Abundance and Population Dynamics of Parasites Infecting Atlantic Salmon ( Salmo salar) in Trout Brook, New Brunswick, Canada
Ten species of parasites (8 helminth, 1 annelid, 1 mollusc) were collected from 375 juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Trout Brook, N.B., during May–November 1970 and 1971. The most commonly occurring parasites were the monogenean Discocotyle sagittata (infecting 37.7% of the fish examined),...
| Published in: | Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1975
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f75-245 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f75-245 |
| Summary: | Ten species of parasites (8 helminth, 1 annelid, 1 mollusc) were collected from 375 juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Trout Brook, N.B., during May–November 1970 and 1971. The most commonly occurring parasites were the monogenean Discocotyle sagittata (infecting 37.7% of the fish examined), the digenean Crepidostomum farionis (40.5%), the nematode Sterliadochona tenuissima (97.9%), and a glochidium (32.0%). Intensity of infection (mean number of parasites for all fish examined) of C. farionis and S. tenuissima was independent of host age and sex, and of D. sagittata was independent of age, but male salmon were more heavily infected than females. The intensity of infection of these parasites showed no interactions between host age and season nor between host sex and season. The abundance of the parasites showed marked seasonal changes: D. sagittata was most abundant in summer and autumn, C. farionis and S. tenuissima were most abundant in spring, and the glochidium was most abundant in autumn. Relationships between changes in parasite maturation and in seasonal abundance indicated annual cycles of infection. |
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