Kutum fish: habitats and fishing

Kutum fish is considered rare and delicious. It is very much appreciated in such countries as Iran, Dagestan and Azerbaijan. Fish meat is very tasty. The national Iranian dish is rice cooked with rice. 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 since that time, fishing for kutum was strictly prohibited. This contributed to an increase in the number of individuals of this species. Ichthyologists noted that there was much more in the sea of kutum. This happened due to the artificial breeding of the species by Dagestani, Azeri and Iranian specialists.

Habitat

Caspian kutum belongs to the family of Karpovs and the family of Roaches. Where is the fish of Kutum? Its main habitat is the Caspian Sea, mainly its south-western part. Kutum fish does not go deeper than 25 meters, and it is kept mostly closer to the mouths of rivers. Caspian kutum is a subspecies of carp - its larger relative, inhabiting mainly 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

Nerestitsya kutum fish in the north of the rivers of the Caspian Sea, including in the Volga and Terek. Caviar lays in shallow areas - on stones and on plants. Spawning on the Terek is observed approximately from the middle of March, and on the Volga - from the middle of April. Young individuals live in rivers for about two years. After that, the kutum migrates to the sea. After reaching about four years of age, individuals reach sexual maturity. Their turn comes to spawn. The maximum age to which adult individuals of kutum live, is 11 years. The pearl rash that appears in males during spawning is epidermal tubercles. This stimulates a more active release of eggs by females.

Morphology

The body of the kutum is elongated, with a dark back with a greenish tint, a light belly and silvery gray sides. Females are usually larger than males. And the largest fish kutum, ever caught, weighed 6 kg. From its Black Sea counterpart, the Kutum carp has a large head size in relation to the body and a smaller body size and weight. The main food of kutum is mollusks, worms and various insects. It feeds fish more often on the sea with desalinated water. According to the shape of the body, kutum resembles a head. It is not without reason that he was mistaken for this fish by the scientist Peter Pallas, who made the first zoological description of kutum. The fish has no true teeth, and the food is crushed with the help of so-called pharyngeal teeth. A very interesting anatomical feature of kutum is the shape of the swim bladder. Unlike other fish, it has an elongated and pointed in the back part. In comparison with the Black Sea carp, the kutum has a larger scales.

Where is the kutum caught?

Earlier, the 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 on the fishing rods of our fishermen. Therefore, catching 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 catching takes place during the spawning period. At that time, the fish begins its migration from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Moving parallel to the shore, flocks of fish are sent to the north, to the rivers flowing into the Caspian. During the passage of the sea, kutum concentrates in the coastal parts, but not in the shallow-water sand zone, but on deeper-water stony places. Therefore, sea fishing in this case is successful precisely on rocky shores. The most optimal fishing is considered in the eastern direction of the wind. And the best means for fishing on kutum from stony banks are the donkey and strong spinning. Therefore, store a set of weights, a good rod (better bamboo), hooks and net for shrimp fishing. Sea fishing for kutum is carried out from the beginning of February to May.

River fishing

The most successful catching of kutum on the river will be early in the morning and late in the evening hours. At this time of day the fish swim out of the depths to feed. In the process of fishing, try not to violate the silence in any way, since kutum is a very sensitive fish and, at the slightest danger, goes deeper and hides in the stones. A good bait for this species are snails and shrimp. The latter are hooked on the tail. Fish kutum in Astrakhan today is caught better than before. In the museum of local lore of this city there is a specimen of a species, the size of which is 53 cm in length. Those who traveled along the Astrakhan-Makhachkala highway in the summer could see that a lot of cured kutum was being sold on the road. Also, anyone can go to the Astrakhan region to fish. But it is worth remembering that in these places in the period from April 20 to June 20, universal fishing is prohibited. To do this is allowed only on the reservoirs of fishing grounds, created specifically for sports and amateur fishing.