Parasites as biological tags of Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton- Buchanan, 1822) as an indicator of fish immigration in Iraqi waters

In present study a total of 1,456 specimens (428 males, 534 females and 494 unidentified small individuals) of T. ilisha were collected between, Jan. 2013 and Dec, 2014, 20 specimens of each monthly samples were isolated in the study area. Five stations were chosen, starting from the city of Al-FAW in the estuary section of the river to the northern-most station in the Al Hammar Marsh's (the current study was completed within the scientific biological team of Tenualosa ilisha fishes). The study uses' the Parasite as biological tags of fish immigration, three specie's of parasite are described: Nothobomolochus sp. (copepod); Faustula sp and Ectenurus papillatus (digenea). The results of the present study refers that the parasites were collected are appears only in the, first station from the estuary section of the city of AlFAW with fish lengths 250-460(400) mm in male and female with Faustula sp and Ectenurus papillatus (digenea), and Nothobomolochus sp. (copepod), and there are not any infected with small individuals of T. ilisha fishes. The results refers also the Parasites are considered as new records in Iraqi marine fishes and give us two important points, that are fishes don’t emigrate from the Indian Ocean to Iraq or that the fish lose the types of parasites during migration, and fishes is likely to be endemic in the Arab Gulf