The life history and ecology of the cod-worm, Porrocaecum decipiens (Krabbe) 1878, in Canadian Atlantic waters.

The Atlantic Cod, Gadus callarias Linnaeus 1758, in inshore Canadian waters is commonly infected with an ascarid which most frequently occurs in the musculature of the host. Although it is unlikely that the worm is harmful to man (Martin, 1920; Kahl, 1938), the aesthetic distraction confronting a human consumer is readily apparent. The widespread occurrence of this worm in an important commercial fish presents a grave problem not only to the fresh-fish industry but also to the canned-fish industry in the Atlantic Maritime provinces of Canada. Fish producers are frequently compelled to employ personnel whose sole function is the removal of worms from fillets and this procedure is obviously expensive. It has been conservatively estimated that this infection is the cause of an annual loss to the fishing industry of approximately two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The situation was so serious that in 1945 it was decided to study the life history of the parasite in an effort to disclose some method of control[...]Although the primary purpose of this investigation at the time of its conception was the discovery of some method of control of the parasite, the body of the investigation as presented in this paper soon developed into a study of the life history of the worm[...]It will be later seen that the course of the investigation has led the author not only to a consideration of the developmental history of the worm but also to a consideration of its ecological behaviour.[...