Presentation on the topic of salmon fish. Order salmon. The Red Book of Russia

They are distributed mainly in the river basins of the Arctic Ocean, the northern part of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Salmon fish have a body covered with dense silvery scales; there are no scales on the head. The dorsal fin is short, located in the middle part of the body. Behind the dorsal fin there is a soft adipose fin. All salmon spawn in fresh water.

Brown trout. The body above and below the lateral line is covered with numerous black spots that have a light halo. There are red spots on the sides of the body. In rivers, the coloration is brownish on the back, with a silvery tint on the sides. In large lakes, brown trout has a predominantly silver color.

Trout. Trout is the common name for freshwater forms of brown trout and steelhead salmon, fish of the salmon family; Trout live in mountain rivers and lakes in Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Africa, North America, acclimatized in Australia and New Zealand.

Trout never reaches a very significant size: its length reaches 1 m, weight up to 20 kg; in most cases, trout is a cm long and weighs 1-1.2 kg.

Keta. One of the most widespread representatives of the Pacific salmon. Spawning grounds in the rivers of Primorye are usually located in the lower reaches or in the middle reaches. Spawning occurs in areas with a weak current, the bottom of which is covered with small pebbles and gravel.

In the river, the color changes: dark spots cover the back, sides and head, by the time of spawning the head and fins become almost black, and the whole body becomes brown, except for the belly, which remains white. The proportions of the body change especially strongly: in males, a huge hump grows on the back, the jaws lengthen and curve, strong teeth grow on them.

As a rule, pink salmon spawns in places with a faster current, where the bottom is covered with rather large pebbles. Its caviar is large (5.5-8 mm in diameter), but more pale in color and with a shell that is more durable than that of chum salmon eggs. 23 months after the death of the parents, fry emerge from the eggs, remaining in the mound until spring. In spring, they roll into the sea, reaching 33.5 cm in length.

Red caviar caviar of salmon species of fish, such as: Pacific salmon pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, Atlantic salmon (salmon), trout with its various forms, brown trout, taimen, etc. Red caviar is a valuable food product, has high taste qualities and is relatively high cost, therefore, refers to delicacies.

Signs of the detachment ventral fins are multirayed (more than 6 rays),
located in the middle part of the abdomen
chest - low-sitting; there are no spiny rays in the fins
swim bladder, if present, usually connected by a canal
with esophagus
the mouth is bordered on top by two pairs of bones - the premaxillary
and maxillary
scales cycloid
In many salmonids, the skeleton is not completely ossified:
the cranium is largely made up of cartilage,
lateral processes not attached to vertebral bodies
there is a lateral line on the body
many have an adipose fin

Salmonformes are a detachment of ray-finned fish. AT
the squad is singled out the only
family - Salmon (Salmonidae).
Includes medium to large fish.
Salmon are mostly migratory fish,
growing and ripening in the seas, and for
spawning going to the rivers. especially rich
salmon seas of the Far East. Here
there are chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, etc. They spawn
these fish in rivers and lakes.

The family is divided into three subfamilies:
Whitefish Coregoninae (3 genera)
Actually salmon Salmoninae (7
childbirth)
Grayling Thymallus (1 genus)

Subfamily Salmonidae

To the subfamily Salmonidae (Salmoninae)
include large or medium fish
size, with small scales, large
mouth with well developed teeth.
Salmon nutrition is predatory or
mixed.

Representatives

Lenok (Brachymystax)
Distributed in the rivers and mountain lakes of Siberia and the Far East, China,
Mongolia, as well as in Western Korea, does not occur west of the Urals.
Prefers fast cold rivers, mainly their upper reaches.
Keeps in small flocks, large - alone. Reaches length
about 70 cm and weight 6 kg. Cases of catching fish weighing up to 8 kg and
meter length. The growth rate is low.

