Studies of ichthyofauna composition as by-catch in the fyke nets during the research catch of the grass shrimp ( <i>Palaemon adspersus</i>) in the coastal areas off the Crimean Peninsula
Species composition of fish by-catch in fyke nets, when investigating grass shrimp (Palaemon adspersus Rathke, 1837) migrations in the coastal areas of the Crimean Peninsula (Kerch Strait, Donuzlav Lake, Karkinit Bay, Black Sea) was studied during the period of 2012-2014. Fyke net s were put out at night at the depth range of 0.5-2 m and exposure period of 24 hours. Altogether, 578 catches were analyzed. During the observation period, 27 fish species from 21 genera, 19 families an d 10 orders were identified. Number and total mass of each species in the by-catch were assessed for all three investigation areas. Comparative analysis of the fish by-catch was carried out based on the obtained data. It is shown that the greatest fish species diversity in the by-catch was marked for the Kerch Strait, the least - in the Karkinit Bay (Bakalskaya Spit): 19 and 6 species, correspondingly. 16 fish specie s were identified for the by-catch in Donuzlav Lake. The most representative orders were Perciformes and Gasterosteiformes: 10 species, 37 %, and 6 species, 22.2 %, correspondingly. Representatives of Atherinidae and Gobiidae families were most abundant, in 2013 their maximal values reached 48 % in the Kerch Strait.