Changes in the parasite communities as one of the potential causes of decline in abundance of the three-spined sticklebacks in the Puck Bay

SummaryIn the past, the Puck Bay was a very important area for freshwater and marine ichthyofauna. Due to anthropogenic degradation of the environment, especially eutrophication, commercially important fish species have lost spawning grounds and their distribution and abundance fell significantly. A sharp increase in the number of Gasterosteus aculeatus was recorded since the mid-seventies of the twentieth century. Sticklebacks had become the dominant species and were distributed evenly in the coastal waters. But now, the numbers of sticklebacks are decreasing. In this paper, the parasite community of the three-spined sticklebacks was studied. The values of parasitological indices are counted and compared with previous data. Possible consequences of the harboured parasites for body condition, fecundity and changes in host behaviour are described. Also the other possible reasons for the current reduction in the number of sticklebacks in the Puck Bay are analyzed.