Black Sea salmon

Short description: Variety of salmonid fish endemic to Black Sea

Black Sea salmon

Black Sea salmon from the Gulf of Odesa, Ukraine

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) [1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Salmoniformes
Family:  | Salmonidae
Genus:  | Salmo
Species:  |

S. labrax

Binomial name
Salmo labrax

Pallas, 1814 [2]

The Black Sea salmon (Salmo labrax or Salmo trutta labrax), also known as the Black Sea trout or the Turkish sea trout, is a salmonid fish found in and around the coast of the Black Sea, Azov Sea, and in-flowing rivers in Northeastern Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and the Caucauses. There are anadromous, lacustrine and resident river ecotypes.[1] Black Sea salmon are often considered subspecies of Salmo trutta, the brown trout, and can interbreed with other subspecies of brown trout found throughout Europe.

## Contents

* 1 Taxonomy
* 2 Distribution and range
* 2.1 Conservation Status and Outlook
* 3 Biology
* 3.1 Anatomy and Physiology
* 3.2 Reproduction
* 3.3 Diet
* 4 Aquaculture
* 5 References

## Taxonomy

While Black Sea salmon were initially classified as a distinct species by the Prussian Zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1811, a number of analyses using genetic evidence have shown that Black Sea salmon are closely related to other brown trout lineages, with an ambiguous degree of separation. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Salmo trutta populations overall places the Black Sea population in the Danubian lineage, alongside fish from the Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, and Persian Gulf.[3] A later analysis of mitochondrial Cytochrome b protein genes indicated that Black Sea and Caspian Sea lineages were mostly closely related, forming a monophyletic group divergent from Atlantic, Mediterranean, Northern, and Baltic Sea lineages.[4] Experimental crosses between Black Sea salmon and other Turkish Salmo trutta lineages reveal no evidence of reproductive isolation, with further genetic analysis revealing genetic distances between 0.002 and 0.007% within the broader Danubian lineage.[5]

Despite the large amount of evidence for Black Sea salmon as a Salmo trutta subspecies, many registers of marine species including WoRMS and the IUCN Red List list Salmo labrax as a separate species.[1][6]

## Distribution and range

Black Sea salmon are endemic to the Black Sea, the nearby Azov sea, and the rivers that drain into the Black Sea: the Firtina, Kapisre, Çağlayan, Iyidere and Solakli rivers in Eastern Turkey, the Çoruh river and its tributaries, including the Machakhelistsqali, between Turkey and Georgia, the Chanistsqali and Kintrishi rivers in Georgia, and the Mzymta river in Russia, as well as their tributaries.[7][8] Some sources indicate that Salmo trutta labrax is additionally found in rivers draining into the northern and western coasts of the Black Sea, with sightings as far west as the Czech Republic. The Romanian population of Black Sea salmon is well-documented, but rare.[9]

In general, the anadromous ecotype migrates from spawning rivers to the Black Sea at one to three years old.[10] They then remain in coastal waters for one to three additional years before returning to rivers to spawn.

A range map of documented spottings of the Black Sea Salmon, Salmo labrax/Salmo trutta labrax. Data via WoRMS.

### Conservation Status and Outlook

As a largely anadromous species, the Black Sea salmon is vulnerable to disruptions in habitat and environmental conditions both in the rivers where it spawns and in the Black Sea where adults spend the bulk of their lives. While the species is overall considered to be in the "least concern" category by the IUCN, local populations throughout eastern and central Europe are considered locally at risk due to a combination of increased fisheries production and habitat disruption. Additionally, despite a ban in unlicensed fishing put in place in the 1980s, illegal fishing near the Turkey-Georgia border is common, and has put additional stress on the wild population in the southeastern Black Sea.[7]

Increased build-out of hydroelectric dams in Eastern Turkey has led to disruptions in riverine Black Sea salmon habitat, with declines in overall discharge and increases in water temperature associated with a decline of catch per unit effort of 15 fish/hour to 0.5 fish/hour between 2002 and 2017 period.[11]

## Biology

### Anatomy and Physiology

A scientific illustration of Salmo marsilii (synonym to Salmo labrax)

As smolts, Black Sea salmon are 11.5-13 cm in length. At adulthood, females are typically 38.3.8±.87 cm and males are 32.88 ± 1.825 cm from snout to the posterior end of the last vertebra (standard length).[12] The largest recorded specimen was collected in the Firtina stream in Turkey and was 16.5 kg in mass and 98 cm in length.[13]

Typically, they have 14 fin rays in the dorsal fin, ten fin rays in pectoral fins, 14 fin rays in pelvic fins and 12 fin rays in the anal fin.[7] Black Sea salmon generally possess similar meristic characteristics relative to Salmo trutta writ large, though they have a greater number (18-19 vs 15-17) of scales between the adipose fin and the lateral line and a greater number (16-21 vs 13-16) of gill rakers. Relative to other Salmo trutta populations, Black Sea salmon are more silvery in color, with fewer red spots in many cases.[9]

Compositionally, wild-caught salmon are around 71.8±.2 percent water, 17.9±.1 percent protein, 8.0±.2 percent fat and 1.3±.05 percent crude ash, while cultured generations typically have slightly higher water concentrations and lower protein and fat concentrations.[14]

A juvenile black sea salmon (Salmo trutta labrax), measuring about 10 cm.

