Modern state of the blunt-snouted mullet Mullus barbatus ponticus population dwelling in the coastal zone near Sevastopol

Abstract

The existence of the independent Sevastopol group of the blunt-snouted mullet Mullus barbatus ponticus described by Danilevskii (1939) that differs from the Caucasian one by a smaller length of the head, barbels, and pectoral fins has been supported. It was found that, during the maximum anthropogenic impact on the Black Sea ecosystem, the state of M. barbatus ponticus deteriorates, which was manifested in a decrease in the rate of growth, a high value of liver index, and a decrease in fatness. From 2003 to 2007, a tendency for an improvement in the state of M. barbatus ponticus of the Sevastopol school was revealed that manifested itself in an increase in the numbers of fish arriving to the coastal zone for spawning and feeding and in the restoration of the age composition typical of this species.