First Record of Pempheris rhomboidea (Kossmann & Räuber, 1877) Harvested from Aquaculture Fish Cages

Abstract

An individual of Pempheris rhomboidea species was detected in a cage where sea bream was grown in the Mersin Dana Island region. P. rhomboidea is a species of the Pempheridae family distributed in the Indo-Pacific and West Atlantic and is a nocturnal species that inhabit coral reefs and rocky waters. It is known that different wild fish species enter into the aquaculture fish cages where marine fish are grown and grow together with the aquaculture species. There is no previous record of this species obtained from aquaculture cages. The total length and weight of the individual in the cage were 12.6 cm and 23.938 g. Considering the mesh size of the cage, it is estimated that this individual entered the cage in the juvenile period. At the end of the 11-month aquaculture period, it was determined that the individual reached a length close to the maximum length that the species can reach in its natural habitat. It was determined that some morphometric characteristics of the individuals harvested from the cage were similar to individuals caught in nature. The ability of the nocturnal species to grow in aquaculture cages indicates strong adaptability. Other wild species harvested from the cage at the same time were Oblada melanura, Scomber japonicus, Liza ramada, Diplodus vulgaris, Alosa fallax nilotica, Siganus rivulatus, Trachurus mediterranus, Lichia amia, Argyrosomus regius, Spicara smaris, Coryphaena hippurus. The proportional increase of wild species in aquaculture fish cages may cause economic losses for the companies in the future.