Syngnathus acus (Linnaeus 1758), Great pipefish (Syngnathidae)

Author: Ronald Fricke, Germany

1. Description of the habitat/autecology of the species

The great pipefish inhabits a variety of substrates, mainly in macrophyte beds, occasionally also between algae, mainly in inshore waters including estuaries at depths of 0-15 m, rarely to depths of 110 m. It spawns from May to August. Ovoviviparous species; the eggs are deposited in the male’s brood pouch. Larvae hatch at a length of 2.5 cm, and initially live planktonically. Maximum total length 50 cm (Fricke, 1987: 88; Froese & Pauly, 2005).

2. Distribution (past and present)

Distribution in the HELCOM area is restricted to the Kattegat. Outside the HELCOM area, the species occurs from the Black Sea through the Mediterranean Sea and the northeastern Atlantic to Norway.

3. Importance (sub-regional, Baltic-wide, global)

This species is neither of local nor global importance in HELCOM area (HELCOM, 2007).

4. Status of threat/decline

The great pipefish is classified as endangered (EN) by IUCN criteria in HELCOM area and is classified as a HELCOM high priority species (HELCOM, 2007). It is listed as endangered (EN) by Germany, whereas it is not on the IUCN red list.

5. Threat/decline factors

Threatened by habitat loss due to trawl fisheries, sand and gravel extraction, and eutrophication. The species is rare and sensitive to human activities, but not a keystone species.

6. Options for improvement

Conservation schemes for this species would mostly include conservation of its habitats, especially macrophyte and algae beds. Thus, marine protected areas banning sand and gravel extraction and demersal fisheries could benefit the species. As the main threats occur outside HELCOM area in the neighbouring OSPAR area and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, similar conservation schemes could be applied there.

7. References

Fricke R. 1987. Deutsche Meeresfische. Bestimmungsbuch.  Hamburg (DJN), 219 pp.

Froese R. & Pauly D. (eds) 2005. FishBase. Available in: www.fishbase.org, version (11/2005).

HELCOM 2007. HELCOM Red list of threatened and declining species of lampreys and fish of the Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea Environmental Proceedings, No. 109, 40 pp.  Available in: http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/Proceedings/bsep109.pdf