Womer fish belongs to the family of horse mackerel and lives in coastal waters at a relatively shallow depth. If you fall below 80 meters, then you can hardly meet there womer. It is noteworthy that this fish has a peculiar appearance. Because of this, it is often called the moon fish. Let's talk in more detail about the features of the vomer, useful properties and figure out where to catch this marine life.
Womer body structure
The moon fish has a bright silver color and a very flattened body, from which it got its name. In some sources you can hear such a name as a crescent fish. This is most likely due to the fact that young individuals of Vomer have several months-like (thin) spines on their backs. We can say with confidence that this fish is the closest cousin of horse mackerel, which we all have probably heard about. Woomer fish, the photo of which can be of interest to many fishing enthusiasts, has a body completely devoid of scales. It is noteworthy that her forehead is very steep and high, due to which there is a feeling that the body is rectangular. Dorsal fins resemble short spines, and pectoral fins - long, lunate. All individuals, both young and older, have a silver color with a blue tint, less often with green. Sometimes the moon fish can reach 60 centimeters in length, but this is rare, most often representatives of the species 20-30 cm are found.
Woomer fish: where it lives
As noted above, this species is found exclusively in coastal waters. It is worth paying your attention to the fact that there are several types of womer. One of them is found in the Atlantic Ocean, most often in the tropical zone (coast of Africa and Central America). The second species can be found in the Pacific Ocean. Here you can catch vomer, starting from the coast of California and ending with the coast of Chile. Moonfish prefers sandy and silty soil and lives mostly near the shelf. Young growth prefers desalinated shallow water and brackish estuaries. It is found mainly at the bottom in large groups and forms dense clusters. Vomer activity is mostly manifested at night, in the daytime it rises from the bottom and rests. When the sun sets, the moon fish begins to search for food. The latter most often acts as zooplankton and small fish.
Womer fish: useful properties
It is difficult to say about the direct benefits of the fish described by us. The fact is that a lot depends on the method of its preparation. But one thing can be said with great certainty - the moon fish is very tasty, regardless of whether it is fried, boiled or dried. But most of the useful substances can be obtained by using baked or grilled womer. According to studies, meat is very healthy, as it contains only 2-4% fat and approximately 20% protein. This suggests that if you are on a strict diet, then allowing yourself a moon fish, you will not gain a lot of calories. For this, the inhabitants of Ecuador and South America love this dish. It is safe to say that true connoisseurs of good beer almost always prefer womer, which was cooked by hot smoking. Of course, this way many useful minerals that are contained in meat are lost, but its taste becomes much better. The Pacific Woamer is very popular, as its meat is dense, but not tough.
Some valuable information
Womer fish, the photo of which you can see in any encyclopedia, is also remembered for the fact that it is capable of making barely audible grunting sounds. This is necessary for communication in a pack or to scare away enemies. Currently, this type of fish is often grown in artificial conditions. In such an environment, the vomer is bred very well, but it is necessary to create suitable conditions. Firstly, it is the temperature of the water, as well as silt at the bottom, where the fish can hide in case of danger. As for the size of fish grown in an artificial environment, most often individuals grow no more than 15-30 centimeters. By the way, the maximum length of the Pacific Womer reaches 85 centimeters, and the weight is slightly higher than 4 kilograms, while the largest individuals that are found in the Atlantic Ocean do not exceed a length of 60 cm. As practice shows, it is very rare to catch large womers, the average size according to fishing statistics is 24 cm.
