on the Bornholm Basin, which serves as the major spawning ground for cod and sprat, the commercially most important fish stocks in the Baltic. The distribution pattern of M. leidyi revealed a substantial overlap with cod eggs. The observed predation of M. leidyi on eggs has the potential to alter the recruitment success of cod, which is the top predator in the system and, thus, to change the Baltic food-web structure.
KEY WORDS: Invasive species · Cod recruitment · Baltic food web
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