Volume 25, Issue 75, January - June, 2024

First record of Remora remora (Linnaeus, 1758) harvested from aquaculture cages in the Northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey

Deniz Erguden^1♦, Fahri Karayakar², Mert Can Acar², Deniz Ayas²

¹University of Iskenderun Technical, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey
²Mersin University, Fisheries Faculty, Mersin, Turkey

^♦Corresponding author
University of Iskenderun Technical, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey

ABSTRACT

On March 07, 2023, a specimen 67.6 cm in total length and 1902 g in weight, of the shark sucker Remora remora (Linnaeus, 1758) was harvested from aquaculture cages. The shark sucker specimen reported in this study entered the cage as a juvenile. At the end of the 12-month rearing period, it was determined that the individual had reached a length and weight greater than the maximum length and weight that the species can reach in its natural environment. In addition, the weight value reported in our study is higher than the weight value reported so far in the world for this species. In this study, we report for the first time that an individual shark sucker entered an aquaculture cage and was able to grow. Therefore, this study provides valuable information on the ability of wild fish species to enter the aquaculture cage and adapt to the new environment, regardless of their diet.

Keywords: Shark sucker, Echenidae, Net cage, Mersin Bay, Eastern Mediterranean

Species, 2024, 25(75), e13s1643

PDF

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v25i75.e13s1643

Published: 06 April 2024