Abrauska sprat - what kind of fish is this? Where does it live and what does it eat? Do you want to find answers to these questions? Then read the article further.
Description
Abrau kilka is a medium-sized freshwater fish from the herring family. The body reaches nine centimeters in length. The weight of one fish is ten grams. Abrau kilka lives no more than two years. Feeds on small zooplankton.
Reproduction
At the age of one year, it reaches sexual maturity. The length of the body at this time is from three to five centimeters. Spawning begins in May and lasts until October. As a rule, this happens after sunset, at night. The water temperature for favorable reproduction is at least twenty degrees.
At one time, the Abrau kilka, the photo of which you see in our article, can bring over thirty pelagic eggs. They are developing at a very fast pace. From the moment of maturation of the eggs to the hatched fry, no more than twelve hours pass. After that, they independently sink to the bottom. They rise to the upper layers of water only when their yolk sac dissolves. Adult Abrau kilka feeds on crustaceans. Young fish eat copepods, rotifers, plant organismsand eggs.
Habitat
Often this type of fish is found on the closed lake Abrau, located near the city of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Territory. Abrau kilka often spawned in the nineties and brought large offspring. But everything changed with the change in climatic conditions, as well as with the appearance of other species of fish in the lake. The latter bring discomfort to the Abrau kilka, resulting in the death of offspring, and the population is sharply declining.
Another subspecies
In Turkey, scientists have found an approximate species of fish to such a subspecies as the Abraul kilka. Pelagic type. Often found on the surface of the lake. It migrates in an upright position, usually together with plankton. During the day, the Abraul kilka can sink into the depths of the lake, at night, on the contrary, it rises to the surface of the water.
Why is the population declining?
Until the end of the fifties, this type of herring fish was considered massive. During catches, up to two hundred pieces fell into the net of trawls. After the nineties of the 20th century, the number decreased due to the appearance of predatory fish in the lake. And after the pike perch was introduced into this place, the number of sprats decreased by dozens of times.
What's going on with this type of sprat now?
At the moment the lake is not protected and is not in a protected area. Measures to protect the sprat are not taken. In the near future, it is planned to conduct a wide survey of the water area of Lake Abrau. If during the research work the presence of a tyulka is detected, thenit will be possible to estimate the abundance of this subspecies and carry out mandatory cryopreservation of the genome.
Measures to restore numbers
Currently, a program is being developed to conduct a comprehensive study and restore the kilka population. To do this, it is necessary to artificially reproduce the species, acclimatize it in freshwater or a pond.
The water temperature in it should correspond to that in Lake Abrau.
In order to preserve the species of sprat, it is necessary to reduce the number of predatory fish. First of all, it's zander.
Poachers also play an important role in the fate and reproduction of this fish. After all, a variety of dishes and all kinds of snacks are prepared from it.
Today the Abrau kilka is dying out. The Red Book of the Russian Federation has already included it in the ranks of rare species of fish, which are tyulki. Immediate operation to restore this type of herring fish can help save them.
Conclusion
Now you know who the Abrau kilka is. Photos for clarity are presented in the article. We hope that the information will be useful to you.
