Kutum fish is considered rare and delicious. It is very much appreciated in countries such as Iran, Dagestan and Azerbaijan. The fish meat is very tasty. The national Iranian dish is kutum cooked with rice. The fish, the photo of which is presented below, is quite large. In 1997, the species was listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. About eight years after that, kutum fishing was strictly prohibited. This contributed to an increase in the number of individuals of this species. Ichthyologists noted that in the sea of kutum became much more. This happened thanks to the artificial breeding of the species by Dagestan, Azerbaijani and Iranian specialists.
Habitat
The Caspian Kutum belongs to the Karpov family and the Roach family. Where is kutum fish found? Its main habitat is the Caspian Sea, mainly its southwestern part. Kutum fish does not sink deeper than 25 meters, and keeps mostly closer to the estuaries. The Caspian Kutum is a subspecies of carp, its larger relative, living mainly in the Black and Azov Seas. In the Volga, the number of individuals of this species is small, due to the low water level in the river.
Spawning
Kutum fish spawns in the north of the Caspian rivers, including the Volga and Terek. Lays caviar in shallow areas - on stones and plants. Spawning on the Terek River has been observed since approximately mid-March, and on the Volga since mid-April. Young individuals live in rivers for about two years. After that, Kutum migrates to the sea. Upon reaching approximately four years of age, individuals reach puberty. It is their turn to travel to spawn. The maximum age that adult Kutum survives is 11 years. The pearl rash that appears in males during spawning is epidermal tubercles. This stimulates a more active release of caviar by females.
Morphology
The body of Kutum is elongated, with a dark back with a greenish tint, a light belly and silver-gray sides. Females are usually larger than males. And the largest Kutum fish ever caught weighed 6 kg. Kutum differs from its Black Sea fellow carp by its large head size in relation to the body and smaller body size and weight. The main food of Kutum are mollusks, worms and various insects. Fish feeds more often in areas of the sea with desalinated water. According to the outlines of the body, Kutum resembles a head. No wonder the scientist Peter Pallas confused him with this fish, who made the first zoological description of Kutum. Fish do not have true teeth, and they crush food with the help of so-called pharyngeal teeth. A very interesting anatomical feature of Kutum is the shape of the swimming bladder. Unlike other fish, he has it elongated and pointed in the back. Compared with the Black Sea carp, Kutum has a larger scale.
Where is kutum caught?
Before, individuals of Kutum practically did not occur in our rivers. But in the early 2000s, there were cases of capture of this fish. In central Russia, kutum fish is quite rare and rarely falls into the fishing rods of our anglers. Therefore, catching a kutum is considered a great achievement for an amateur fisherman. He is caught, as already mentioned above, in Azerbaijan, Iran, Dagestan, as well as on the Volga, in the Caspian Sea, on the Dniester, Terek and Bug rivers.
Sea fishing
Kutum is caught during the spawning season. At this time, fish begins its migration from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Moving parallel to the shore, schools of fish head north to the rivers flowing into the Caspian. During the passage along the sea, Kutum is concentrated in the coastal parts, but not in the shallow sand zone, but in deeper rocky places. Therefore, sea fishing in this case is successful precisely on the rocky shores. The most optimal fishing is considered with the east wind direction. And the best means for fishing on cutum from rocky shores are donka and durable spinning. Therefore, stock up on a set of sinkers, a good fishing rod (preferably bamboo), hooks and a net for shrimp fishing. Kutum sea fishing is carried out from early February to May.
River fishing
The most successful catching of kutum on the river will be early in the morning and in the late evening hours. At this time of day, the fish emerges from the depths in order to feed. In the process of fishing, try not to break the silence in any way, since Kutum is a very sensitive fish and at the slightest danger goes deeper and hides in stones. Snails and shrimps are considered a good bait for this species. The latter are hooked from the tail. Kutum fish in Astrakhan today is caught better than before. In the museum of local lore of this city there is a specimen of the species, the size of which is 53 cm in length. Those who drove along the Astrakhan-Makhachkala highway in summer could see that a lot of dried cutum was being sold on the road. Also, anyone can go to the Astrakhan region to go fishing. But it is worth remembering that in these places from April 20 to June 20, widespread fishing is prohibited. Doing this is permitted only in the reservoirs of fishing areas created specifically for sports and amateur fishing.