Taimen (Hucho)
Widely distributed, in almost all major rivers and
lakes of Siberia and the Far East, in Altai, for example: in the rivers Bukhtarma,
Kurchum, as well as in some rivers of Mongolia, in the north of the Khubsugul
area in the rivers Egiin, Uure-Gol, Delgermuren, Shishgid-Gol and Onon.
Kinds:
common taimen
Mongolian taimen
Korean taimen
Sichuan taimen
Taimen Mityagin
common taimen

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus)
(Far Eastern)
Pacific salmon is found in the upper horizon of the oceans. Here
this fish appears during the migration period. They come here either from
depths, or from coastal shallows. Salmon come here for
to put on weight. And in the future, he goes to spawn or back to
shallows, or into the freshwater rivers or lakes where he was born.
Kinds:
Mexican golden trout
Clark's salmon
Gila trout
Pink salmon
Keta
coho salmon
Sima
Rainbow trout
Red salmon
Chinook salmon

Pacific salmon
Pink salmon
Keta
coho salmon
Sima
Red salmon
Chinook salmon

Sakhalin taimen (Parahucho) or goy
Lives in the Sea of ​​Japan, spawns in the rivers of Hokkaido,
southern Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and Primorye.
Sakhalin taimen reaches more than 1 m in length and 25-30 kg of weight.
This species differs from ordinary taimen in larger scales.

Noble salmon (Salmo)
Habitat:
Baltic Sea Basin
Arctic Ocean basin
atlantic ocean basin
Kinds:
Italian trout
Eisenam trout
Ishkhan (Sevan trout)
Black Sea salmon
Ohrid trout
marble trout
Adriatic trout
flathead trout
Salmon
Trout

noble salmon
marble trout
Italian trout
Atlantic salmon (salmon)
Black Sea
brown trout
Sevan trout
(ishkhan)
Trout

Char (Salvelinus)
They live in northern latitudes. Among all salmon loaches are the northernmost
fish, they are found in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of New
The lands of Svalbard and Siberia, as well as in the North Pacific Ocean. Being
predominantly anadromous fish, charrs enter rivers during spawning
Norway, Svalbard, Iceland, etc. depending on the range, and then
return to the sea.
Kinds:
white char
arctic char
Chukchi char
Boganid char
American char
Yakut char
Kunja
Malma
Lake char-kristivomer
Neiva
Yeseyskaya palia

loaches
arctic char
Malma
Kunja
American char

Longfin Palia (Salvethymus)
Lives in Lake Elgygytgyn in Chukotka (Russia), beyond
does not occur.
Svetovidov's long-finned palia
A small fish 16.3-33 cm long and weighing up to 400 g.
Distinctive features are the high flattened
laterally body, very short hooked snout, large eyes.

Subfamily Whitefish (Coregoninae)

Widespread in lakes, rivers and brackish
waters of the Northern Hemisphere, except for Greenland.
The whitefish family includes three genera and about 30
types. The body of whitefish is covered relatively
large, dense scales; mouth small, dorsal
the fin is short. Body color silvery
spots. The caviar is small.
This includes whitefish or nelma. They are
constitute the largest, most
variable and most unexplored genus. To him
include fish with a somewhat laterally compressed body
and with a relatively small mouth.

White salmon, or nelma

There are two subspecies: white salmon (Stenodus
leucichthys leucichyhys) from the Caspian basin
seas and nelma (Stenodus leucichthys nelma) from rivers
Arctic Ocean. Origin
kind of arctic. The whitefish entered the Caspian
from the Arctic Ocean to
late ice age.
The only species of whitefish,
leading exclusively
predatory lifestyle; on the
feeding on fish
after reaching length 30
see juveniles feeding
insect larvae and
juveniles of other fish species.
An adult nelma consumes
mostly juveniles
whitefish (vendace, omul,
tugun, chira), cyprinids and
perch fish. white salmon
eats mainly
sprat, atherina, juveniles
herring, roach and gobies.

Whitefish

European vendace
Omul
Siberian vendace
Pyzhyan
Common sig
Amur whitefish
Baikal omul

Subfamily Grayling (Thymallus)

Graylings are very close to the salmon subfamily. From the actual salmon
graylings are distinguished by a very long and high dorsal fin,
containing from 17 to 24 rays. In some species it takes the form
train and often very brightly colored. In the subfamily graylings, only
one genus of grayling (Thymallus). All graylings are freshwater fish,
living in small fast rivers and cold lakes of Europe, Asia and
North America.
Kinds:
West Siberian grayling
Black Baikal grayling
White Baikal grayling
Amur grayling
Kamchatka grayling
East Siberian grayling
Alaskan grayling
Mongolian grayling
European grayling

grayling

White Baikal grayling
European grayling
Black Baikal grayling
Mongolian grayling
West Siberian grayling
Kamchatka grayling

Meaning

Salmon have a very large
commercial value, in some areas
Siberia account for up to 20% of the catch. For food
use their meat and caviar (red caviar). AT
meat only 2-3% fat.
Useful for the destruction of low-value (weedy)
fish.
Low breeding efficiency
salmon and their high value determined
widespread use of measures to
artificial breeding of these fish.

