On the infection of Baltic cod (Gadus morhua L.) by the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi (Zoega) Müller.

297 specimens of Baltic cod, caught in the Bornholm Basin, were examined for infection with the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi. Only two cod were not infected. Negative correlations between the parasite load and the liver index were found, while no clear correlation between the parasite load and the condition factor was observed. Besides a parasitic effect on the liver the food type and ration were suggested as influential factors in the investigation.