In our article we want to talk about the little shiny inhabitant of salty warm waters. It is called pearl fish, or karapus.
Pearl fish from the carp family
This is a small, very thin and translucent individual. That's why it is called - pearl fish. Where is such a small creature? Oddly enough, it is not attracted by underwater rocks, nor the seabed and sand. She prefers to settle inside invertebrates, for example, in mollusks, oysters, starfish .
Pearlless fish without scales, small and nimble, she skillfully uses her modest size. Belongs to the carp family, which has thirty-one species. They live around the world, including in tropical waters. Pearls - fish of the Atlantic Ocean.
Habitat
I must say that almost all types of carps live in the cavities of other living organisms. And such a beautiful name - pearl fish - she received after one of the representatives of this family was found dead inside an oyster. Moreover, it was the same mother-of-pearl as the inner surface of the shell of the host mollusk.
Carapuses are considered a completely safe habitat for the bodies of other sea creatures. For them, it is much more acceptable and safer than living somewhere else. Indeed, in this way they hide their delicate and delicate bodies without scales, thereby protecting themselves from daytime predators. But at night they come up in order to find food for themselves.
Especially karapus like to live inside sea cucumbers (holothurians). Sometimes they even manage to settle in pairs in one clam. These are unusual fish in the Atlantic Ocean.
Carp
There is another fish from the carp family, which is called pearl. This carp, which is found in the basins of the Caspian, Black and Marmara seas. Sometimes this fish is called the Black Sea roach. She has a lot of small scales, which is why she has a silver-pearl color. Therefore, in the English-speaking world it is called nothing more than pearl fish. Carp lives long enough, about twelve years. In adulthood, he reaches sixty or more centimeters and weighs up to seven kilograms. However, in the catch, fishermen rarely come across specimens weighing more than two.
Among this species of fish there are migratory and residential individuals. Passing species is almost always in sea waters and only spawns into rivers. However, fish can live not only in the sea, but also in reservoirs, which means that her whole life runs exclusively in fresh water.
Carp feeds on invertebrates, mollusks and crustaceans. Quite powerful teeth come to the aid of the fish. She begins to breed already in the fourth year, having at that time a weight of just over two kilograms. Females enter the rivers to spawn and lay eggs at the bottom in those areas where there is a strong current. Eggs develop, and then fry appear. Over time, they go to sea, where adult life awaits them. Initially, they feed on plankton, and then move on to the traditional food of adult fish.
Not so long ago, carp was considered quite valuable commercial fish, however, the construction of dams and dams, pollution of river waters led to the fact that now this species is extremely rare. Carp is now considered an endangered species and is listed in the Red Book. Fishing is prohibited.
Pearl Bleak Fish
Bleak is a fast-moving, fast and ubiquitous fish. It is also called a pearl fish. And she received her nickname as follows. A hundred years ago, we developed a technology for the extraction of pearl pigment from fish scales, which is necessary for the production of artificial pearls.
The largest amount of such a substance, as it turned out, is found in bleak flakes. I must say that this species of fish lives in large numbers in all southern water bodies, and this makes industrial fishing very convenient. A century ago, bleak was an industrial fish.
Nowadays, chemical compounds are used for the production of jewelry, but the fishery remained in high esteem.
Pearl fish dishes
Fish connoisseurs really appreciate bleak. When dried, it is almost transparent. It is put in a fishing ear for a brew to other species. The most delicious dish of bleak are homemade sprats. Fishermen argue that the taste of such a fish simply can not convey. It can not be compared with canned goods.
Preparing such a dish is quite simple. To do this, you need three to four kilograms of fish. At first, it is slightly salted (300 grams of salt per five kilograms of fish) and put in the refrigerator for a day. During this time, the fish will give away unnecessary liquid. Then it is placed in large dishes in layers, each of which is sprinkled with spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, allspice). Then this pan to the top is filled with any vegetable oil. All this is put in the oven or on the stove and simmers on low heat until ready. Chilled sprats are rolled up in ordinary glass jars, which are stored exclusively in the refrigerator.
Such interesting pearl fish exist in nature. They are all different, but they got the same nickname for their appearance.