For many fishermen, whitefish are a desirable prey. Which is not surprising - they can become not only a delicious dinner, as they have delicious meat, but also an occasion to brag among other lovers of this fascinating hobby. And just people who are interested in underwater biology may be interested in learning more about these fish.
General data
To begin with, it is worth saying that this family includes about fifty species of fish. Some are more famous and widespread, while others are less. Some reach a weight of at best a few hundred grams, while others grow up to 10 kilograms.
Of course, despite certain similarities in appearance, the fish are quite different. But all whitefish species of fish have a long body, slightly compressed on the sides. Not too big head, on which large eyes stand out, as well as a small mouth. The back often shimmers in a range of shades - green, gray, bluish, while the sides of the body are usually silvery.
Also, all whitefish species have an adipose fin - between the dorsal and caudal. Muscles are not connected to it, and it does not affect the streamlining of the body of the fish.affects. Therefore, experts have been struggling with the question of why it is needed at all for more than a year, but still have not come to a single conclusion.
The meat has excellent taste, and its high fat content makes it an important element in the cuisine of many northern peoples. Moreover, it was thanks to him that many peoples of the north managed to survive in harsh climatic conditions. Although whitefish are salmon, their meat is not red, but white, and in some cases pinkish in color.
Of course, listing all the representatives of such an extensive family would be very problematic. Therefore, we will compile a short list of whitefish species. We include here the most famous and common representatives of the breed:
- peled,
- vendace,
- muksun,
- tugun,
- Amur whitefish,
- Baikal omul,
- pizyan,
- chir.
Yes, all these fish, though not too similar to each other, belong to the same family. And where do they live? We will try to deal with this issue.
Habitat
Now let's write where these fish live.
It turns out - in almost the entire Northern Hemisphere! You can meet some species in the USA, almost all European countries and, of course, in Russia. You can see whitefish in many large water bodies, from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east to the Kola Peninsula in the west.
Moreover, they inhabit only reservoirs with cold and crystal clear water. The high activity of the fish leads to the fact that itneeds a lot of oxygen. Therefore, most often they can be seen in rivers with a fairly strong current, rifts and even small waterfalls - here the water is most saturated with air. In lakes, the whitefish species listed above prefer to stay near places where rivers and streams flow into a larger body of water, enriching the water with oxygen.
Juveniles usually keep in the coastal zone, preferring areas with snags, low overhanging branches of trees and shrubs. On the one hand, here you can hide from larger predators. On the other hand, in such places you can always find larvae and various insects that make up the main diet of fish at an early stage of development. But adult specimens prefer to live in the fairway of the river, often choosing rifts with deep holes and the border of areas with slow and fast currents.
Among the fish of the family, there are both freshwater and those preferring s alty sea water. However, there are also anadromous species (for example, Siberian vendace and cisco), which feel equally comfortable both in fresh water and s alt water, spending part of their time in the seas and rising to spawn in fresh streams and rivers.
Fish habits
It should be said right away that although many representatives of the whitefish family are similar to cyprinids (for example, roach, dace and others), they are predatory. Moreover, they feed throughout the year, remaining active in winter, when many other fish become more lethargic and lose their appetite.
The whitefish diet includes juveniles of various fish species. With pleasurethey also feast on caviar, including the caviar of their own brethren.
In the wild, they get along well with perch and grayling, especially since they inhabit different water horizons. But as soon as the neighbors descend into the territory of the whitefish, the latter immediately show aggression, expelling the uninvited aliens.
Reproduction
They become sexually mature at the age of three - some at four or five years old. After that, the fish goes to spawn, often rising to the sources of rivers and streams, passing a long distance in a matter of days. It spawns mainly in the fairway of the river, choosing places with a weak current. Different whitefish fish breed in different months - from the beginning of autumn to the beginning of winter. The males fertilize the eggs, after which the adult fish slide downstream or find deep holes that will not freeze through even on the coldest winter days.
Eggs develop for quite a long time - the larvae hatch only in spring, after the first snow has melted. By this time, the water warms up enough, and there is especially a lot of food in the river, which ensures a high percentage of survival.
Now let's talk in more detail about the different whitefish from the list above.
Peled
Quite a large representative of the family - some specimens reach 5 kilograms with a body length of 55 centimeters. It is found in many water bodies - from the Amur in the east to the Mezen River in the Arkhangelsk region.
The coloration on the back is darker than in most whitefish species. Also peledprefers stagnant water bodies, avoiding strong currents, making them an excellent choice for acclimatization in lakes. For example, at one time it was brought into the Bukhtarma reservoir in East Kazakhstan, where it actively breeds and is of considerable interest in terms of fishing.
Actively feeds on crustaceans, but does not disdain plankton either.
Vendace
European vendace is also known by other names - kilets or ripus. The smallest representatives of the whitefish family from the list that was given above. Usually the length of the body reaches 13-20 centimeters, and only in the most rare cases - 35 centimeters.
At the same time, the scales are quite large - gray-blue on the back and white on the belly.
