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Varying frequency of vateritic otoliths in the Baltic herring Clupea harengus membras

Otoliths of the Baltic herring with crystallized calsium carbonate matrix
Sagittal otoliths of the Baltic herring. A-B: otoliths with varying amounts of crystallized (vateritic/aragonitic) calsium carbonate matrix and C: Aragonitic otolith with no crystallized matrix. C: University of Turku.

Abstract:

We report observations of vateritic crystallization in the sagittal otoliths of the Baltic herring Clupea harengus membras in the northern Baltic Sea. While the existence of vaterite in the calcium carbonate matrix of sagittal otoliths has been observed in various species globally, reports from the brackish Baltic Sea are few in number. Large variation in the frequency of vaterite in 1984, 1988, 1997, 2010 and 2017 was observed, suggesting that the phenomenon is not static and more long-term studies should be conducted in search of the ultimate causing factors.

Reference:

Mäkinen, K., Rajasilta, M., Mäkilä, E., Jokinen, S. and Hänninen, J. (2022), Varying frequency of vateritic otoliths in the Baltic herring Clupea harengus membras. J Fish Biol. Accepted Author Manuscript. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15127

The study was conducted as part of the Iodine project, funded by the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation.

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