Summer Biomass Variability and Spatial Interactions between European Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) in the Western Part of the Black Sea
Journal: Animals
Year: 2023

Over the past few decades, various causal connections between commercial small pelagic fish species and gelatinous zooplankton have been reported in the Black Sea, which affect the pelagic ecosystem. Recently, moon jellyfish regained dominance among gelatinous plankton; however, biomass fluctuations and interactions with small pelagic fish remain poorly understood. During the summers of 2019-2022, scientific pelagic trawl surveys in the Western Black Sea enabled simultaneous monitoring of small