Finding of the European Hake Merluccius merluccius (Merlucciidae) off the Black Sea Shore of Crimea

Abstract

The paper describes the first finding of the European hake Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) in the northern part of the Black Sea, off the coast of Crimea, in December 2022 with a sea surface temperature of 13°C. The individual was found in the catch of a bottom trap installed at a depth of 24 m. The specimen with a total body length of 30.6 cm and a weight of 213.5 g was a sexually mature 3 years old male. According to the results of back-calculations obtained during the analysis of the otolith section, the individual growth of the caught fish occurred as follows: the total length was 17.7, 25.5, and 30.6 cm by the end of the first, second, and third years of life, respectively. No food items have been found in the gastrointestinal tract of the caught specimen. The geographical variability of the hake life cycle is considered. The species reaches its maximum size and age at high latitudes and at low water temperatures. Presumably, the maximum size and age of the hake in the Black Sea may be slightly higher than in the Mediterranean Sea, but lower than in the Northeast Atlantic. The prospects for further resettlement and increase in the number of the hake in the Black Sea are analyzed. Apparently, low salinity and competition with the native ichthyofauna may prevent successful naturalization of the species. However, the continuation of the trend of increasing salinity of the Black Sea under warming conditions will increase the possibilities of the hake naturalization.