The Red Book of Russia

Whitefish
Whitefish
Pereslavl vendace
Nelma (subspecies white salmon)
Coregonus albula pereslavicus Stenodus leucichthys leucichthys
Nelma (subspecies of nelma)
Stenodus leucichthys nelma
Volkhov whitefish
Coregonus lavaretus baeri
Dwarf Valek
Prosopium coulteri
Baunt whitefish
Coregonus lavaretus baunti

salmon

Sakhalin taimen
Hucho perryi
Mikizha
Salmo mykiss
lake salmon
Salmo salar morpha sebago
smallmouth char
Salvelinus elgyticus
common taimen
Hucho taimen
Lenok
Brachymystax lenok

Kumzha (Black Sea
p / view, passage form)
Salmo trutta labrax
Brown trout (Eizenam trout)
Salmo trutta Ezenami
Kumzha (Caspian p / species,
passing form) Salmo trutta
caspius
Kumzha (White Sea-Baltic
n/view) Salmo trutta trutta
Svetovidov's long-finned palia
Salvethymus svetovidovi

grayling

European grayling (pop.
bass. top. R. Volga and r. Ural
Thymallus thymallus

"Questions about fish" - Class cartilaginous fish. 4. The body has bilateral symmetry. The lateral line organ is present only in freshwater fish. The skeleton partially or completely becomes bony. Subclass Order of cyste feathers. Class Cartilaginous fish. You can tell the age of the fish by looking at the scales. Class Bony fish. The ribs are attached to the arches of the trunk vertebrae.

"Superclass Fish" - Aesthetic value. A link in the food chains of biogeocenoses. Feed meal. Reclamation of reservoirs, clearing of spawning rivers. In fish, there are ... and ... fins. According to the structure of the system of organs of reproduction of fish .... animals. The nervous system consists of ... parts and ... parts. They have…. circle of blood circulation, the heart, consisting of ... and ...

"Fish biology" - The purpose of the discipline: Biology and pathology of fish. Aquaculture has two main areas. The main production and technological processes in pond fish farming. And the second is the artificial reproduction of aquatic biological resources.

"The internal structure of the fish" - Movement. Venous blood, veins. Pancreas. Bladder. Average. Presentation for students in grade 7 on the topic "Superclass of fish." Swim bladder. Protection. Liver with gallbladder. Oblong. Brain: Excretory system. Spine + ribs. Gill stamens. Nerves. Spinal cord.

"Biology Grade 7 "Fish"" - Fish telescope. Fish is a needle. Som. What sea fish is shaped like a chess piece. Sardine. Clown fish. Crossword. Three minnows. The saw fish. Jumper - muddy. Where does the Osetr river flow. Variety of fish. Literary competition. Fish planet. Cardinal. Neon. Amur. Coelacanth. Sturgeon. Fish - Ruff. Gurnard.

"Class 7 fish class" - Ribbon (eel). TASK № 2: Oral work with terms: The structure of fish scales. Representatives of the class Bony fish. Determining the age of fish. Find out what is the peculiarity of the structure of the eyes. Fish are adapted to life in the aquatic environment. Indicate in the figure all the parts under consideration. The location of the scales on the body of the fish (carp).

Salmonformes from the bony fish order. This is an ancient group of fish (known from the Cretaceous period), the source for most bony fish. Therefore, salmonids have a number of primitive features: in many, the skeleton and skull do not completely ossify (to a large extent they consist of cartilage), in some (smelt) the notochord is preserved throughout life. Salmonids include 27 families: salmon, whitefish, grayling, smelt. Their length ranges from 2.5 cm to 1.5 m. These are anadromous, marine, freshwater and deep-sea fish. The most famous is the family. Salmon.

