Every year the Red Book of Russia is replenished with new names of the animal world. The causes of the extinction of whole species are diverse, and each instance requires attention, help. Today we decided to write about which fish in the Red Book of our country are currently available, we will describe the most interesting and rare representatives that live in the seas, lakes and rivers of Russia.
Beluga Azov
This species of fish lives in the basin of the Sea of Azov; during the spawning season, it rises into rivers. This beluga is noteworthy in that from the sixth century BC and until 1986, it was commercial, and its production annually reached one and a half thousand tons.
Adults grow up to 4.5 meters in length, their weight is about 750 kilograms. The eggs of the Azov beluga also differ in size and can be up to four millimeters in diameter each. Puberty in males occurs at the age of 12-14 years, and in females at 16-18. Such fish are considered adult individuals who have not reached a given age - juveniles.
These fish, listed in the Red Book of Russia, are on the verge of extinction, to date, their exact number is unknown, but presumably adult individuals are no more than twelve thousand, the same number of juveniles. Beluga began to disappear from the face of the Earth after the Tsimlyansk dam was erected on the Don, and the Fedorovsky hydroelectric complex on the Kuban. These buildings almost completely cut off the main spawning grounds of these huge fish.
Since 1986, the capture of beluga for eating, for sale is completely prohibited. Producers are trying to increase the number of fish, breeding them artificially. Today, almost all herds of this species that live in the sea are the result of their cultivation by humans.
Sakhalin sturgeon
Red Book fish are of particular value to humans. They are strictly protected by law, but poachers still find loopholes, and the efforts of breeders to artificially increase the population are not always crowned with success. Thus, only about one and a half thousand individuals remained of the Sakhalin sturgeon.
Photos of Red Book fish, including sturgeon, are presented in our article. The Sakhalin species is on the verge of extinction and is included in the first category of extinction. Until the seventies of the last century, these fish were barbarously exterminated; their caviar was of particular value.
Adult individuals are not particularly large and rarely grow up to two meters. The average weight of a sexually mature Sakhalin sturgeon is 60 kilograms. On the territory of Russia, this species is found in the Tatar Strait and some rivers flowing into it of Sakhalin and the Khabarovsk Territory; today, the only reliable river is Tumnin.
To preserve the species and increase its number, work has begun on artificial breeding. Breeders need the help of authorities to clear spawning places from drowned forests, garbage, and to create additional ponds.
Sterlet
Russian Red Book fish suffer not only from uncontrolled capture, but also from contaminated water bodies. So, freshwater sterlet is on the verge of extinction and complete extinction.
Previously, these fish listed in the Red Book of Russia now lived everywhere in the basins of the Black Sea, the Volga, Kuban, Dnieper, Desna, Don, Urals and many others. Due to dirty water, in many places this species is found only in single copies, but in some it completely disappeared, as on the Kuban River.
The adult sterlet is small. Its length is from 40 to 60 centimeters, the average weight ranges from five hundred grams to two kilograms.
To preserve the species, river cleanings are carried out; many enterprises were forbidden to discharge production waste into water bodies, considering them to be poisonous. The first successes are already noticeable; in the Kama and Volga basins, it has already been possible to significantly increase the number of sterlet.
Volga herring
Species of fish in the Red Book are diverse, but almost all are commercial. Volga herring was once considered the largest, more than half a billion pieces were harvested per year. Today this species is under protection, its number continues to decline due to pollution of the Volga River (the main spawning site), construction of dams.
At this time, no measures are being taken to conserve this Red Book fish. Improving the number will help improve the environmental situation and the creation of artificial pools for breeding.
Lake salmon
In the basins of the Baltic and White Seas, these Red Book fish live. To spawn, they go to rivers, swim in lakes. Small fish: up to 40 centimeters in length and up to 600 grams in weight. The abundance of lake salmon began to decline sharply since the beginning of the last century. These fish were on the verge of extinction for three reasons:
- uncontrolled capture for commercial purposes;
- river pollution with waste cut down by forest;
- construction of dams, which closed passageways for spawning.
At the moment, work is being done to preserve the species and increase the population. Rivers are being cleared, nature reserves have been created.
Abrausian Tulle
Some species of fish listed in the Red Book, did not even try to save. This happened with the tyulka. These fish are very small, grow up to only four centimeters. The only habitat is Lake Abrau, Krasnodar Territory.
As early as the fifties of the last century, 200 or more pieces were caught at a time, but now it is not known whether the species was preserved at all. This fish disappeared due to man-made population of predatory zander in the lake.
In order to try to preserve the Abrau tyulka, it is necessary to carefully examine the lake to find surviving individuals, if any. Kreokonservirovanny genome, grow fish in other lakes, the water area of which is similar to the usual habitat of tyulka, and without a large number of predatory individuals.
