Lironeca ovalis. Safe to consume the fish. Doesn't bother them too much. *Not* Cymothoa exigua, the one that replaces the tongue
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Parasite size increased with bluefish size, and a significant but small effect of parasitism on the bluefish mass-length relationship was found; parasitized fish weighed 3% less than nonparasitized fish at a given length. Infection did not have a significant effect on the mass of stomach contents at capture. Although there remain many questions regarding the host-parasite relationship between P. saltatrix and L. ovalis, the physiological cost associated with infection appears to be small and probably does not constitute a serious threat to individual bluefish survival.
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https://scholarworks.umass.edu/entit...b-877db0a8bba6
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the parasites tend to be more abundant in the saltier systems
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https://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/fishe...-1.asp?ID=2398