Salmon family

The salmon family includes fish that have one true dorsal fin and one adipose fin. The dorsal fin has 10 to 16 rays. The second, adipose fin has no rays. Most of the eyes are equipped with transparent eyelids.

Salmon - anadromous and freshwater fish of the northern hemisphere, in the southern hemisphere there are no salmon, except for those acclimatized by man.

Salmon - fish that easily change their lifestyle, appearance, color, depending on external conditions. The meat of all salmon is excellent in taste, and most of them have become objects of fishing and fish farming. Salmon are one of the most important commercial fish in the world.

Representatives of the genus Pacific salmon live in the Pacific Ocean. There are 6 well-distinguished species (chum salmon, pink salmon, chinook salmon, red salmon, coho salmon and sim). All of them spawn only once in their lives, dying after the first spawning.

Two periods are distinguished in their life: the sea period and the spawning period. During the marine period of life, Pacific salmon grow and feed in the entire northern part of the Pacific Ocean - the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. Their food is varied: small fish and their juveniles, crustaceans, squid juveniles, worms, less often jellyfish and small ctenophores. In different species, this period is different (from 1 year to 6 to years). The body of salmon at this time is slender, covered with silvery, easily falling scales, there are no teeth on the jaws.

When the fish reach sexual maturity, the second period of their life begins. They make a spawning migration - a journey without return, rushing into the rivers where they were born and where they are destined to die, having laid their eggs. Not a single case of survival of spawning by Far Eastern salmon is known, and in this they differ from all other salmonids. Each fish goes there, into that river, into that channel where it was born several years ago. The reasons for this are not fully understood. Some scientists believe that fish have an innate knowledge of their native shores, others that fish acquire it after they have lived for some time in the river. To find out who was right, salmon caviar was transferred from the streams where it was deposited to other rivers. When the fry hatched, they were fattened for some time in special nurseries, and then marked and released into a strange river. A few years later, after swimming in the sea, they returned to where they lived as fry, and not to where their parents laid their eggs. This means that the knowledge of spawning grounds is not innate, it is acquired at a time when fry live in the river. What signs does the fish remember? There are suggestions that they are chemical: off the coast, they “recognize” the water of their “native” river, distinguishing the finest features of its chemical composition with the help of the organs of smell and taste (when the nostrils were sealed with salmon and allowed into the sea, they could not find their native rivers so accurately). But how do they navigate the open sea, far from their native shores? Perhaps, in this case, they are guided by the sun, moon, bright constellations. However, this mystery is still waiting to be solved.

The appearance of salmon entering rivers changes. They have a "marriage outfit": the body flattens, strong hooked teeth appear on the jaws, vomer, palate and tongue. The jaws themselves, especially in males, are bent, a hump grows on the back, the skin becomes thick and rough, scales grow into it. The silvery coloration disappears, and a pigment appears in the skin, coloring it black, crimson or purple-red. In females, signs of nuptial attire are less pronounced than in males.

The reasons for the emergence of marriage attire have not been studied. Some researchers believe that mating attire attracts females who choose the "most beautiful" male, while others see them as adaptations that are useful to fish in river conditions. There are other assumptions, but which of the points of view is closer to the truth, the future will show.

During the migration from river mouths to spawning grounds, salmon do not feed, turning from voracious predators into starving yogis. Their strength is maintained by the reserves of fat accumulated in the sea. They have no time to eat, and there is nowhere to "put" food, because. the sex glands grow so large that they burst the sides and compress the intestines and stomach. During the journey, they are extremely depleted, losing more than 75% of the energy accumulated in the sea.

All this time, the fish do a great job, rising up the rivers, often stormy, replete with rifts, rapids and waterfalls. To overcome an obstacle, fish sometimes jump to a height of up to 2.5 m. At this time, dangers await them from all sides: bears, birds of prey, people. The record holder of spawning migrations - chinook salmon goes up the Yukon River in North America up to 4 thousand km.

The spawning migration of salmon with their large numbers leaves an indelible impression. Here is how it was described by the first scientist who explored Kamchatka, S.P. Krasheninnikov: "All the fish in Kamchatka go from the sea to the rivers in the summer with such numerous runes that the rivers come from that and, having overflowed their banks, flow until the evening, until the fish stop entering their mouths." Krasheninnikov's description refers to 1737-1741, and until the beginning of our century it could not be considered exaggerated. At present, the number of Pacific salmon has greatly decreased and the spawning run is no longer such a grandiose spectacle.

