Black Sea mullet, the photo of which is in this article, has several subspecies. This fish is caught from mid-summer until the onset of the October cold. This is one of the most famous and sought - after fish in the Black Sea. Mullet is very tasty, so it is a regular in the dishes of Sevastopol restaurants.
Mullet Description
The body of a mullet is elongated, resembling a torpedo. The back is flattened, so the fish’s nose is in line with the dorsal fin. The mullet is painted gray, with a silver tint on the abdomen. The back is darker than the sides, which are covered with longitudinal black stripes.
Scales are round, large. Mullet has two dorsal and ventral fins, subjugal and anal, with silver inclusions. The tail is dark gray, with distinctly visible notches.
Due to the body shape, the fish of the Black Sea mullet is very mobile and maneuverable. Her head is small, with a sharp nose. The eyes are large, with fatty eyelids. The mouth is small and toothless, with a pointed lower lip. Mullet can grow up to 90 centimeters. The smallest fish is 40 cm. The weight of the mullet can reach 7 kilograms. She lives from 12 to 15 years.
Types of Mullet
Black Sea mullet is one of the most famous Black Sea fish. The indigenous subspecies are singil, ostronos and the famous loban.
Pelengas is an "emigrant" brought to the Black Sea from the Japanese. This had to be done due to a sharp decline in the population, since this fish was caught a lot. Pelengas is notable for its unpretentiousness; in a short time he found his habitat territory in the waters of the Black Sea. Initially, local residents were unhappy and were very hostile to the new “tenant”, worrying that because of it the population of indigenous mullet would decrease or disappear altogether. But their experiences were in vain. Thanks to the mullet launched in the Black Sea on time, the population of the indigenous inhabitants of sea waters is now recovering.
Loban is the most common of the subspecies. It is much larger than other types of mullet and is fast-growing. At the age of five, it usually reaches 50 centimeters in length and weighs 2.5 kilograms. But there are very large individuals. They grow to 90 centimeters and weigh almost seven kilograms. They are excellent swimmers and can develop great speed as soon as they feel the danger. Fish spawns from May to August.
Singil is the most numerous subspecies of mullet. But in size it is much inferior to Loban. Basically, a singil weighs no more than a kilogram, reaches 35 centimeters in length. In terms of nutrition and behavior, mullet does not differ from other subspecies, but its migrations to estuaries are longer. This is the main Black Sea commercial fish.
Ostronos is the smallest subspecies of mullet. Its maximum weight reaches only half a kilogram, and the length is 25 centimeters. The rest in behavior and nutrition from the rest of the subspecies is no different.
Habitat
The habitat of mullet is wide. This is a sea fish. Black Sea mullet lives mainly in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, as well as in the Japanese and Black Sea. Prefers sub and tropical latitudes. In Russia, the most common species are Loban, Singil and Pelengas.
Mullet lives in estuaries, seas and estuaries. Sometimes it goes into fresh water (during spawning). But he spends the winter in the seas. Mullet does not migrate long distances, prefers habitable places, moves only in large flocks.
Behavior and Nutrition
Black Sea mullet - schooling fish that prefers warm water, but not higher than 35 degrees. She is not afraid of the salt contained in the water, and the amount of oxygen in it. The most unpretentious type of mullet is pelengas. It feeds mainly on bottom sludge, which contains many nutrients. For a change in diet, this fish feeds on zooplankton, worms, and small invertebrates.
Spawning
Maturation of females occurs in the eighth or ninth year of life. During this period, they reach a 40-centimeter length. Males mature a couple of years earlier than females. Black Sea mullet goes to estuaries, bays and lower reaches of the river. There, the fish feeds abundantly at first, then it returns to spawning (June - September) back to the sea.
Females drop pelagic eggs in warmed, shallow, shallow water. The fertility of this fish is low. In one brood can be a maximum of only seven thousand eggs. After spawning, the fish again leaves for feeding, although most of it remains to winter in the sea.
What is dangerous
Like any fish, mullet is periodically exposed to diseases. Together with silt, the fish swallows helminth eggs. Some of them are ordinary parasites, but life-threatening ones (anisakides) are also found. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully examine and discard the mullet with whitish inclusions in the internal organs and muscles. In any case, it is better to process the fish additionally - to salt or heat cook it.
Black Sea mullet: fishing and its features
For industrial scale it is caught everywhere. In summer, fish bite well in estuaries and estuaries. Fishing is carried out at a depth of three to five meters. Catching mullet from anglers is considered an art. There are ten different fishing methods, some of them are prohibited by law. The most popular and best fishing options are donkey or float.
Despite the fact that the Black Sea mullet has several subspecies, they all look for food in the bottom layers, lead a single lifestyle and swim in packs. This fish is mainly caught by worms, nereises, and sand dwellers. They can be found on the coast at low tide or just bought at fishing shops. Mullet pecks most well since the beginning of August. At this time, the fish swims right to the shore to eat well before wintering.
You need to look for mullet on the coast, having joined the gathering of fishermen, concentrated in one place. In a more deserted place, biting may not be so successful. For fishing, you need to choose a coast with a rocky or pebble bottom. The sludge that feeds this fish is just there.
Fishing will be more successful if you feed the mullet a few days before fishing. Fresh white bread (a couple of loaves) is great for this. It must be broken and lowered into the water for half a minute. Then it is simply rubbed to a thick sticky mass. Add 150 grams of cream cheese and a little fine pebbles (no more than a third of the total bait). Then the bells are molded. In a few days, the mullet will get used to the fact that there is always food here, and by the time of fishing the whole flock will swim in this place.