Characteristic
Oceanic lives in the Arctic Ocean and in the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The body is flattened, the back is bluish-gray, and the sides and abdomen are silvery. The lifespan of some species is about 25 years. But since the fish is commercial and food for larger predatory fish, it is rare that any of them survives its appointed time. Its length is mainly 20-25 cm, but there are individuals that grow up to 50 cm with a weight of up to 2 kg. The head is small with large, deep-set eyes and an extended lower jaw. Whether teeth are missing or falling out, they have lost their functions in the process of evolution. On the belly there is a fin with numerous rays, and above it there is a dorsal one. The caudal fin is forked.
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Distribution of river herring
From the Black and Caspian Seas, herring enter the rivers in huge schools in early spring, but not all of these fish enter in equally large numbers. In this regard, the primacy belongs to the Don and Volga. They go to the Dnieper in much smaller numbers, and they are caught mainly only up to the rapids, which apparently constitute an important barrier to their further rise; Already near Ekaterinoslav, spring herring fishing is very insignificant, and near Kremenchug and Kiev these fish are rarely found, although they are also seen in Pele, and according to my inquiries they are found in Desna to Bryansk.
In the Bug and Ingul river herring does not rise high and is rarely seen there, the same in the Dniester and Danube; According to Danilevsky, it does not enter Kuban at all. How far it rises to the Don and its tributaries is not known for certain, but in the Volga the herring is known almost to Tver itself and in all the main tributaries, for example. in the Oka (which sometimes reaches Kaluga), the Kama (where, according to Pallas and Lepekhin, it is even much more numerous than in the upper half of the Volga), in the Vyatka, Cheremshan, Sura, Sviyaga and, probably, in other secondary rivers.
It should be noted, however, that, apparently, only the ironweed - Clupea caspia - rises very high, since Clupea pontica (Kessleri) has not yet been seen above Nizhny Novgorod, from where fishermen actually begin to distinguish both species. Herring enters the Urals only by chance - in schools of roach, which probably depends on the fact that it is difficult for herring, swimming from the south, not to swim into the freshwater flood of the Volga. Herring does not enter the Kura, Terek and fast-flowing Persian rivers at all.
In the Caspian Sea, herring stays mainly in the middle and northern parts of the sea, in its open, deep part, where a huge number of small sea crustaceans live, and enters the Volga once a year, in the spring, to spawn; in general, after the opening of the river, at the end of the run of the roach (see roach). Usually single individuals appear in the river from the end of March; the real move, in huge schools, opens much later, precisely on the 20th of April.
It happens, however, that the herring begins to move at the end of this month or on April 8-10, but this happens very rarely. The early or late emergence of herring, like any other migratory fish, depends on the wind: northern driving winds delay the movement and even force the fish to return; on the contrary, moraine, which brings with it heat, speeds it up and also facilitates it. Moreover, the later the herring enter the river, the smoother the move and the faster they move up. Apparently, the large, blackback herring almost always go first; the small one usually enters the mouth of the Volga when the river has passed the entire large or most part of it.
The largest mass of herring, which at first travel in almost continuous schools, passes through the mouths of the Volga in several days; then, gradually decreasing in number, they stretch upward for several weeks. It often happens that the main move; (yield) of herring is divided into two periods. Herring prefer mainly clear, sunny days, which are usually set with prolonged southern winds; the northern winds, bringing with them cold, delay their progress, and the herring, in anticipation of more favorable conditions, move away from the mouths into the depths of the sea. Storms that sometimes occur during the course break the schools in the river into small pieces and drive the fish into flooded areas and ilmens. According to Grimm, when the water is calm, the herring moves with the core, and when the water is fast, it clings to the shore.
Herring enter the Volga in different branches; sometimes the main masses of them go along the western, sometimes along the eastern, which depends on the direction of the winds, since during constantly changing winds the herring enters both the western and eastern branches. However, in recent years it has been noticed that herring comes mainly from Buzan and Akhtuba, which is explained by the increase in steamship activity in the western branches.
Indeed, there is no doubt that a steamboat, sailing at the very mouths towards a school of herring, drives it back to the sea, albeit for a short time. In addition, the influence of steamship noise is proven by the fact that Buzan and Akhtuba are the most inconvenient channels for herring to move, since they have a strong current, which this fish avoids, not being able to fight it. Therefore, in the last branches, the herring do not move in solid masses, but are broken into parts and pressed against one bank or another, depending on the direction of the wind.
