For many fishermen, whitefish is 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 interested in underwater biology may be interested in learning more about these fish.
general information
To begin with, it is worth saying that this family includes about fifty species of fish. Some are more famous and common, while others are less. Some reach a weight of at best several hundred grams, while others grow up to 10 kilograms.
Of course, despite certain similar features in appearance, the fish are quite different. But all whitefish species have a long body, slightly compressed on the sides. Not too big a head, on which large eyes stand out, as well as a small mouth. The back often shimmers with a number of shades - green, gray, bluish, while on the sides the body is usually silver.
Also, in all whitefish species, a greasy fin occurs between the dorsal and caudal. Muscles are not brought to him, and he does not affect the streamlining of the body of the fish. Therefore, experts have been struggling for years with the question of why it is needed at all, but so far they have not come to a single conclusion.
The meat has excellent taste, and the high fat content makes it an important element of 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 belong to salmon, their meat is not red, but white, and in some cases pinkish.
Of course, listing all the representatives of such an extensive family will be very problematic. Therefore, we will make a short list of whitefish species of fish. We include here the most famous and common representatives of the breed:
- peled
- vendace
- Muksun
- tugun,
- Amur whitefish
- Baikal omul,
- Pyzhian
- chir.
Yes, all these fish, although not too similar to each other, belong to the same family. Where do they live? We will try to deal with this issue.
Habitat
Now we will write where these fish live.
It turns out - in almost the entire Northern Hemisphere! You can meet some species in the USA, practically all countries of Europe and, of course, in Russia. Whitefish can be seen in many large bodies of water, from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east to the Kola Peninsula in the west.
Moreover, they inhabit only water bodies with cold and crystal clear water. The high activity of the fish leads to the fact that it needs a large amount 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, whitefish species of fish, the list of which is given above, prefer to stay near places where rivers and streams flow into a larger body of water, enriching the water with oxygen.
Juveniles usually stay 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 dwell on the fairway of the river, often choosing riffles with deep holes and the boundary of sections with a slow and fast flow.
Among the fish families, there are both freshwater and those who prefer saltwater. However, there are anadromous ones (for example, Siberian vendace and omul), which are equally comfortable in both fresh water and salt, spending part of the time in the seas and spawning in fresh streams and rivers.
Fish habits
It’s worth mentioning 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, maintaining activity in the winter, when many other fish become more lethargic, lose their appetite.
The whitefish diet includes juveniles of different species of fish. They enjoy caviar with pleasure, including the caviar of their own brothers.
In the wild, they get along well with perch and grayling, especially since they inhabit different water horizons. But as soon as neighbors descend to whitefish territory, the latter immediately show aggression, expelling uninvited aliens.
Breeding
They become sexually mature at the age of three - some at four to five years old. After that, the fish spawns, often rising to the head of rivers and streams, passing a great distance in a matter of days. Spawns mainly in the fairway of the river, choosing places with a weak current. Different fish from whitefish breed in different months - from early autumn to early winter. Males fertilize eggs, after which adult fish slide downstream or find deep holes that will not freeze even on the coldest winter days.
The eggs develop for a rather long time - the larvae hatch only in the spring, after the first snow has melted. Water by this time is warming up enough, and there is especially much feed in the river, which ensures a high percentage of survival.
Now we will tell in more detail about 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 bodies of water - from the Amur River in the east to the Mezen River in the Arkhangelsk Region.
The color on the back is darker than most whitefish species. Also, the peled prefers reservoirs with stagnant water, avoiding rivers with a strong current, which makes 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 reproduces and is of considerable interest from the point of view of fishing.
Actively feeds on crustaceans, but does not disdain plankton.
Creeper
European vendace is also known by other names - kelp or ripus. The smallest representatives of the whitefish family from the list above. Usually the body length reaches 13-20 centimeters and only in the rarest cases - 35 centimeters.
At the same time, the scales are rather large - gray-blue on the back and white on the belly.
Most often found in lakes, sometimes in rivers. But also can be found in the Baltic Sea - the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. He selects places with a clear clay or sandy bottom, preferring to stay near the bottom and avoiding 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, White, Peipsi, Onega and Pskov.
The diet consists mainly of cyclops, daphnia and other crustaceans.
Propagated from the second year of life, when it reaches a length of only 7 centimeters.
Muksun
Enumerating the names of whitefish, one cannot but recall muksun. Perhaps it is he who has the widest habitat. You can meet muksun not only in our country (mainly in Siberian rivers, as well as in Taimyr lakes), but also in North America (Canada and the USA, where it is called whitefish - white fish). Quite a lot of muksun 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 dramatically reduces the amount of muxun.
The specimens are quite strong - up to 75 centimeters long and weighing 8 kilograms. Rarely, but there have been cases when the fishermen were lucky, and they caught individuals weighing 13 kilograms.
Tugun
Another fairly 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 Yana to the Ob. You can also catch in the Lower Ob basin and some Ural tributaries. It has a number of small-town names: tugunok, manner, or Sosvinsky herring.
It does not live long - in the wild for about 6 years. But they are developing quite quickly, going to spawn at the age of one and a half years. The main diet falls on 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 are reduced by 10 times, when compared with catches of the 80s of the last century. There are several reasons for this - river pollution with industrial waste and poaching.
Amur whitefish
Saying which fish belong to whitefish, many fishermen will recall the Amur whitefish. No wonder - this is one of the most famous representatives of the family.
It has a fairly serious size - up to 60 centimeters with a mass of 2 kilograms. Lives for a long time - about 10-11 years. It spawns for the first time at the age of 5-8 years (a more specific age depends on the living conditions and water temperature). Spawns in the 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, photos of which are attached to the article. It is endemic, that is, it occurs only in one place on Earth - in Lake Baikal.
Adults reach a weight of 30-60 centimeters with a weight of one and a half to two kilograms. But sometimes fishermen come across fish weighing 7 kilograms.
Spawning occurs in the fall - for this omul rises against the course of the rivers.
The main diet of juveniles is composed of bottom invertebrates and pelagic crustaceans. Adults, like most whitefish, are predators, feeding on juveniles of different species of fish.
For a long time it was believed that Baikal omul is only a subspecies of the Arctic. However, recent studies by geneticists have proven that they developed separately and therefore this species is independent and truly unique.
Pyzhyan
Another representative of whitefish, having important commercial value. It is found in rivers belonging to the Arctic Ocean basin - starting from the coast of Murmansk, ending with the Canadian Arctic. It is divided into river and semi-aisle forms.
The body is elongated, but over the years it is gaining increasing height. Between the dorsal fin and the head there is a pronounced hump. The genus is small, located quite low. The jaws are completely missing teeth - only on the lingual plate there are small and rather rare teeth.
Quite often it reaches a body length of 55 centimeters and a weight of 2 kilograms.
With age, the silvery body acquires a beautiful golden tint. 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. It is found everywhere in our country - from Kamchatka to the European part of the country. It feels great in some bays of the Arctic Ocean with semi-fresh water. Prefers places with a weak current.
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.
Ripens for spawning in 6-8 years. It spawns large (about 4 millimeters 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 mollusks, insects and crustaceans, but also young fish.
Has a wide body, slightly flattened from the sides. 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 number of bones, which makes fish the subject of commercial fishing. Inhabitants of the North are used for making stewing and planing. Also great for smoking - not only cold, but also hot.