Most often found in lakes, sometimes in rivers. But it can also be found in the B altic Sea - the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Prefers areas with clear clay or sandy bottoms, preferring to stay close to the bottom and avoid warm water. Distributed mainly in northern Europe: Russia, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Germany, Belarus and Scotland. In our country, it is found in many lakes: Pleshcheevo, Ladoga, Beloe, Chudskoye, Onega and Pskov.
Diet mainly consists of cyclops, daphnia and other crustaceans.
Produces from the second year of life, when it reaches a length of only 7 centimeters.
Muksun
Listing the names of whitefish, one cannot help but recall the muksun. Perhaps exactlyit has the widest range. You can meet whitefish not only in our country (mainly in the Siberian rivers, but also in the lakes of Taimyr), but also in North America (Canada and the USA, where it is called whitefish - white fish). There is quite a lot of whitefish in the Ob-Irtysh basin, where at one time more than one and a half thousand tons of fish were caught per year. Unfortunately, uncontrolled poaching during the spawning season is drastically reducing the number of whitefish.
Instances are quite strong - up to 75 centimeters long and weighing 8 kilograms. Rarely, but there have been cases when fishermen were lucky, and they caught individuals weighing 13 kilograms.
Tugong
Another rather small representative of the family. Its weight usually does not exceed 90 grams, and the maximum body length is only 20 centimeters. It lives in the rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean - from the Yana to the Ob. It can also be caught in the Lower Ob basin and some Ural tributaries. It has a number of local names: tugunok, mananka or Sosva herring.
Lives for quite a short time - about 6 years in the wild. But they develop quite quickly, going to spawn at the age of one and a half years. The main diet is insect larvae and small crustaceans.
Despite its small size, it is a valuable commercial fish. Unfortunately, in some reservoirs it has already been practically exterminated - for example, in many Siberian rivers. Today, catches have decreased by 10 times compared with the catches of the 80s of the last century. There are several reasons for this -pollution of rivers by industrial waste and poaching.
Amur whitefish
Saying which fish are whitefish, many fishermen will remember the Amur whitefish. No wonder - this is one of the most famous representatives of the family.
It has quite serious dimensions - up to 60 centimeters with a weight of 2 kilograms. Lives quite a long time - about 10-11 years. For the first time, it spawns at the age of 5-8 years (a more specific age depends on habitat conditions and water temperature). Spawns in spring.
Up to three years, the diet of juveniles consists mainly of benthos and zooplankton. Adult fish lead a predatory lifestyle.
It lives mainly in the east of our country - in the Amur estuary, the lower reaches of the Amur, the Tatar Strait, and also inhabits the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Baikal omul
One of the rarest representatives of the whitefish family, the photo of which is attached to the article. It is endemic, that is, it is found only in one place on Earth - in Lake Baikal.
Adult individuals reach a weight of 30-60 centimeters with a weight of up to one and a half to two kilograms. But sometimes fishermen come across fish weighing 7 kilograms.
Spawning occurs in autumn - for this, the omul rises against the flow of rivers.
The main diet of juveniles is benthic invertebrates and pelagic crustaceans. Adults, like most whitefish, are predators, feeding on juveniles of various fish species.
For a long time it was believed that the Baikal omul is only a subspecies of the Arctic. However, recent studies fromgeneticists have proven that they developed separately and therefore this species is independent and truly unique.
Pyzhyan
Another representative of whitefishes of great commercial importance. It is found in the rivers belonging to the Arctic Ocean basin - from the coast of Murmansk to the Canadian Arctic. It is divided into river and semi-through forms.
The body is elongated, but over the years it becomes more and more tall. There is a pronounced hump between the dorsal fin and the head. The genus is small, located rather low. The jaws are completely missing teeth - only the lingual plate has small and rather rare teeth.
Quite often reaches a body length of 55 centimeters and a weight of 2 kilograms.
With age, the silvery body acquires a beautiful golden sheen. In addition, during spawning, white epithelial tubercles appear on the head, fins and body - they are more pronounced in males.
Chir
This fish is found only in two countries of the world - Russia and Canada. In our country, it is found everywhere - from Kamchatka to the European part of the country. Feels great in some bays of the Arctic Ocean with semi-fresh water. Prefers places with weak currents.
Usually weighs no more than 4 kilograms with a body length of 80 centimeters. But sometimes larger specimens are caught - up to 16 kilograms in weight.
Matures for spawning at 6-8 years. It spawns with large (about 4 mm in diameter) light yellow caviar. This usually happens from October to November. Life expectancy under good conditions reaches a quarter of a century. The diet includes not only molluscs, insects and crustaceans, but also young fish.
It has a wide body, slightly flattened laterally. The body is silvery, sometimes with a golden hue. The dark back is covered with dense and large scales.
The meat is tasty, fatty, with a small amount of bones, which makes the fish the subject of commercial prey. The inhabitants of the North use sugudai and stroganina for cooking. Also great for smoking - not only cold, but also hot.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. Now you know more about the whitefish family. The names, descriptions and photographs attached to the article will allow you to get a more complete picture of these aquatic inhabitants.
