The term "pelagic fish" comes from the place in which they live. This zone is an area of the sea or ocean that does not border the bottom surface.
Pelageal - what is it?
From the Greek, the “pelagial” is interpreted as the “open sea”, which serves as the habitat for the Nekton, Plankton and Pleiston. Conventionally, the pelagic zone is divided into several layers:
- epipelagial - located at a depth of 200 meters;
- mesopelagial - at a depth of up to 1000 meters;
- bathipelagial - up to 4000 meters;
- over 4000 meters - abisopelagial.
Pelagic fish: description
These are marine inhabitants, a characteristic feature of which is the habitat - the pelagic region. There are two types of pelagic fish: coastal and oceanic. The former occupy shallow water, where sunlight penetrates, while the latter spend most of them in the deep layers, occasionally swimming in the coastal zone, mainly for spawning.
For the most part, pelagic fish have established themselves as excellent swimmers. The body of a torpedo or spindle shape allows them to quickly dissect the dense water column, while developing a high speed. Sizes of pelagic fish range from very small (herring, saury or herring) to gigantic predators: ocean sharks and tuna. Pelagic fish very often form huge shoals, sometimes reaching more than a thousand tons, but there are those that like a solitary habitat.
Popular views
The main commercial catch of fish is pelagic. It accounts for 65-75% of the total catch. Due to the large natural reserve and availability, pelagic fish is the most inexpensive type of seafood. However, this does not affect the taste and usefulness. Pelagic fish of the Black Sea, North, Marmara, Baltic, as well as the North Atlantic and the Pacific Basin occupy the leading position in fishing. These include smelt (capelin), anchovy, herring, herring, horse mackerel, cod (blue whiting), mackerel.
Perhaps the most common and sought after fish is herring. It mainly lives in the pelagic sea of the North Atlantic, in the Barents Sea and the North. Four groups of herring are distinguished: spawning, large pre-spawning, fatty and small herring. The most valuable products are oily herring. After all, it is easily amenable to conservation and perfectly salted.
The second most popular consumer is mackerel. This fish belongs to percussion and is widespread in the waters of the Baltic, Black and Sea of Marmara. The average length of mackerel is 30-35 centimeters. Some individual individuals are capable of reaching a length of up to 60 centimeters. The color of the mackerel is gray-green with a large number of black stripes located on the back. It is ideal for the manufacture of canned goods, cold smoked products, as well as suspended fish and balyks.
The third species of common pelagic fish, which are commercial, include capelin and herring. Capelin is a smelt, arctic fish that feeds on crustaceans and plankton. Its length rarely exceeds 20 centimeters. This is a schooling fish that lives in the upper layers almost circularly. It is used in the form of sprats, marinated and smoked, and also dried-dried.
Salaka mainly inhabits the waters of the Baltic Sea. Outwardly, it is very similar to the Atlantic herring, but differs in a smaller size, which varies within 20 centimeters. Salaka has an elongated body and a silver tint. This fish is sold in frozen form, in the form of preserves and canned food and in a chilled version.
