The family Flounder (Pleuronectidae) are reversible and right-handed forms of fish, forming dozens of genera having different sizes, habits, habitat. Regardless of the taxon, they all lead a bottom lifestyle and have a flattened thin body of a rhomboid or oval shape.
The heroine of this article will be the star flounder. You will learn about the features of this species, area, lifestyle.
Kinds
Flounder fish can live in both fresh and sea water. Marine species are often found in estuaries. They travel long distances in fresh water. But both of these species breed only in the sea. The weight of marine species of flounder varies from 7 to 10 kg, river ones are much smaller. Their weight does not exceed two kilograms.
In the world there are almost forty species of flounder. The most common ones are:
- European small-breasted;
- halibut;
- Atlantic long;
- salt;
- star flounder;
- Greenland halibut;
- yellow-bellied flounder.
River and sea species of flounder differ in weight, placement of eyes, size. In river animals, they are often located on both the right and left sides. In addition, they are distinguished by a shade of scales. It is interesting that flounder fish has the properties of a chameleon - touching objects of other colors, it can change the color of its body in a matter of minutes. True, this is not a cardinal color change, but the acquisition of a new, close to the main shade.
Habitat
Where does star flounder live? Representatives of the species inhabit many reservoirs of our planet. In the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in the waters of the Sea of Japan, in the coastal zone of Primorye, starfish flounder is especially common. In addition, this species lives in the Bering and Okhotsk seas. Much less often, it appears in the Chukchi Sea.
Starfish flounder is often called the Pacific river. In world production, the catch of this fish does not have large volumes. Its good by-catch with respect to other species is observed only in the waters of the Kamchatka Peninsula (western part) and the Bering Sea, in southeast Sakhalin, in the oceanic part of Canada.
Star Flounder: Description
There are two forms of flounder of this species:
- coastal, which enters the estuaries and stays there for the winter;
- marine, living year-round at great depths.
A distinctive feature of this variety is the location of the eyes - on the left side. There is no scale on the body of the fish. On the left side, the color is darker (olive or brown). It is covered with studded star-shaped plates. The back of the body is lighter. Stripes of black color are clearly visible on the fins of star flounder.
According to scientists, this flounder prefers to settle near the coast in fresh waters - in river mouths, lagoons, shallow bays, etc. There are no recorded cases of star flounder fishing at great depths. In all habitats, the maximum catch occurs in the coastal zones of water bodies. The average size of this species, which lives in the waters of Asia, is about 58 cm and weighs more than three kilograms. Along the coast of America there are specimens 90 cm long. The weight of such fish exceeds 9 kg. On average, flounder lives about 18 years.
Lifestyle
Star flounder leads a solitary bottom lifestyle, disguising itself as the colors of the surrounding bottom soil. She spends most of the time almost motionless, lying on the bottom or burrowing eyes in the bottom sediments. Such natural camouflage solves two problems at the same time - from an ambush to catch prey and not become a victim of larger predators.
With apparent slowness and the habit of slowly moving around the ground in undulating movements, the flounder is an excellent swimmer. She quickly starts and develops a fairly high speed at short distances. If necessary, she literally “shoots” her body in the right direction for several meters, releasing a powerful stream of water into the bottom through the gill cover on the blind side. While a thick suspension of sand and silt settles, the fish manages to capture prey or hide from a formidable predator.
What does flounder eat
As a rule, at dusk or at night star flounder eats. How can she get hold of the bottom? The food of this variety is largely dependent on the age of the fish. Fry prefer different crustaceans, living in estuarine zones of rivers. And large adult individuals, whose length exceeds 30 cm, feed on mollusks, small fish.
The diet is mainly food of animal origin. The flounder juveniles feed on worms, benthos, larvae, amphipods, caviar, and crustaceans. Adults will not refuse representatives of echinoderms, invertebrates, small fish, and worms. Especially love flounder capelin and shrimp.
For gnawing mollusks from the ground, a lateral head arrangement is well suited. The strength of the toothy jaws of the flounder is so great that it allows the fish to easily cope with the thick shells of the core (cardiid), crab shells. The high value of all representatives of the genus Pleuronectidae is largely determined by a balanced diet with feed containing a large amount of protein.
