Seasonal Migrations of Pikeperch ( Sander Lucioperca L.) from the Curonian Lagoon to the Baltic Sea and Advantages of the Phenomenon

Abstract

The Curonian Lagoon is a fresh water basin. Pikeperch is a common fish species in this water body. Part of pikeperch population after wintering and spawning migrates from the Curonian Lagoon to the brackish Baltic Sea, however the cause of those migrations has been unknown. The results of the study demonstrate beneficial effect of the brackish surroundings to the growth of pikeperch, despite lower water temperature and higher water transparency. According to other studies, higher water temperature, water turbidity and good feeding conditions are the predominant factors influencing pikeperch growth, while water salinity has actually been neglected in pikeperch ecology studies during the last decades. Beneficial effect of summer in brackish surroundings is a pattern of pikeperch seasonal migration phenomenon. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]