### Reproduction

In the wild, Black Sea salmon spawn in the late autumn to early winter (October to January), with that period being extended to early Spring in aquaculture settings due to higher average water temperatures at major aquaculture facilities.[15] While the anadromous and riverine ecotypes differ in size and behavior, they constitute a single, freely-interbreeding reproductive group. In particular, anadromous females will mate with smaller riverine males.[8] In addition to hybridization across Salmo trutta varieties, sterile hybrids between Salmo trutta labrax and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been produced in hatchery conditions, with hybrids possessing higher growth rates and mature body weights relative to purebred parental lineages; these hybrids may be useful for aquaculture purposes due to those traits.[16]

### Diet

In the wild, juvenile Black Sea salmon feed mostly on small invertebrates like marine insects, while adult fish feed on smaller fishes like sprat and anchovy.[7] Testing in aquaculture settings reveal that diets with between 40 and 50% protein are ideal for Black Sea salmon in farm conditions.[17] Unlike other salmonid varieties, which are known for their pink flesh, Black Sea salmon flesh is typically paler. In aquaculture settings, carotenoid supplementation using astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, or lycopene has been shown to modify flesh coloration and texture, with the addition of 300 ppm astaxanthin to standard feed diets over the course of 90 days of treatment producing fish with flesh strongly visually similar to Atlantic salmon.[18] Carotenoid supplementation also cultivated higher total protein content and lipid quality in farmed Black Sea salmon, though less is known about diet protein content in wild fish.[19]