According to Baer's observations, herds of herring at the mouths of the Volga move at a speed of 50 versts per day; the higher they rise, the more and more their movement slows down, and they then remain in one place. According to the latest observations (probably questions) of O. Grimm, the speed of herring is about 20 km per day; higher up, where the current is stronger, only 13. This is too little for such a fast-moving fish, even if it only moved during the day. According to the general opinion of fishermen, the herring goes into the depths at night and spends the night here. However, she (Grimm) falls into a floating net at night, but with sinkers (in the daytime - in a net without sinkers), from which we can conclude that she also goes at night, only at depth.
Near Tsaritsyn, the herring usually appears in early May, and its progress here continues for about a month.
In Khvalynsk, the main herring fishing occurs in June (around the middle), and in Kazan it begins to be caught only in July, and in small quantities, since most of the surviving herring rises to the Kama. Judging by the fact that single individuals were found in the upper reaches of the Volga (in Kalyazin) in July, it must be accepted that herring can, in exceptional cases, overwinter in the river. This fact is partly confirmed by the observations of Kessler, who found herring in the upper and middle Volga in September. In the first case, the herring could not rise from the mouths to the upper reaches in July, in the second, they could not reach the sea before the onset of winter. Share news:
Where do herring live in Russia?
Russia produced 4,970,000 tons in 2021, more than half of all production comes from the Far Eastern fishery in the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. They are the main storehouses of biological resources, and are caught there in large quantities: herring (410 thousand tons), salmon, capelin. And by a significant margin: crab, navaga, halibut, flounder, etc. More than 500 thousand tons were produced in the Barents and North Seas.
Fishermen from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk catch fish in the Atlantic, an exclusively economic zone of other states. In accordance with intergovernmental agreements, some states allow foreign fishermen to catch inhabitants of the deep on their territory. And approximately 600 thousand tons of the catch came from the Atlantic. Mostly the catch consists of such types of fish as: cod, haddock, capelin and a little herring.
There is a small catch in the western basin - the Baltic Sea, in the Azov-Black Sea zone and the smallest catch in the Caspian Sea. Inland fishing takes place in rivers.
Fish consumption in Russia in comparison with other countries is average. The leading fish-eaters are Japan and Korea. But compared to America, Russia eats twice as much fish, and compared to Germany - four times more. According to Rosrybolovstvo, the average fish consumption per Russian citizen per year is 25 kg. In large cities and coastal areas, its consumption is much higher. The leader in consumer preferences among fish delicacies is herring.
Recent studies have shown that herring move closer to shore due to the distribution of ocean salt concentrations and temperature, which is a favorable phenomenon for fishermen.
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In central Russia
The production of herring in the inland basin is not enough to satisfy consumer needs, so the import of oceanic herring is approximately the same. Industrial enterprises located in central Russia almost do not work with Far Eastern herring due to the high cost of delivery, so the main influx comes from Atlantic herring.
Herring and salt
The huge number of fish going to spawn at the same time presented a serious technological problem. Herring, especially in season, is fatty and cannot be dried in the open air like cod, which is why salting and the salt itself are so important.
Salt for fishing came from Lüneburg (a German city in Lower Saxony, 50 km southeast of Hamburg), where it was mined in large quantities since the 10th century. About a third of all salt exports from Lüneburg at this time went to Skåne for herring processing. Thus, herring became the reason for rapid development and technological progress. It enriched entire regions, even those not directly involved in fishing. Along with the extraction of salt, such a partnership business was the production of barrels - a universal container of the Hanseatic era, necessary for packaging herring for storage and transportation, as well as shipbuilding and coastal navigation.
Jacob Foppens van Es, "Dinner with Herring", early 17th century.
Nutrition
The herring menu changes as it grows:
- the egg that has just hatched has plankton, then nauplii (larvae) and other zooplankton;
- later - copepods (copepods), benthos (organisms living on the seabed);
- later - fry, crustaceans and other small animals.
Based on the description of nutritional needs, you can see that herring is not vegetarian at all. River fish are migratory. Since there are more plankton in the depths of the sea, she loves the sea more.
