Fishes of the Black Sea. Names, descriptions and features of Black Sea fish

red mullet

This fish belongs to the Mullet family. Two species live in the Black Sea. All of them are valuable commercial fish.

As you can see in the photo of the Black Sea fish, the size of the red mullet is small, only 0.4 m. A characteristic difference is its long whiskers, which help stir up sand in search of food.

Catch of Black Sea sprat by the Black Sea countries, thousand tons.

table 4

There are 49-59 gill rakers on the first arch, and 34-40 on the lower half of the gill arch. Vertebrae 47-49.

The body is covered with cycloid scales, the ventral keel scales are well developed along the entire length from the throat to the anal fin. The total number of keel scales is on average no more than 33, behind the ventral fins on average no more than 11.3. The back is usually blue-black, the sides are gray-silver. The top of the snout and lower jaw are blackish. The maximum body length (from the beginning of the snout to the end of the middle rays of the caudal fin) is 14 cm, the maximum weight is 25 g. The average length and weight by age are presented in Table. 5.

Stingrays

The stingray is an elasmobranch cartilaginous fish. On the Black Sea coast you can see two species - the sea fox and the stingray. The characteristic features of the first are tasteless meat, the presence of thorns, and the value of the liver.

The stingray has no spines, only a needle on its tail. Its length is very significant - 0.35 m. The color of this fish is light, closer to white.

State of reserves and fisheries of the Black Sea anchovy

table 3

The deterioration of the ecological situation occurring year after year contributed to the onset of a long-term depression in the stock of the Black Sea anchovy, which continues to this day. To a greater extent, this turned out to be due to the introduction and massive development of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis Leidy in the Black Sea, which became a serious food competitor for fish and also began to consume their eggs and juveniles. In 1989-90 The biomass of the ctenophore in August reached several hundred million tons, and according to some data even one billion tons. At the same time, the biomass of food plankton decreased to 20-50 mg/m3 (indicators of previous years were in the range of 100-300 mg/m3). The resources of the Black Sea anchovy reached their most critical state in the winter of 1990/91, when, due to the low fat content in the body of the fish, it practically did not form schools, remaining in a rarefied state. The total production volume in Georgia and Turkey was only about 21 thousand tons.

After the usual first “peak” of numbers for an invader, a reduction in the biomass of Mnemiopsis Leidy followed. So, in August 1991 and 1992. in the northern half of the Black Sea, 40.5 and 18.9 million tons were recorded, respectively. At the same time, an increase in the number and improvement in the physiological state of the Black Sea anchovy was noted. In January 1992, 165 thousand tons of anchovy were counted in Georgian waters, which were distributed in stable, dense schools. This stock level was only 60% of the average for normal years. In the future, we should expect the continued possibility of regular fishing for the Black Sea anchovy, although the presence in the Black Sea of ​​such a serious food competitor as the ctenophore mnemiopsis does not allow the seizure in the waters of Georgia to exceed more than 40-60 thousand tons, and in the waters of Turkey 100-150 thousand. etc. Of course, it is necessary to reach an appropriate agreement at the interstate level.

Black Sea sprat - Sprattus sprattus phalericus (L)

Black Sea sprat-sprat

Black Sea sprat (below sprat) is one of the most abundant fish species in the Black Sea, its stock fluctuates in different years within the range of 200-1600 thousand tons. Previously, it was believed that sprat did not form commercial accumulations suitable for effective trawl fishing, so it was caught only with fixed seines in a narrow coastal zone to depths of 7-10 m. At the same time, it was caught in the USSR until the mid-70s. amounted to 0.5-4 thousand tons per year. Carrying out special research work made it possible to identify the presence of commercial concentrations of sprat on the Black Sea shelf. First in Bulgaria, and then from 1976 in the USSR, its specialized fishing with bottom and mid-depth trawls began to develop. This made it possible to significantly increase the catch of Black Sea sprat, bringing it to 100 thousand tons per year throughout the Black Sea, of which 23-89 thousand tons were caught in the USSR. However, since a significant part of the sprat remains scattered outside the fishing aggregations, and the appropriate fishing gear for effective catching of such sprat is not available, the stock of this object is underutilized. The annual withdrawal of sprat is, as a rule, no more than 30% of its commercial stock, with the available withdrawal being up to 44% (40% was withdrawn only in 1989).

