Black Sea salmon is familiar to fishing enthusiasts, like brown trout or laurel. It was once widespread in the range of the Azov and Black Seas, but is now rare. The number of this fish was especially reduced in Azov. Despite the fact that measures are being taken to restore the population, it continues to decline steadily. This type of fish is included in the Red Book, illegal fishing is suppressed, but today the situation has not changed.
Habitats
Black Sea salmon belongs to the salmon subspecies, the species is trout. Its habitat is the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. These are: Krasnodar Territory, Abkhazia, Georgia, as well as the coast of the Sea of Azov. But recently it has been noted that this fish is practically not found in Azov. It is most widespread in the area of large rivers, such as Psou, Psezuapse, Mzymta and others. But the mainspawning rivers are in Georgia and Abkhazia.
Black Sea salmon (trout)
Lives in places where rivers flow into the sea, so this subspecies has two forms:
- Checkpoint. Lives in s alty sea water. For spawning it goes up the river. The length of the fish reaches up to 110 centimeters, and the mass - up to 25 kilograms. But such instances are very rare. Basically, the size of the Black Sea salmon is: length 50 centimeters, fish weight 3.5 kilograms.
- Residential. This form of fish resides permanently in the river. Better known as trout. It is much smaller than its counterparts living in the sea. This is due to the fact that there is less food in the rivers, so its dimensions are: length 25 centimeters, fish weight - up to 1.5 kilograms.
Black Sea trout is a predator. Its food in the sea is made up of small fish and invertebrates (crustaceans and mollusks). Trout also feed on small fish, invertebrates and insects. According to its way of life, brown trout is a solitary fish that does not live in a large flock, but can stray into small flocks.
Description
What does Black Sea salmon look like? In the photo we see an elongated body covered with small scales, from the back the fish has a dark silver color with a bluish tinge. The lower part of the sides is silvery, smoothly turning into a whitish belly. Dark spots, sometimes black, are scattered over the body. It has a large number of gill rakers and a high caudal peduncle. The trout has a large mouth, which contains many small teeth. They are even on the tongue.
Reproduction
Black Sea salmon spawn mostly in spring, but sometimes it happens in January-March. With what it is connected - it is not known. Both forms of fish go to spawn. It passes in the rivers, in places of rapids, where sea fish rises. The female digs small holes and lays eggs. With this, her childbearing mission is over, and the female trout goes to sea.
The male remains to guard the nest from the trout, which is not averse to feasting on delicious eggs. Their number can reach 12 thousand. After the eggs are fertilized, he fills the holes with bottom pebbles, forming the so-called spawning mounds. The male guards the nest for some time, and then goes to sea.
Fry Development
Eggs develop in about 45 days. This requires a constant water temperature that will be maintained throughout the incubation period. Then fry appear, or as they are called parsleys. They feed on the larvae of aquatic insects or the individuals themselves (adults). In the second year, the preparatory period begins for the parsley, during which preparations are made for living in s alt water.
Duration of residence of parsleys in river water can reach three years. At the same time, they look like trout and lead the same lifestyle. Having gained a mass of 200-250 grams, the Black Sea salmon migrates to the sea, where it quickly gains weight. An interesting fact, sea and river species of salmon during spawning can give offspring of two forms.
Salmon fishing
Commercial fishis its migratory form - trout. Trout is an object of sport fishing. The Black Sea salmon is on the verge of extinction. For a very long time, people did not think about the fate of this fish, increasing its production from year to year. At the same time, he blocked the rivers where the spawning places were, polluted them, not thinking about the fact that juveniles developed in them. Sobering up came only after it became clear that the remaining fish in the spawning grounds can simply be counted.
Catching it was banned, but it is still ongoing. Under the guise of catching mullet, red mullet or horse mackerel during the spawning run, fishermen try to put seines closer to the shore. In Georgia and Abkhazia, no one stops poaching, most fish are caught for spawning, which also negatively affects the number of fish.
Fishing
Little is known about Black Sea salmon fishing in the sea. This fish can mainly be caught when fishing for trout when it goes into the river to spawn. It is caught on a float rod or a rod without a float with one sinker of 3-4 grams. It cannot be caught on a light trout rig, as it easily handles it. In those places where fish can be caught, use a thick fishing line 0.3 mm thick. As a nozzle, when fishing with a bait, a worm is used. They also use spinning or fly fishing for fishing.
Besides this, in the Caucasus they use a casting net for fishing. With its help, salmon are caught during the summer long rains, when the water becomes completely opaque. A place with a weak current is selected and the net is cast. In Georgia, in shallow rivers with clear water, trout are caught at night, using brightly flaming torches and spears.