All Pacific salmon bury fertilized eggs in the ground, so they spawn in places where the bottom is not silted, covered with pebbles or gravel, often where underwater springs beat. Before spawning, the female cleans the bottom of debris, grass, and silt. She lies on her side and beats with her tail: silt soars up, sand is exposed under it. After that, the female, with energetic movements of the caudal peduncle, scatters the soil and digs, thus, a hole 2-3 meters long. Caviar is deposited in the formed hole, and the male waters it with milk. Between males during spawning there are continuous skirmishes. Some of the eggs remain unfertilized, many are carried away by the current and eaten by freshwater fish. Having spawned, the female throws pebbles into the hole with blows of her tail. A hillock is formed, under which the eggs develop, and the larvae that emerge from the eggs are until the yolk sac is resorbed. There are several such nests. The female works 2-3 days, sometimes a week. Then he guards the nest.

The most exhausted perish already at the spawning ground, others, exhausted, tormented, sick, swim downstream and die on the way to the mouth. The bottom and banks of the rivers are covered with dead fish. Many crows, gulls and a variety of animals, up to bears, gather for this abundant food.

The fry, as soon as the yolk sac dissolves, leave the mound and swim downstream, feeding on small aquatic invertebrates and insects that have fallen into the water. And everything starts over.

Such a life cycle is typical for Far Eastern salmon. Some European salmon return to the sea alive, recover, recover, and return to spawn the next year.

In Primorye, 10 species of the family are found.

Genus of Pacific (Far Eastern) salmon

The most common and massive species of Far Eastern salmon is chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta). Chum salmon is widely distributed along both sides of the Pacific Ocean, from San Francisco to the Bering Strait along the American coast and from Chukotka to Peter the Great Bay along the Asian coast. It is found everywhere in Primorye.

In marine attire, the silver chum salmon has a silvery color, without stripes and spots, and the bases of the rays of the caudal fin are also silver. In the river, the color changes to brownish-yellow, with dark purple or dark crimson stripes. By the time of spawning, the body of the chum salmon, as well as the palate, tongue and bases of the gill arches become completely black. In males, by the time of spawning, the body darkens and flattens, the back becomes humpbacked, the jaws lengthen and bend, the teeth, especially in the male, increase.

In terms of size, chum salmon are second only to chinook salmon among Pacific salmon. It reaches a length of 102 cm and a mass of 15 kg. It usually matures at 3-5 years of age. The fecundity of chum salmon averages about 3000 eggs. The caviar is large, its diameter is about 7 mm.

The spawning run into the rivers of Northern Primorye begins in August and ends in September-October. Often it spawns already under the ice. For spawning, the chum salmon chooses quiet areas of small rivers, the bottom of which is covered with small pebbles and gravel. In severe winters, spawning grounds often freeze to the bottom, and mass death of offspring is observed. Having reached sandy or pebbly soil, the female arranges a nest in the form of a hole, where she lays her eggs, and then fills them with sand. The female lays several such nests, usually three. At the end of spawning, the female pours a mound up to 2-3 m long and about 1.5 m wide over the nest. All this work usually lasts 2-4 days.

Having finished spawning, the female guards the nest for several days until she dies of exhaustion. The males leave the females as soon as they spawn. The larvae hatch in the spring, and they do not linger in the river and immediately roll into the sea. During the first summer, juveniles that have migrated live in coastal waters, in bays and gulfs, and only later migrate to the open waters of the Sea of ​​Japan and the Pacific Ocean, where they are distributed over a vast area. After 2-4 years, having reached puberty, it begins to migrate to its native rivers.

Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) has a slender body and small scales. In the sea, her body is painted silver, there are many small dark spots on the caudal fin. In the river, the color changes: dark spots cover the back, sides and head, by the time of spawning the head and fins become almost black, and the whole body becomes brown, except for the belly, which remains white. The proportions of the body change especially strongly: in males, a huge hump grows on the back (hence the name of the species), the jaws lengthen and curve, strong teeth grow on them. The scales sink into the skin and fuse with it. The once slender and beautiful fish becomes ugly.

