The Black Sea flounder fish, the photo and description of which is in this article, is from the flounder family. Outwardly, it is strikingly different from other types of fish.
Description
It is very he althy, it contains a large amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This Black Sea flounder has another name - kalkan. This species is one of the largest in the flounder family. The body of the Black Sea flounder sometimes reaches 85 centimeters, and the mass reaches fifteen kilograms. Kalkan can live sixteen years.
Habitat
Black Sea fish flounder where found? You can meet her in the Azov and Black Seas, in some parts of the Mediterranean. Sometimes the kalkan appears at the mouths of the Dniester and Dnieper. Often found on the coasts of the Kerch prestrait and Western Crimea. Kalkan is found near the Feodosiya Gulf. And also off the coast of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.
Habitat
Where does the flounder fish live? Habitat - silty and shell (sandy) soils. Found at depths up to 100 meters. A smaller subspecies lives in the Sea of Azov. In summer and winter, Kalkan prefers to stay at a depth. And in autumn and spring - emerges in shallow water. In summer, large young can be seenfloating near the bottom in beach areas.
Appearance
What does the Black Sea flounder look like? Its description is very different from other species. The Kalkan has a high elongated body, somewhat flattened, up to 80% of its own length. Sometimes it happens even more. The whole body is covered with bony tubercles. Like other brethren of this species (plaice-like), it is formed in the form of horizontally located sides, like a thick pancake.
The eyes of the Black Sea flounder are located on the upper (left) side. The fins on this side are asymmetrical. Below is a white-bellied kalkan. Above, where the eyes are located, brownish, with small reddish spots. The Kalkan has no scales at all, but at the slightest danger, he can change color to match the color of the bottom. The jaws of this fish are with bristle-like straight teeth. They are in the form of ribbons. There are teeth even on the coulter.
Food
Black Sea flounder is a predatory fish. It feeds on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. An adult Kalkan eats at least 150 grams of food. And prefers bottom fish and crabs:
- sultan;
- hamsu;
- sprats;
- scad;
- Black Sea haddock;
- tulku;
- herring;
- fry.
Reproduction
Basically, the sexual organs of males of the Black Sea flounder mature at the age of 5 to 8 years, and females - from 6 to 11. Reproduction occurs at a depth of 25 to 70 meters in the open sea. Favorable temperature shouldbe between 8 and 12 degrees. Reproduction begins in March-April and continues until June. In some places until the end of July. But spawning peaks in May.
One fish spawns up to thirteen million eggs. The Black Sea flounder is the most prolific fish in the Black Sea. Despite the fact that the Kalkan dies from sometimes unfavorable habitat conditions and is often destroyed by marine predators, a huge amount of spawned eggs fully compensates for these losses.
Ripation of eggs
Calkan eggs are transparent and have the shape of a ball. With a little fat. The caviar of the Black Sea flounder is buoyant, keeps close to the surface and is carried by the current. As a result, for 1 sq.m. water accounts for up to 10 eggs. Many of them die in polluted waters or are eaten by marine life. Therefore, out of half a million eggs, only 500 larvae mature.
The first four days they have a yolk sac that they feed on. On the fifth day, the mouth begins to form. But their eyesight is still poor, so they move very slowly. This is a critical period as out of 500 larvae only 25 survive.
After 15 or 20 days they become fry and settle to the bottom. Of these, about 6 young individuals survive by autumn. Their length is at first 7 centimeters. They hibernate at a depth of 30 meters. In spring, young Kalkans move to the coastal zone. By this time, their length is already 10 centimeters, and by autumn it reaches 16 cm. At this age, the Black Sea flounder has enemies, exceptcatran sharks, no.
The Kalkan spends the second wintering at a depth of 50 meters. By spring, it becomes 20 centimeters long. At four years old, the Kalkan is already 35 centimeters. Some individuals start spawning already at this age.
Cut to extinction
The Black Sea flounder, the photo of which is in this article, is a commercial and very valuable fish. She has a very tasty fillet. Therefore, in the 60s, a lot of fish were caught, and the number began to decline sharply. As a result, a ban was imposed on catching the wild otter in 1986, as it was on the verge of extinction.
But the demand for this fish is huge, and the ban is not currently being enforced. Kalkan is caught with nets. They are even installed on the site of migration routes when the fish goes to spawn. Which greatly undermines the number of this valuable fish. In addition, other species, sometimes very rare, also fall into the poacher's net.
Curious facts
Kalkan does not spawn annually. The age of his ichthyologists can be determined by the size of the ear pebbles. And the number of eggs can tell about the area, time and efficiency of spawning. Malek kalkan, hiding at the bottom, burrows into the ground with the help of a tail and a fin. He makes wave-like movements with them, and he is covered with bottom soil. In the recess made, it becomes completely invisible.
The Black Sea flounder has different places for wintering, feeding and spawning. Spawns caviar along the coast, hides in the depths in summer. And in the autumn it returns to the coast again. The older the individual, the deeper the fish sinks. In one ofexpeditions, divers saw a Kalkan at a depth of over 10,000 meters.
Catching the Black Sea flounder began in the third century BC. In those days, women made necklaces from the thorns of this fish. A lot of fish were caught in ancient times.
The Kalkan lacks small bones. There are only large ones, on the ridge. Fat is concentrated mainly in the area of \u200b\u200bthe fins. If you need low-fat meat, the fins are simply cut off. And if this fish is baked in foil or a pot, then on the contrary, the fins must be left and you can not add additional fat or oil. Freshly frozen fish has a somewhat specific smell. But it cleans up easily. You just need to cut off the fins and peel off the skin from the carcass.
Useful properties of Kalkan
Black Sea flounder contains many useful substances and minerals for the human body. This fish is almost as valuable as the salmon family. The composition of the Black Sea flounder contains polyunsaturated acids "Omega-3". Kalkan contains a whole bunch of trace elements:
- sodium;
- potassium;
- cob alt;
- phosphorus;
- iodine;
- molybdenum;
- chlorine;
- sulfur;
- calcium;
- zinc;
- magnesium.
Fish also contains a number of useful amino acids that help regulate cholesterol levels:
- threonine;
- glycine;
- serine;
- aspartic;
- glutamine.
This fish contains a large amount of vitamins. Vitamin Agives a person vitality and saturates with energy. It also strengthens the immune system and promotes the speedy healing of wounds. Vitamin B has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and improves brain function. Kalkan is a low-calorie fish, so it is ideal for diets. Vitamin C prevents inflammation and infection. And vitamin E slows down cell aging and improves their nutrition, strengthens blood vessels.
Thanks to these valuable components, the growth of cancer cells is prevented, the risk of obesity and diabetes is reduced.
