Most often, when we mention a fish called catfish, we mean the species of European (or common) catfish. However, it must be borne in mind that in addition to it, there are more than 100 species of fish that are members of the catfish family and have similar characteristics.
In fact, the catfish is a large predatory fish, the main feature of which is the absence of scales. Most often it can be found in warm freshwater reservoirs. An adult can eat not only fish, but also frogs, rodents and birds. If the catfish does not find live prey, it may even eat carrion.
Basic data
The meat of the catfish is white, has a very rich taste, due to which this fish is not only massively caught, but also specially grown in captivity. This is possible due to the fact that catfish is an unpretentious fish that does not need extensive water bodies, therefore, this allows you to significantly save space during industrial production.breeding. It is noteworthy that in natural conditions, the spawning time of catfish (end of May-June) is the only period when you can catch several individuals at once in one place.
In winter, the catfish hibernates and stops hunting. This allows you to move it to specially equipped ponds for the winter period to other fish, for which in normal times the catfish would be a very significant threat.
When does spawning start?
The start of catfish spawning directly depends on the climatic conditions in the area that the fish has chosen as its main habitat. As soon as the water warms up to the required temperature (above 15 degrees), the catfish starts spawning.
For spawning, catfish are grouped into groups conditionally divided according to age criteria. Due to this, larger fish practically do not hunt their fellows during this period. The gender of catfish at this time is quite easy to determine: males are slightly smaller than females in length and much thinner than them. In addition, the males huddle around the females and begin to beat the water with their tails, as a result of which, during the period when the catfish spawning begins, rather loud slaps are heard in the water.
Methods of raising catfish in captivity
Due to its unpretentiousness, catfish has become quite widespread as a fish that can be easily raised in captivity, simply by creating suitable living conditions. There are four ways to raise catfish in captivity.
1) Cage method. Catfish spawning takes place in specially equipped cages. After the fry emerge from the eggs, they are separated from the adults.
2) Pond method. The fish is placed in the limited space of the pond and grown almost in natural conditions. At the same time, all young animals are caught and grown in factory conditions or spawning nursery areas.
3) Basin method. With it, catfish can be successfully grown even at home. At the same time, the sizes and types of pools do not play a special role and can vary significantly.
4) Feeding method. The only way in which catfish is grown together with other fish species. At the same time, it is used not so much to obtain meat in the future, but as the main assistant to reduce an unnecessarily large population of fish in reservoirs. In the event that this procedure is not required, the catfish must be selected in such a way that its dimensions do not exceed the size of other fish and it would not be able to hunt them. However, it must be borne in mind that in such conditions, after the spawning of the catfish comes to an end and fry appear from the eggs, they are in serious danger of being eaten, if not by the catfish themselves, then by other fish living in the reservoir.
Features of catching catfish
Catfish maintains an active lifestyle throughout the warm season. It is best to start fishing a few hours before sunrise or sunset when the fish are at their peak. Another burst of activity can be seen if the water is very cloudy and the sun does not illuminate it well. Then the catfish can peckthroughout the day.
It is also worth noting the excessive voracity of this fish after a warm summer downpour. At this time, catfish can swim up to the very shore in the hope of finding snails, worms or even rats that were washed away by rain streams into the reservoir.
To ensure successful catching of catfish, it is necessary to wait in close proximity to the places where he prefers to stop for rest. It would be useful to pay attention to the places of accumulation of small fish, for which the catfish will open the hunt as soon as it rests. The chances of catching him there increase if there are deep places nearby.
Also, one should not ignore the places where catfish spawn, where, starting in May, you can catch several individuals at once, protecting their eggs from other aquatic predators at this time.
Main habitats
Most often, catfish can be found in close proximity to snags, deep pits, as well as under the branches of trees hanging over the water. However, it must be borne in mind that he prefers to feed in completely different places.
The lower the water temperature drops, the more often the catfish will begin to transfer their activity to the daytime. And with the onset of the first frosts, he swims away to deeper places, where he practically stops eating, preparing for hibernation.
Preparing catfish for breeding
It is noteworthy that catfish reach sexual maturity at about the third year of life. At the same time, areas for spawning directlydepend on the area in which the catfish lives. Its spawning ground can be found in various places.
- In the rivers. Here, the catfish chooses a place in the immediate vicinity of the pit, in which it spends most of its time. Even if the river is shallow, he will not swim far away from it and will start spawning in the reeds closest to the pit.
- In the lakes. Spawning is less noticeable here than on the rivers, since it can be carried out throughout the lake. Catfish gather in flocks, surround the females and begin to make splashes with their tails. The female, having chosen the most suitable partner for herself, breaks the eggs. In the event that there are more males, one female can have up to 4 partners, of which only the strongest will remain. After completing the selection, the female and the selected male together drive away the remaining applicants and go deeper into a place suitable for spawning. Further, using their pectoral fins, they dig a hole, the depth of which sometimes reaches 1 m, and throw eggs into it. Although the caviar itself is not too much, it is quite large and needs space.
In the fishing pond. Here, spawning begins only after the water warms up to 20 degrees. The site chosen for this purpose must necessarily be overgrown with grass, and the water must be either in a standing state or be of low flow
If spawning is done in artificially created conditions, females and males must be separated before spawning, otherwise they can significantly each otherinjure.
Spawning process
The female, preparing for spawning, crushes the grass under her in such a way that it begins to visually resemble a bird's nest. The spawning period of catfish begins from the time the water warms up to 20 degrees and is carried out over several visits for spawning. At the same time, the catfish lays eggs in a fairly dense layer.
On average, one female is able to reproduce about 20 thousand eggs. After this process is completed, the female and male stay in close proximity for a day, protecting the eggs from enemies. At the end of this period, the female swims away, and the male guards the eggs until the larvae directly emerge from it.
Fry
Small catfish appear from the eggs no later than 10 days from the start of spawning. At the same time, silt and algae serve as the main source of food for them for a sufficiently long period. Catfish after spawning returns to their natural habitats and previously chosen pits.
It is noteworthy that a large number of fry die before reaching the size of an adult, from birds and adult catfish, leading a constant hunt. Only a small part of the fry grows to the age of one and turns into adult fish.