Pink salmon is an anadromous species. It enters the rivers of Primorye along the entire length of the coast from Peter the Great Bay to the most northern regions. Pink salmon is widely distributed - in the south from the coast of Korea (on the Asian coast) and California (on the American coast) to the Arctic Ocean (the Lena River in the west and the Mackenzie River in the east).

Pink salmon is the smallest representative of the Pacific salmon. The maximum length of pink salmon usually does not exceed 68 cm, weight 3.0 kg, although there are cases of captures of individual specimens 76 cm long and 5.7 kg in weight. The males are usually larger than the females.

Pink salmon spawns in August - September in places with a faster current, where the bottom is covered with rather large pebbles. Fertility ranges from 1480 to 2230 eggs. The female lays her eggs in one, two or three nests and covers them with pebbles. In this case, an oval-shaped spawning hillock is formed up to 1.5-3.0 m long and up to 60 cm wide. The soil layer above the eggs is 30-35 cm. For several days (about a week), the females guard the laid eggs, preventing other fish spawn in this area, and then, exhausted, are carried away by the current and die. After spawning, pink salmon males also die. In 2-3 months after the death of the parents, fry emerge from the eggs, remaining in the mound until spring, feeding on the reserves of the yolk sac. In spring, they roll into the sea, reaching a length of 3-3.5 cm.

In the sea, pink salmon actively feeds on very high-calorie foods: small fish, squid, anchovies, and crustaceans. Therefore, it grows and matures unusually quickly: 18 months after the migration to the sea, it already returns to the rivers to lay eggs and die. Pink salmon is a heat-loving species. It winters in the southwestern part of the Sea of ​​Japan, where the surface temperature does not drop below 5°C. This circumstance, apparently, also contributes to its rapid growth.

Pink salmon is the most numerous representative of the Pacific salmon, ranking first among this group of fish in terms of catch volume.

Chinook ( Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) is the largest and most valuable of the Pacific salmon. It reaches a length of 147 cm and a weight of 61 kg, the average size of a running chinook salmon is 90 cm.

It is rare in the sea waters of Primorye. This species lives mainly in Kamchatka and off the American Pacific coast.

The taste qualities of chinook meat have been famous since ancient times. Americans call Chinook salmon king salmon- "king-salmon", and the Japanese gave her the title "prince of salmon".

The back, dorsal and caudal fins of the chinook salmon are covered with small round black spots. The courtship attire is poorly expressed; during spawning, the male turns black, blurred red stripes appear on its sides.

Chinook salmon lives from 4 to 7 years, feeds on crustaceans, fish, squid.

Kizhuch ( Oncorhynchus kisutsch). In the waters of Primorye, this species is rare. Only its single visits to the rivers of the northern coast are known. The main habitats of coho salmon are located near Kamchatka and along the American Pacific coast to the state of Oregon.

The coho salmon differs from other salmon by the bright silver color of the scales (hence the Japanese and American name - "silver salmon" and our old one - "white fish"). The back and upper part of the head are greenish, in some fish with a bluish tint. By these features, as well as due to the presence of black, irregularly shaped spots on the back, upper part of the head and caudal fin, it is easily distinguished from other species of Pacific salmon.

In length, coho salmon reaches 98 cm and weighs 14 kg, the average size is 60 cm and weight is 3.0-3.5 kg.

Coho salmon enter rivers later than other salmon and spawn from early September to March, often under ice. During spawning, both males and females turn dark crimson. The fry live in the river for 1-2 years, feeding on air insects, their larvae, caviar of other salmonids. In the sea, coho lives a little and already in the third year it becomes sexually mature. Coho salmon is the most thermophilic of all Pacific salmon: it winters at a temperature of 5.5-9 ° C, south of pink salmon.

Sima, or mazu ( Oncorhynchus masu). Sima is one of the most beautiful representatives of the Pacific salmon, especially in breeding attire. In the sea, it has an even silvery color. The body is slender, with small black rounded spots on the back; less often, small black spots are visible on the dorsal, caudal and adipose fins. Upon reaching puberty, the back of the Sim darkens, in the river the stripes on the sides of the body become bright red with a raspberry tint, on the abdomen they merge into a common longitudinal stripe, colored lighter. It is no coincidence that in translation from English and Japanese, sima means "cherry salmon." In males, during the spawning period, a hump grows, the upper jaw lengthens and bends with a hook, large teeth grow on the jaws.