Fishing value
Due to the fact that the population of starfish flounder is small, it is not used in fishing as the main catch. Despite this, experts are confident that in some areas of Kamchatka, the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk, in the northeast of the Gulf of Sakhalin Island, the catch of this species can be significantly increased. As a bait, live shrimp, shellfish, and fresh fish are used. Lovers of fishing on the docks with fishing line 0.3 mm and hooks No. 10 catch flounder.
Flounder spawning
Each taxon has its own spawning time. It depends on the timing of the onset of spring, the region, the rate of heating of water (up to +2 ° C). Most flounder species breed from February to May. True, there are exceptions - for example, a turbo (big rhombus) goes for spawning in the North and Baltic Seas in April-August, and polar flounder spawns in the ice-covered Kara and Barents Seas in December-January.
Puberty of young growth comes on the third - sixth year of life. Females are extremely prolific - up to two million pelagic eggs are contained in one clutch. Their incubation period is from 11 to 14 days. As spawning grounds, star flounder chooses deep (7-15 m) coastal areas, which must necessarily have a sandy bottom.
Due to the high buoyancy of the masonry, as well as the lack of the need to attach it to a solid substrate, some types of flounder successfully spawn at a depth of 50 meters. The fry have a classic vertical shape, the sides of which are developed symmetrically. The feeding base for them is small benthos and zooplankton.
The benefits and harms of flounder
This fish has been well studied to date. Dishes from it are appreciated and loved in many countries of the world. It is used not only in cooking, but also in cosmetology. Due to the high content of useful amino acids and protein in this fish, it is used as a raw material for the production of high-quality collagen. In addition, flounder meat is a leader among other fish species in terms of its content of selenium, which improves skin condition, activates brain activity, strengthens bones and tooth enamel, protects against harmful radicals. Flounder star beneficial effect on the body due to the content of polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, amino acids and a minimum amount of fat, which leads to a decrease in blood cholesterol, has a beneficial effect on cardiac activity and vascular elasticity.
Calorie flounder
Comparing the meat of fish and animals, it is easy to conclude that underwater inhabitants contain a minimum of connective tissue. Thanks to this, the fish is quickly absorbed by the body and enriches it with valuable minerals and vitamins. The chemical composition of flounder fillet includes:
- vitamins of groups A, B and E;
- pyridoxine
- riboflavin, methionine, thiamine;
- nicotinic and pantothenic acid;
- zinc, iron, copper, selenium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus,
- calcium;
- Omega-3 acids;
- fats 1.8 g, proteins 17 g, (per 100 g of product);
- water, ash.
The calorie content of 100 grams of flounder fillet is about 90 kcal. Such a low rate allows you to use it as a diet low-calorie product. However, it must be remembered that, despite the high nutritional value, the benefits and harms of flounders have a very thin line, which is easy to cross with different ways of cooking.
For example, 100 g of smoked flounder fillet contains 200 kcal, and fried flounder - already 225 kcal. A minimum of calories is contained in boiled fish - about 105. Caviar is rich in vitamins A, D, E, F, contains lecithin and folic acid. This product contributes to:
- activation of the brain;
- strengthening immunity;
- increase the elasticity of blood vessels.
Flounder caviar is used for filling pancakes and making sandwiches. In addition, it is fried and salted. Flounder meat tastes good and is a valuable, widely used dietary product. Cooked, stewed or baked flounder is useful for people of all ages.
Harm flounder
Having carefully studied the composition of this predator, experts came to the conclusion that its benefits to the human body are not exaggerated. Moreover, she greatly outweighs her harm.
But, despite all its useful properties, flounder is not recommended for use with:
- intolerance to protein products;
- severe diseases of the liver and kidneys;
- hyperthyroidism;
- intolerance to seafood.
Flounder, dried without salt, retains all its useful properties, but in this form it can harm people with gastrointestinal problems. Flounder caught from polluted water bodies in ecologically unfavorable places absorbs heavy metals and toxins. In this case, the harm to fish for humans will be enormous. That is why when buying flounders it is necessary to require a seller’s quality certificate stating the place of its catch or breeding.