In scientific terminology, herring does not belong to the order of predators, although it is carnivorous. Therefore, it can be called a predator conditionally.
Herring nutrition
Herring's food preferences change as they grow and mature. After hatching, the very first food for the young is napulia. Next, copepods appear on the menu; as they grow older, the food they consume becomes more varied. After two years, the herring switches to zooplankton.
Having matured, the herring feeds on small fish, crustaceans and benthos. Their size directly depends on gastronomic preferences. Only by switching completely to the diet of a predator can a fish grow to a suggestible size.
Reproduction and lifespan
Spawning depends on the habitat. In the Baltic Sea it occurs at the end of spring and at the end of summer. The Atlantic spawns all year round. The larger the individual, the deeper it goes into the water to spawn. Small fish usually spawn near the shore. During such an event, colossal schools of fish gather. The photo shows how tightly the fish fit together, that the upper layers are almost on the surface. At this time, the water becomes cloudy and emits a strong odor. One female can produce 20-40 thousand eggs at a time. Fertilized eggs sink to the bottom, sticking to something or to each other. The larvae hatch after 2 weeks, but if the water temperature is warm, the period is reduced by several days.
Herring gathers in huge schools, reaching up to 150 km. And if one poor fellow breaks away from the flock, he will experience enormous stress, as a result of which he will stop eating and die. The average duration is 10-12 years, but there are species that live up to 15.
Herring is a seasonal product
In June, schools of herring began to spawn off the coast of the Skåne Peninsula (formerly the territory of Denmark, now southern Sweden), at which time they began to be caught, and from July the herring gains the greatest weight and fat content, caviar is formed in females, and milt is formed in males .
There was a special fishing term for the herring spawning season, mentioned in the Hamburg City and Maritime Law: schliptidt des haringes - “the time when the herring spawns.” This time is in the middle of summer, counting from the day of Ivan Kupala (July 7). After spawning, the fish loses significant weight, so “empty herring” is of lower quality. By September 29, only empty herring remained. If caught earlier, for example, from June 24, as reported in historical documents, and before the start of the season, the herring did not reach maturity and maximum fat content. This calendar formed the work schedule and workload of fishermen, processors, packers, barrel makers, ship crews, skippers and merchants.
John McGee, Gutting Herring, Early 20th Century.
Herring fishing
The main methods of harvesting herring are:
- netting (pelagic trawl) gear;
- netting gear;
- ring and purse seine.
Vessels of different sizes go out to catch herring. Small vessels engage only in fishing, after which they ship the goods to floating bases and processing plants. Medium vessels deliver part of the goods and process part themselves. Fishing trawlers catch, process, and freeze fish. Fishing is done all year round. Ships sometimes go to sea for 2-3 days, but sometimes for one or more months. They track schools using an echo sounder.
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Sailors compare schools of herring to reefs or underwater rocks, they are so dense and numerous. Other fish species do not accumulate like this.
All of the above methods allow you to capture up to 100 tons of fish at once in three minutes. But fishermen try to distribute the catch so that the fish does not deform under its own weight.
Behavior and nutrition
Atlantic herring are characterized by a complex migration route, different even for different schools of fish. The main purpose of such movements is to gain weight and reproduce. In early spring, mainly herds of young animals under the age of 8 years enter the Barents Sea. Here they feed until maturity and rush to spawn on the shores of Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
After spawning, the herring weakens so much that it is carried away by the current until it regains its strength and moves further north to the shores of Spitsbergen for further feeding. By mid-summer they eat off and mature for new spawning. This fertility is due to the great popularity of herring among predators. Some subspecies of Atlantic herring, such as herring, spawn almost all year round.
Herring prefers the upper layers of water - no lower than 200 meters. Almost always on the move. It feeds on the go, which determines the shape of its mouth. Its menu mainly consists of small fish and small crustaceans.
Kinds
There are more than 50 varieties of herring in the world's oceans, but the most popular are Atlantic and Pacific. They are so similar to each other that looking at the photo, the differences are completely invisible. Experts distinguish these types of herring by the number of vertebrae. Atlantic herring has more than 55 of them, while Pacific herring has only 55. And the scales on the belly of the latter are much better developed. The color of the meat is also different - in the Pacific it is darker. It is also fattier and has more iodine content.