Sima is the only Pacific salmon that is found only along the Asian coast, and is absent in American waters. It is found everywhere in the waters of Primorye.

In Primorye, it reaches larger sizes than in other regions - a length of 71 cm and a weight of 9 kg. Usually the length of a sim is 50-60 cm, and the weight is 2.5-3.5 kg. The life cycle, like that of other Pacific salmon, is divided into marine and freshwater periods, and lives in rivers from 1 to 3 years and can form residential freshwater forms. The marine period of life lasts 1-2 years. Caviar is laid in nests with a depth of 10 to 45 cm on pebbly-silty soils with a weak current. The whole process of laying eggs takes 2-3 days. After spawning, the female continues to protect the spawning mound from predators and individuals of her own species for about a week, and the male leaves the female and can form a new pair with an unspawned individual.

Sim fry after leaving the nest do not roll into the sea, but remain in spawning areas, in the upper reaches of rivers, in shallow waters with a weak current, where they feed on insect larvae and the aquatic and air insects themselves. Sima juveniles slide into the sea in the second, and sometimes in the third year of life. Juveniles living in rivers are known as "pied", "wheatear", "podkamenka".

In terms of abundance, among the Pacific salmon found in Primorye, sima occupies the third place, behind the chum salmon and pink salmon.

All representatives of the genus are valuable commercial fish, with the exception of the chinook, which, due to its extremely rare occurrence in Primorye, has no commercial value.

Rod Goltsy

Some species of this genus are relics of the Ice Age. In the Pacific basin, it is found along both the Asian and American coasts. Throughout its vast range, it inhabits a variety of water bodies and forms many ecological forms: anadromous, lacustrine-river and lacustrine.

Like other salmon fish, the char builds a nest and buries the eggs in the ground. Fish are distributed throughout the reservoir, choosing areas covered with fine gravel. At this time, they are very aggressive and defend their territory, attacking every object, especially those painted red. Then the loaches are divided into pairs. Males jump on each other like roosters, with protruding fins and a frighteningly gaping mouth. Females, meanwhile, dig nests with sharp oscillatory movements of the tail. The signal for spawning is given by the female. Having dug a hole, she stops over it and trembles, releasing a portion of caviar. At the same time, the male releases milk.

It is remarkable that the coloration, especially in males, changes dramatically. Cells containing dark pigment on the sides, back, head, are obviously under the control of the nervous system. When the male is circling around the female, the dark pigment is concentrated in the form of two longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body and one transverse stripe on the head, between the eyes, the rest of the body becomes almost white, except for the fiery red belly. Having laid out several portions of orange eggs, the female buries it and begins to build a new nest. Males are polygamous and may spawn with several females in turn. It is interesting that, having spawned, the female for some time still continues to dig already unnecessary holes, and often, together with the male, eats the newly laid eggs. At the same time, it protects its spawning area for several days, vigorously driving away other fish. Spawned individuals after some stay in the river in September roll into the sea.

In the waters of Primorye, there is Malma, or Pacific char ( Salvelinus malma), and kunja ( Salvelinus leucomaenis). Both species are a passing form.

Pacific char. It has a spindle-shaped, slightly laterally compressed body. The coloration in the sea is silvery, the back is dark blue, the sides are covered with small white or red spots. When entering the river, a wedding dress appears. The body darkens, the spots become bright red, the belly and lips become red-orange, the jaws change their shape.

This is a rather large (up to 91 cm long and weighing up to 18.3 kg) fish that leads a predatory lifestyle. Reaches puberty at 5-6 years of age.

Kunja. The body of the kunja, like that of other loaches, is spindle-shaped. The kunja differs in color: it does not have red and dark spots, instead of them large light spots larger than the diameter of the eye are scattered around the body, the number of which increases with age. Head without spots.

It occurs in the rivers of Primorye and coastal sea waters along the entire coast, but mainly in the northern regions. The general range covers the basins of the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and the western part of the Bering Sea.

