Parasitic bluefill gills?

[Fishermancraig]

Caught some snapper bluefish this fall in my local estuary and harvested them. Noticed each gill had atleast one of these parasites in it.

Then another day went fishing on a party boat. I noticed none of the bluefish on the boat in ocean water have these parasites.

Anyone know why? Is it because they are juvenile and eventualyl they get shed or are able to remove them? Or are they only noticeable in fish that live in brackish and not entirely clean water?

[Ol Pedro]

Do they drop off when they mature ?

[Fishermancraig]

I'm not sure, thats why I'm asking if anyone knows? They were pretty big for the size of the gill. I'm jjust wondering if that is indicative of the fish being unhealthy.

[AndyS]

I remember as kid fishing off the Norma K dock at night for snappers. We would would check for gill bugs every time we landed one. More often than not the fish had them, we simply peeled them out with our thumbs and released the fish unharmed.

[acabtp]

Lironeca ovalis. Safe to consume the fish. Doesn't bother them too much. *Not* Cymothoa exigua, the one that replaces the tongue
Parasite size increased with bluefish size, and a significant but small effect of parasitism on the bluefish mass-length relationship was found; parasitized fish weighed 3% less than nonparasitized fish at a given length. Infection did not have a significant effect on the mass of stomach contents at capture. Although there remain many questions regarding the host-parasite relationship between P. saltatrix and L. ovalis, the physiological cost associated with infection appears to be small and probably does not constitute a serious threat to individual bluefish survival.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/entities/publication/41ce0cdf-6c1b-4dfc-ad4b-877db0a8bba6
the parasites tend to be more abundant in the saltier systems
https://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/single-1.asp?ID=2398

[bulletbob]

plain old gill bugs...Been around as long as there have been Bluefish. Not sure if I have ever seen them on any other species. I DO recall the first time i ever saw one many many years ago I was horrified beyond comprehension!

[shresearchdude]

Greetings from a Federal employee that's not allowed to work due to political battles that weren't a surprise.

Those parasites are much more common on small bluefish in estuaries, and as they get larger, they are not common at all. Yes I've seen them and others. It's a certain life stage that's more common on a particular species. Most parasites are smart and don't hang out on unhealthy species! SO not an indication of health. According to published papers they don't have much of a negative effect, though added weight and stress are hard to quantify.
Here's an older published report (link will be attached) the publication is often cited.

https://juaneslab.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/1/20017591/marks_et_al_96.pdf


yes I still lurk in the shadows :)

[Captain Rich]

yes I still lurk in the shadows :)[/QUOTE]


You've been around forever ! You must be older than Gerry !!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Greetings from a Federal employee that's not allowed to work due to political battles that weren't a surprise.

Those parasites are much more common on small bluefish in estuaries, and as they get larger, they are not common at all. Yes I've seen them and others. It's a certain life stage that's more common on a particular species. Most parasites are smart and don't hang out on unhealthy species! SO not an indication of health. According to published papers they don't have much of a negative effect, though added weight and stress are hard to quantify.
Here's an older published report (link will be attached) the publication is often cited.

https://juaneslab.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/1/20017591/marks_et_al_96.pdf


yes I still lurk in the shadows :)

Hey John - good to hear from you!

As far a Captain Rich, he has underware older then me, he had them carbon dated :D

[Captain Rich]

As far a Captain Rich, he has underware older then me, he had them carbon dated :D[/QUOTE]


What are you doing in his underwear drawer ????:eek: