Researchers at Uppsala University are now confirming what local coastal fishermen have known for several years: that some currents can grow unusually large.
According to Leif Andersson, researcher at Uppsala University, the new type of streaming is genetically deviant and significantly larger than the usual one. In addition, the fish is a skilled predatory fish and the researchers have therefore given it the name “predator”.
– Predator streaming has very clear differences compared to normal streaming. It catches, for example, small fish, including conspecifics, instead of plankton, says Leif Andersson to TV4 Nyheterna.
Can save the Baltic Sea ecosystem
The predator stream is considered important for the ecosystem. Leif Andersson tells TV4 Nyheterna that if it is not fished out, it can contribute to stabilizing the ecosystem.
The Baltic Sea is a young sea and there are quite a few fish species that have adapted to life there. Over time, the Baltic Sea’s ecosystem has become more and more complex and this new type of current has now taken on a different role than just eating plankton. The predatory stream is currently not a species of its own, but is classified as a type.
– It is a matter of taste where you draw the line. The Rovströmming has the potential to become a new species and may in the future spread to the Atlantic, says Leif Andersson.
With the discovery of the genetic differences between common sturgeon and predatory sturgeon, Leif Andersson now hopes that it can influence the management of the fish stock in the Baltic Sea.
– I hope this will now be taken into account in the management of currents in the Baltic Sea. Now all sturgeon are managed as a single stock, but there are several different stocks and the predatory sturgeon is its own part that has a unique part in the ecosystem in the Baltic Sea.
He continues:
– The predatory stream can, as a predatory fish, hold down the population of spiny which has exploded in numbers. The stickleback eats eggs and larvae from other fish species, so it is a big advantage to have more predatory currents in the Baltic Sea, says Leif Andersson.