The body of the Black Sea sprat is low, laterally compressed. The maximum height of the body is 0.15-0.18 of its absolute length (from the beginning of the snout to the end of the caudal fin). The head is narrow, elongated. Its height at the back of the head is 0.13-0.15, length 0.20-0.23 body lengths. The interorbital space is equal to 0.15-0.18 of the length of the head.

The dorsal fin is moved back and has 4-5 spiny and 11-14 soft rays. The anal fin, which begins behind the vertical of the posterior edge of the dorsal fin, has 2-4 spiny and 15-19 soft rays. The pelvic fins are located at the level of the anterior edge of the dorsal fin or slightly in front and contain 1 spiny and 6 soft rays.

Mullet

This is another valuable game fish. There are three species of mullet living in the Black Sea basin:

• Sharp Nose. It has a narrow nose covered with scales.
• Singil. In this fish, the scales originate from the back. The scales on the back have only one tubule.
• Loban. This species has two-channel dorsal plates.

The most common species is the mullet. It got its name from the convex head part. Its size is quite large and it grows quickly.

At the age of 6 years, its length can reach up to 0.6 m and weight up to 2.5 kg. Some fishermen can boast of larger prey, weighing more than 3 kg.

Length and weight of the Black Sea anchovy depending on age

table 2

In summer, a significant part of the anchovy population is distributed in shallow, high-food areas adjacent to the mouths of large rivers (Danube, Dniester, Dnieper) in the northwestern part and in the 5-mile coastal zones of Abkhazia and Georgia, which are also subject to a certain desalination, which contributes to high plankton productivity. In the cold season, anchovy, as a heat-loving species, reduces its distribution area, moving to the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. It has been established that the most important factors that determine the rate of transition of anchovy from scattered distribution in the surface layer of the sea to wintering aggregations are the level of fat reserves in the body of the fish and the intense autumn decrease in water temperature. After the completion of summer spawning from late August to October, anchovy feeds intensively, which leads to the rapid accumulation of fat, which is an energy reserve for the existence of the fish in the winter.

The first signs of the beginning of the migration of the Black Sea anchovy to the south usually appear in early September, when its catches by coastal fixed seines briefly increase and cases of catching schools with trawls during the Black Sea sprat fishery become more frequent. The autumn movement of anchovy to the southern part of the Black Sea occurs mainly in a rather narrow coastal zone.

Scheme of fishing with a purse seine

The traditional areas for the formation of so-called wintering aggregations of the Black Sea anchovy are the coastal regions of Turkey from Sinop to Rize and the water area adjacent to the Georgian and Abkhaz coasts from Batumi to Sukhumi. It is in these areas of the sea, mainly at a distance of 1-3 miles from the coast, that active fishing for anchovy with purse seines occurs.

Observations have shown that the timing of the formation of dense schools suitable for fishing depends on the fat content in the body of the anchovy and the cooling of the surface of the water basin in the fishing zone.

As a rule, large individuals of 2-3 years of age have a higher fat content, which most often form the first commercial aggregations in late November - early December. Numerous juveniles of the Black Sea anchovy approach the shore and form schools at a later date - usually from mid-December to mid-January.

The winter period of the anchovy's life cycle is characterized by daily vertical diurnal patterns, which significantly influence the course of the fishery. At the beginning of winter, when the upper 40-meter layer of water remains 2-40 warmer than the underlying waters, schools of anchovy are distributed closer to the sea surface. However, in the daytime, anchovy is observed to lower by 20-30 m from the surface, which apparently reduces the possibility of the fish being eaten by aquatic predators, including birds. In general, until mid-January, anchovy remains well accessible for fishing with purse seines, which are capable of catching fish to a depth of 50-60 m. Subsequently, under the influence of intense winter storms and cold westerly currents, cooling to 8-90 and mixing of waters occurs throughout the entire 100-150-meter thickness. These conditions contribute to an increase in the length of daily vertical migrations. During the day, anchovy can descend to a depth of up to 120 m. Moreover, in especially cold winters, characterized by continuous storms, snowfalls and a drop in water temperature to 6.5-7.00 C, anchovy stops rising to the surface horizons of the sea and lies in the bottom layer. At the same time, fish mortality increases sharply.

Throughout the fishing season, the highest catches of seiners - up to 30-60 tons per seine sweep - occur in the evening and morning hours, when the density of schools at the sea surface is 200-400 specimens/m3. In the middle of the night, the concentration density decreases to 20-60 individuals/m3, which makes replacements less effective. Daytime concentrations, although characterized by the highest density - up to 500-800 specimens/m3, are rarely caught due to their deep occurrence. The disintegration of schools and the return spring migration occurs in late March - April.