Kunja is a rather large (up to 99 cm long and weighing up to 11 kg) fish, leading a predatory lifestyle. Its main food is small fish (gerbil, smelt, stickleback, minnow, goby), as well as freshwater shrimp and large larvae of aquatic insects. Lives up to 9 years.

Spawns in September. By the nature of spawning, it is similar to Pacific salmon, it digs in caviar. The female, depending on the size, spawns from several hundred to 2270 eggs. Spawned individuals remain in the river until spring, and then roll into the sea. During the fattening period in the sea, the Siberian brown trout does not make long migrations and stays in the pre-estuary sections of rivers or not far from the coast. In summer, it actively feeds in the sea, and for wintering, the kunja returns to the rivers. Juveniles spend 2-4 years in the river, after which they begin to migrate to the sea for feeding in the summer months.

Both species are objects of local trade and sport fishing.

Rod Taimen

Taimen are similar to loaches. The head of the taimen is flattened laterally and somewhat resembles a pike, and there are z-shaped black spots on the body, like some salmon.

common taimen ( Hucho taimen). It is very widely distributed, lives in the rivers and large lakes of Siberia and the European part of Russia. In Primorye, it is found in the Ussuri and other rivers and lakes of the Amur basin.

Taimen never goes to sea, prefers fast, mountain and taiga rivers and clear cold-water lakes. It becomes sexually mature at the age of 4-6. Spawns (lays in nests) in May in small channels, on pebble ground. Fertility 10-34 thousand eggs. During spawning, the body turns copper-red. After spawning, as well as in autumn and winter, it feeds intensively. A typical predator whose food is dominated by small fish. In summer it lives in small channels, by autumn it descends into the channels of large rivers and lakes. This large and beautiful fish, reaching a length of 150 cm and a mass of 60-80 kg, is a desirable prey for an amateur fisherman.

The only migratory species in the genus taimen is the Sakhalin taimen, or lentil ( Hucho perryi). Lentil differs from ordinary taimen in larger scales. It lives in the Sea of ​​Japan, from where it comes to spawn in the rivers of Hokkaido, Sakhalin and our Primorye in spring and summer. Sakhalin taimen reaches a length of 1 m or more, weight 25-30 kg, its age limit is 9 years. Its meat is very tasty and fatty.

In the sea, the color of the lentil is silvery, in the river the body acquires a reddish tint, like that of the common taimen, and 5-8 crimson transverse stripes form on the sides. Like other taimen, lentil is a typical predator, feeding mainly on small fish.

The Sakhalin taimen spawns in fresh waters. Spawned fish do not die. Caviar is buried in the ground, where it develops in the nests.

In the Northern Primorye, in past years, the Sakhalin taimen was the object of a small local fishery. Currently, due to its small number, it is listed in the Red Book and is not subject to fishing.

Lenok ( Brachymystax lenok) is the only species of its genus. Lenok lives in the Siberian rivers from the Ob to the Kolyma. In the Far East, it is found in the Amur and all rivers flowing into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan. In the south it reaches Korea.

The body of the lenok is laterally compressed, dark brown or blackish with a golden sheen. The sides, dorsal and caudal fins are covered with dark small rounded spots. During the spawning period, large copper-red spots appear on the sides. Characterized by a small mouth and adipose fin. The eggs are small. Lenok grows relatively slowly and rarely reaches a length of 70 cm and a weight of 8 kg, the usual length of fish caught is 45-50 cm, weight 2-3 kg (in the 12th year of life).

Lenok does not go out to sea, lives in the foothill sections of rivers, without making long migrations. Spawns in spring, in May-June, sometimes later. Adult fish after spawning partially die.

Like taimen, lenok is a voracious predator. Large lenoks, in addition to small fish, can eat frogs, mice that swim across rivers. He also eats large benthic invertebrates: larvae of stoneflies, caddisflies and mayflies. Lenok is also a predator in relation to juveniles of anadromous Far Eastern salmon, but at the same time, feeding on weed fish that live in large numbers in the foothill channels, it plays a generally positive role in the reproduction of salmon.

Lenok is a valuable commercial fish with fatty (up to 8.0%), tasty meat. Durable lenok leather is suitable for making shoes and various household products. It is an object of local and amateur fishing.