Epizootological evaluation of the Absheron peninsula fish population

The Absheron Peninsula is located in the northern part of Azerbaijan, on the western coast of the Caspian Sea. There are numerous water reservoirs, water basin and the Absheron main water canal. And the capital of Azerbaijan - Baku, large cities - Sumgait, Khirdalan, and many other settlements are located on Absheron. The population uses fish from these reservoirs for food, and can become infected if these kinds of fish have dangerous ichthyoparasites. Therefore the purpose of conducted researches on parasitology was the definition of specific structure, ecology, regularity of distribution and an epizootological situation of pathogenic parasites of the fish in the reservoirs of the Absheron Peninsula and to use these data to create new fish farms. The studies were based on materials collected in the research of 11 fish species in the water bodies of the Absheron Peninsula in 1993-2013. To determine pathogenic ichthyoparasites’ species composition and their distribution over the farms in the water bodies of the Absheron Peninsula, 958 fish specimens were examined by complete parasitological autopsy. For the study, only fresh, fallen asleep fish were used. All the tissues and organs of fish were studied by the compressor method using binocular magnifier MBS-9, at the magnification × 25. The dabs on subject glasses were made of each body and were investigated under Amplival microscope, at the magnification ×1000. As a result of the study, 26 species of ichthyoparasites were discovered in the water bodies of the Absheron Peninsula that could cause dangerous diseases in fish. The cases of fish disease with ichthyophthyroidism, ligulosis, diplostomosis and argulosis, inflammation of swimming bladder and gas-bubble disease were reported. It is gratifying that, despite the years of parasitological studies of fish, no ichthyoparasites have been found in the water bodies of the Absheron peninsula posing the threat to human health. This means that the fish of these reservoirs can be used for nutrition But it should be borne in mind that the failure to detect parasites dangerous to humans does not guarantee their complete absence in the reservoir, therefore, in future, all eaten fish should also be subjected to parasitological control.