## Aquaculture

Aquaculture production of Black Sea trout began in 1998 at the Adler salmon farm on the Mzymta River in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The fish has become one of the leading aquaculture varieties in Turkey, with recorded yields of 2070 tons per year in 2018 and 2656 tons per year in 2019.[12][18] By 2021, 25 different private aquaculture enterprises had been established in Turkey, in Trabzon, Rize, Artvin, Giresun, Gümüşhane and Muş.[10]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Freyhof, J. (2013) Salmo labrax The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v. 2014.3 (March 2015).
2. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Biology:Black Sea salmon in FishBase. April 2006 version.
3. ↑ Bernatchez, Louis (1 February 2001). "The Evolutionary History of Brown Trout (Salmo trutta L.) Inferred from Phylogeographic, Nested Clade, and Mismatch Analyses of Mitochondrial DNA Variation" (in en). Evolution 55 (2): 351–379. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb01300.x. ISSN 0014-3820. PMID 11308093. https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/55/2/351/6757777.
4. ↑ Ninua, Levan; Tarkhnishvili, David; Gvazava, Elguja (2018). "Phylogeography and taxonomic status of trout and salmon from the Ponto-Caspian drainages, with inferences on European Brown Trout evolution and taxonomy" (in en). Ecology and Evolution 8 (5): 2645–2658. doi:10.1002/ece3.3884. ISSN 2045-7758. PMID 29531683. Bibcode: 2018EcoEv...8.2645N.
5. ↑ Kalayci, Gokhan; Ozturk, Rafet C.; Capkin, Erol; Altinok, Ilhan (November 2018). "Genetic and molecular evidence that brown trout Salmo trutta belonging to the Danubian lineage are a single biological species" (in en). Journal of Fish Biology 93 (5): 792–804. doi:10.1111/jfb.13777. ISSN 0022-1112. PMID 30101494. Bibcode: 2018JFBio..93..792K. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.13777.
6. ↑ "Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814" (in en). 2008-01-15. https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=274350.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Okumuş, I.; Kurtoglu, I.z.; Atasaral, Ş. (2007), "General Overview of Turkish Sea Trout (Salmo trutta L.) Populations" (in en), Sea Trout: Biology, Conservation and Management (John Wiley & Sons): pp. 115–127, doi:10.1002/9780470996027.ch9, ISBN 978-0-470-99602-7, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9780470996027.ch9, retrieved 2025-11-15
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Makhrov, A. A.; Artamonova, V. S.; Murza, I. G.; Pashkov, A. N.; Ponomareva, M. V.; Reshetnikov, S. I.; Christoforov, O. L. (2018-03-01). "Ecological Forms of Black Sea Brown Trout (Salmo trutta labrax) in the Mzymta River as Manifestation of Ontogenetic Plasticity" (in en). Russian Journal of Developmental Biology 49 (2): 117–127. doi:10.1134/S1062360418020054. ISSN 1608-3326.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Latiu, Calin; Cocan, Daniel; Uiuiu, Paul; Ihut, Andrada; Nicula, Sabin Alexandru; Constantinescu, Radu; Miresan (2020-11-18). "The Black Sea Trout, Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814 (Pisces: Salmonidae) in Romanian Waters" (in en-US). Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Animal Science and Biotechnologies 77 (2): 9–19. doi:10.15835/buasvmcn-asb:2020.0017. https://journals.usamvcluj.ro/index.php/zootehnie/article/view/13867.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Aksungur, Muharrem; Zengin, Mustafa; Tabak, İlyas; Aksungur, Nilgün; Alkan, Ali (2011-08-01). "Migration Characteristics of the Black Sea Trout (Salmo trutta labrax, Pallas, 1814) in the Eastern Black Sea Coasts and Streams" (in tr). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 11 (4). ISSN 1303-2712. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/trjfas-ayrildi/issue/13271/160308.
11. ↑ Zengin, Mustafa; Kurtoğlu, Oğuz; Şengül, Hatice; Çakmak, Eyüp (2017). "Impact of Run-Of-River Hydropower Plants Operation on Aquatic Ecosystem and Trout (Salmo Labrax) Population in the Eastern Black Sea Region". Turkish Journal of Aquatic Sciences: 189–207. doi:10.18864/TJAS201718. http://iupress.istanbul.edu.tr/journal/ase/article/dogu-karadenizde-isletmeye-acilan-bazi-nehir-tipi-hidroelektrik-santrallerinin-sucul-ekosistem-ve-karadeniz-alabaligi-salmo-labrax-populasyonlari-uzerine-etkileri.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kasapoglu, Nazli; Çankırılıgil, Ekrem Cem; Çakmak, Eyüp; Özel, Osman Tolga (2020-09-16). "Meristic and morphometric characteristics of the Black Sea salmon, Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814 culture line: an endemic species for Eastern Black Sea" (in en). Journal of Fisheries 8 (3): 935–939. doi:10.17017/j.fish.250. ISSN 2311-3111. https://journal.bdfish.org/index.php/fisheries/article/view/JFish20250.
13. ↑ Çakmak, Eyüp (July 1, 2022). "The Biggest Black Sea Salmon (Salmo labrax PALLAS, 1814) in Turkey". Mediterranean Fisheries and Aquaculture Research 5 (1): 21–26. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/medfar/issue/71060/1057238#article_cite.
14. ↑ Çankırılıgil, Ekrem Cem; Berik, Nermin (2020). "Chemical composition of the Black Sea trout (Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814): A comparative study". Aquatic Research 3 (4): 208–219. doi:10.3153/AR20019. https://scientificwebjournals.com/AquatRes/Vol3/issue4/AR20019.pdf.
15. ↑ Makhrov, A. A.; Artamonova, V. S.; Sumarokov, V. S.; Pashkov, A. N.; Reshetnikov, S. I.; Ganchenko, M. V.; Kulyan, S. A. (2011-03-29). "Variation in the timing of spawning of the black sea brown trout Salmo trutta labrax pallas under artificial and natural conditions". Biology Bulletin 38 (2): 138–145. doi:10.1134/s1062359011020075. ISSN 1062-3590. Bibcode: 2011BioBu..38..138M.
16. ↑ Akhan, Süleyman; Delihasan Sonay, F; Okumus, I; KÖSE, Ö; Yandi, I (2010-12-28). "Inter-specific hybridization between Black Sea trout (Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792)". Aquaculture Research 42 (11): 1632–1638. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2109.2010.02755.x. ISSN 1355-557X.
17. ↑ Tolga Özel, Osman; Çakmak, Eyüp; Coşkun, İsa; Çankırılıgil, Ekrem Cem (2018-06-15). "Evaluation of growth performance and intestine villi morphology of black sea trout (Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814) fed with different protein levels containing diets". Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 35 (2): 125–130. doi:10.12714/egejfas.2018.35.2.04. http://www.egejfas.org/issue/35874/363879.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Çankırılıgil, Ekrem Cem; Berik, Nermin; Çakmak, Eyüp; Özel, Osman Tolga; Alp-Erbay, Esen (October 2022). "Dietary Carotenoids Influence Growth, Fillet Pigmentation, and Quality Characteristics of Black Sea Trout (Salmo labrax Pallas, 1814)" (in en). Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences 38 (2): 793–809. doi:10.1007/s41208-022-00407-7. ISSN 0212-5919. Bibcode: 2022TIJMS..38..793C. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41208-022-00407-7.
19. ↑ Çankırılıgil, Ekrem Cem; Berik, Nermin (2025-05-13). "Unlocking the Nutritional Potential of Endemic Salmonid Species (Black Sea Salmon, Salmo labrax): Carotenoids and Their Impact on Fillet Characteristics". Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 25 (12). doi:10.4194/TRJFAS27539. Bibcode: 2025TJFAS..2527539C. https://www.trjfas.org/uploads/pdf_15129.pdf.

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