Long-feathered Svetovidov's pale
This species lives in large numbers in the Anadyr River Basin , Lake Elgygytgyn. In the Red Book, the pale was due to the fact that it is not found anywhere else. For one catch it is possible to get more than two hundred pieces of fish.
The size of a long-feathered pale reaches thirty-three centimeters, weight an average of six hundred grams. This rare species is the only representative of its kind, therefore it is strictly protected.
In order to avoid the extinction of the pale, the lake was given the status of a natural monument. To increase the population and the possibility of breeding it in other bodies of water, close to Elgygytgyn along the water area, it is necessary to preserve the genome.
Lenok
It is a blunt-faced species listed in the Red Book. Its number has significantly decreased compared to the seventies of the past century. Lenok lives only in crystal clear mountain rivers with a fast current and lakes. The view is on the verge of extinction.
These Red Book fish began to disappear for several reasons. In some lakes and rivers, lenok completely disappeared due to water pollution by agricultural and chemical wastes during the development of territories by people. Most of the rivers have become shallow due to deforestation of coastal forests. A significant contribution to the disappearance of lenok was made by people, spraying toxins from ticks from coastal forests. Also, poachers in large quantities caught this fish.
An adult lenok grows up to five kilograms in weight and up to eighty centimeters in length. For a large number of delicious fillets, people loved it so much, so they were caught in large quantities.
Currently, attempts are being made to increase the number of this species. Rivers and lakes are cleaned for re-colonization of lenok in them. Fry will be transported to finished water bodies from other habitats.
Brown trout
Otherwise, these Red Book fish are called brook trout. The species lives in streams and low-water rivers with cold water and a fast current. The trout is small in size: up to thirty centimeters in length, the average weight is a pound.
Fish listed in the Red Book of Russia, in some rivers have completely disappeared due to uncontrolled catch, pollution of habitats, shallowing or complete drainage of streams.
In some regions of Russia, work has begun on preserving the species and increasing its numbers. For example, reserves have been created in Bashkiria and the Tver region. Artificial cultivation for settlement in rivers and streams is considered.
Sig Volkhovsky
These fish until the seventies were commercial. More than sixty thousand whitefish were mined annually. Today, their number reaches only sixteen thousand.
Whitefish is powerful, fleshy. Its length is up to sixty centimeters, weight can reach a kilogram.
The sharp decline in numbers was affected not only by uncontrolled catch, but also by pollution of water bodies and the construction of dams. Due to unnatural barriers to spawning, many fish died.
Currently, work is underway to restore numbers. Artificial cultivation of fry, breeding whitefish is already in full swing. Passages to spawning places are cleared, artificial ones are created.
Pereslavl vendace
These fish live exclusively in Lake Pleshcheevo (formerly Pereslavl), in the Yaroslavl region. This lake Veksoy and Bolshoi Nerlu is connected to the Volga.
Räpuska loves cold water with lots of oxygen. It used to live all over the lake (50 square kilometers), but now it is found only in some parts of it, since it has become warmer, with a lower oxygen content. Due to the increase in water temperature, the vendace has gone to the depths, and only at night, when the water cools, does it rise into the middle and upper waters.
Water temperature increased due to the reduced flow of the lake. Water already gets into it in a smaller amount, since swamps and rivers were drained. Most rivers and streams are shallow due to deforestation of coastal forests. The number of vendace decreased significantly, now its catch is only five percent of what was managed to get back in the eighties. How many individuals are left are not exactly known.
To preserve the species in 1975, Lake Pleshcheyevo was recognized as a natural monument. The drains of industrial enterprises were taken away from him. It is forbidden to use motor boats on the lake. Catching of vendace is prohibited.
Amur black bream
This species is on the verge of extinction. In China, its number is under control, in Russia, bream is found only in the Amur River basin, in the Ussuri River, its number continues to decline.
With a length of not more than sixty centimeters, this fish gains weight up to three kilograms.
A decrease in the water content of the Amur contributes to the extinction of the species. In China, the main spawning grounds of this bream are located. Uncontrolled capture in these territories leads to a reduction in the population in Russia. An important role in reducing the abundance was played by water pollution. The exact abundance of black bream in Amur is not known. It is very rare to catch other types of fish.
To preserve the species since 1981, the capture of Amur black bream in Russia has been banned.
When asked about which fish are listed in the Red Book, no one will answer for sure. Every year the list is replenished, or some species are removed from it due to the fact that they have completely disappeared or managed to restore the number. We hope that due to the preservation of species, lists will be reduced more and more often.