When analyzing the long-term dynamics of the Black Sea anchovy population, it should be taken into account that since the beginning of the 70s, when the number of large pelagic predators in the sea sharply decreased - mackerel, bonito, large mackerel, etc. (apparently due to the deterioration of the environmental situation), stocks small short-cycle fish have practically remained only under the influence of fishing.

Accordingly, until the end of the 80s, while the number of fishing vessels (primarily Turkey) was increasing, the reserves of the Black Sea anchovy were relatively stable, and catches were gradually increasing. During this period, commercial harvest was close to optimal, amounting to about 45-50% of the commercial stock. Together with the natural decline, which mainly took place in winter, the total annual mortality, on average, was about 86% of the maximum autumn stock level.

The power (productivity) of anchovy generations, which determined the level of the commercial stock, depended primarily on the size of the parent herd. Moreover. With an excessive increase in the number of spawning fish of two to three years of age, the yield dropped sharply, which, apparently, was ensured by intrapopulation regulatory mechanisms (competition for food, cannibalism, etc.). However, in 1984, the annual catch of Black Sea anchovy by the main fishing countries of the USSR and Turkey exceeded 500 thousand tons, which corresponded to the removal of more than 60% of the total stock. Subsequently, a decline followed, both in the number of anchovy and in fishing conditions. Only in 1987, when the next large generation appeared, the state of the Black Sea anchovy resources improved. But it increased sharply again in 1988. The “press” of fishing led to another decline in the herd size.

Gurnard

The gurnard is considered the most bizarre Black Sea fish. In appearance it is similar to an exotic butterfly or bird. And all because of the large multi-colored front fins.

Other features:

• massive head;
• narrow forked tail;
• body color – red;
• minimum number of bones;
• high taste of meat.

Even though there is not as much fish in the Black Sea as in other seas, it is quite valuable and worth going fishing. You just need to remember that all sea fish tend to accumulate mercury during their lives, so you don’t need to consume a lot of it.

Effective attachments

Mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, and various worms (sea, earth, dung) are ideal for sea fishing.

The table below shows popular baits for fishing in the Black Sea waters:

The Black Sea is attractive not only for its resorts and unforgettable views. Experienced fishermen love it for the opportunity to catch a good catch of tasty sea fish. Fishing places can be very diverse: rocks, shore, pier, abandoned creeks and the open sea. There are also no restrictions in the choice of gear and attachments.

Important! Before you start fishing, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the basic nuances of catching a particular fish.

Photos of Black Sea fish

Crimean oysters

Often in Sochi restaurants you will probably be offered Crimean oysters.
There are several farms in Crimea for their cultivation, including in Sudak, Laspi and Novoozerny. The fashion for oysters came to us from Europe. Oysters are an appetizer. They are usually consumed at the beginning of the meal. Eat fresh (uncooked). Despite the fact that the salinity of the Black Sea is approximately two times lower than in the Atlantic, Crimean oysters have excellent taste. They are less salty, even sweetish, and more tender.

Crimean oysters also differ in their appearance - they are more elongated and flat.

In Sochi there is also a mussel and oyster farm “Courchevel”, located in the village of Golovinka, Lazarevsky district.

Pandaka pygmy goby

The size of this fish is only 11 mm, weight is about 5 mg. It inhabits fresh water bodies of Australia and Southeast Asia. Pandaka is also found in the Philippine Islands.

In the middle of the 20th century, the fish was brought to Germany.

The goby has a transparent body with spots in the form of vertical stripes, a rounded dorsal fin and large eyes. Dwarf gobies are very decorative, so they are often kept in aquariums.

Adler trout

Adler trout can be tasted not only in Sochi restaurants. If you visit a factory where this valuable fish is grown, you can catch it yourself and then taste it.

Adler trout is a river fish (let’s not confuse it with sea trout). It turns out very tasty when cooked on the grill (it dries out a little during the cooking process).

Not far from Adler, in the mountains, among the cleanest air on the banks of the Mzymta River, the “royal” trout fish splashes in reservoirs with artesian water. This fish farm has a collection of the most common trout species.

Adler trout is supplied to sanatoriums and restaurants in Adler and Sochi, as well as to many cities in Russia.