Auha (or Chinese perch) is a typical member of the perchichthous (Percichthyidae) family, one of the few that live in fresh water bodies. Its name is often mentioned in various epic works.
Description
The body of the perch has a bright color. Light yellow sides are cast in silver. Against this background, a lot of dark spots and specks of various shapes. The back is highlighted in greenish-gray. Such a motley appearance is determined by the habitat - the Chinese perch aukha prefers to be among stones and aquatic vegetation, waiting for its victim. The basis of his diet is small fish, on which he abruptly attacks from an ambush.
Like any predator, the main weapon of the perch is the teeth. They are arranged in several rows on both sides. The anal fin and ventral are equipped with spikes. The length of an adult can be up to 70 cm, weight varies from 7 to 10 kg.
Distribution and habitats
Abroad, aukha is found in the rivers of the People's Republic of China and Korea. In Russia, it lives mainly on the entire site of the middle Amur River, in its tributaries (Ussuri, Sungari) and in Lake Khanka. It comes across singly on Sakhalin. There, he was more likely to be seen on the northwest coast of Lake Sweet. The Chinese mountain bass tries to avoid cold mountain rivers and streams. Auha loves clean warm water, so often in the floods he comes to small floodplain lakes. After spawning, the perch is distributed in the Amur riverbed and in the floodplain. All summer he exercises his weight, eating intensively. In autumn he moves for the winter to the Amur Riverbed. Both young and adult individuals spend the cold season there, leading a sedentary and drowsy lifestyle at the very bottom. And next spring, immediately after the ice drift, it again sharply activates.
Aux biology
Chinese perch gains puberty by five years of existence, at which time the length of the fish reaches from 30 to 40 centimeters.
Aukha spawns in the summer when the water temperature reaches +20 … +26 ⁰С. Before this, he eats intensely, spending several hours in ambush. Caviar tosses in portions and many times. The fish is characterized by excellent fecundity - one individual is capable of sweeping about 160 thousand eggs during the summer season. Each of them is shrouded in a fat drop. Further development of caviar continues in the water column or on its surface, so it was called pelagic. This type of spawning increases the chances of survival of the species. After a few days, larvae emerge from the eggs, and after two weeks - fry, which immediately begin to obtain food. Juveniles start hunting quite early. These tiny (not more than 5 mm), but very bloodthirsty creatures eat fry of other fish, but sometimes they can even feed on their smaller relatives. At the same time, the growth of perch begins to increase even more intensively. The diet of an adult is mainly made up of non-commercial fish, such as gudgeon, eastern bellied, chebak, mustard, common carp. A considerable proportion of it falls on the river killer whale.
During the hunt, the Chinese perch suddenly rushes at small fish, grabs them from above the area of the ridge, then quickly pulls it using the muscles of the head and breaks the victim in half. Auha starts eating food from the tail, because eating fish from the head can harm the predator, and in some cases, destroy it. In its predatory manifestations, Chinese perch is not inferior to the pike and even surpasses it in this.
Number
Chinese perch, described at the beginning of this article, is one of the smallest species found in the Amur. In the last decade, mostly single specimens are found. The reduction in its quantity was caused by intensive catch by producers in the field of the main spawning grounds located in China. Other reasons are associated with the death of larvae during the transition to active nutrition. There is not enough food available at this time. They are the larvae of other fish, which appear a little later. Many young animals die during the first wintering. During the rapid decline of water in autumn, it remains in floodplain water bodies. Environmental pollution also played a significant role in reducing the number of Chinese perch.
Security measures
Unfortunately, the amount of this fish in water bodies only decreases every year. The reason is illegal fishing in spawning places, which led to the fact that perch was listed in the Red Book in connection with a decrease in the number of this species. Catching it with a fishing rod is not common.
The Chinese perch aukha is protected (a photo of it can be found in this article) in places recognized as natural state reserves, among which are quite famous, such as the Hankai and Bologna. Also, many contracts are concluded with Chinese partners about the protection, protection and ways to increase the population. It brings its positive results.
Experts believe that today the risk of extinction of Chinese perch in the vicinity of the Amur River is completely absent, and suggest moving this fish to the fifth line in the Red Book. They are confident in the possibility of the full restoration and revival of this population of freshwater fish through nature conservation, creating reserves, working with Chinese colleagues and many other various factors.
It is known that in recent years people engaged in fisheries began not only to grow this perch in ponds, but also to bring small representatives of the population into flowing reservoirs, thereby increasing the fish's habitat. Perhaps, due to the foregoing, a sufficient amount of this fish has already been found on the Amur recently.