Atlantic
This type of herring includes the famous Norwegian and Icelandic herring. Canada, Denmark and Russia also produce this type of herring. Although Atlantic herring is sold mainly in salted form, it also has the right to other equally tasty dishes:
- with vegetable stew;
- baked in the oven with mayonnaise or mustard;
- stewed in tomato sauce.
Baltic varieties are also popular:
- The 20-centimeter herring lives even in fresh water (Curonian and Kaliningrad Lagoons);
- Sprat is a regular on store shelves in the form of sprats.
Even anchovies, which have not received recognition from the Russian buyer, are in demand in other countries.
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Pacific
Pacific herring are also classified into several species:
- Okhotsk herring;
- the famous Olyutorskaya.
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Olyutorskaya
It lives in the western part of the Bering Sea, where the Olyutorsky Strait is located. It differs from other species in its large size and weight up to 1 kg. The meat has a dense consistency, very fatty and tasty. Among other delicacies, its pulp can be used to make cutlets in combination with pickled vegetables.
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Caspian-Black Sea
Found in the Black, Azov, Caspian seas and adjacent rivers. It is not widely sold, but you can try it in places where it is caught.
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Donskaya
This herring is called Don because it comes from the Sea of Azov into the Don River to fertilize the eggs. This type of fish is flat, small in size, light silver in color, with small scales. It does not have the fleshiness that oceanic species have, but when it goes to spawn, the fat content is 20-22%. Anyone who tries it at least once will never forget this delicate taste.
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Kerch
The habitat of this variety is in the Sea of Azov, but is caught in the Kerch Strait in late autumn or early winter. It is very similar to Donskaya in its appearance and fat content, but larger, measuring 25-30 cm.
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Danube
It is not inferior to its rivals in taste and fat content; it spawns in the Danube in early spring. It is at this time that it can be found on the shelves.
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Caspian
Many people know it under another name - the hall. Although this type of fish lives in the Caspian Sea, it spawns in the branches of the Urals and Volga. Very large, reaching 2 kg in weight and more than half a meter in length. This is also a fatty and tasty fish, which must be prepared wisely, since over-salting can lead to a deterioration in taste. Since there is intensive fishing for this species, the fisheries authorities have introduced restrictions to prevent the population of the fish from falling.
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Description
Despite some external differences, all herring-like representatives of the marine fauna have several common characteristics:
- the body of the fish is elongated, oval, slightly pressed from the sides;
- the color is predominantly gray, with a bluish tint, while the back is darker, the scales become lighter towards the belly;
- the caudal fin consists of two parts of equal length, separated by a deep notch;
- herrings have only one dorsal fin and no adipose fins;
- medium or large scales;
- The head is small, with large eyes and a medium-sized mouth.
Herring can live up to 20-25 years, but finding fish of this age is currently considered very rare. Constantly ongoing active industrial fishing significantly reduces the life expectancy of herring.
Types of herring
The herring genus includes 9 species, each of which has important commercial significance. All species are divided into two large groups according to their habitat: Atlantic herring (Latin name Clupea harengus ) and Pacific herring ( Clupea pallasii ).
The Atlantic includes:
- Salaka, or Baltic herring . A small fish, the average length of which does not exceed 12-18 cm. The average weight of such a herring is 50 grams.
- Norwegian herring. Flocks are found in northern Norway and the Barents Sea.
- Baltic sprat, or sprat . The carcass length of the largest individuals does not exceed 10 cm. The fish leads a schooling lifestyle, habitat: areas along the coastline with salt water, desalinated bays and bays.
- Caspian Hall . Due to its characteristic color, this species is also called the blackback. Of all the representatives of the genus, the zalom is the largest herring. Its length can reach 50 cm, and its weight can be 2 kg. In addition to its impressive dimensions, it differs from other types in its very delicate taste. Caspian herring is an anadromous fish: during spawning, schools enter the Volga delta and rise upstream. In the 19th century, catch volumes were quite large. The fish was sold under the name " Astrakhan herring ". The construction of hydraulic structures on the Volga had a negative impact on the population of the species.
- Black Sea herring. An anadromous species that comes to the Don to spawn, which is why the name Don herring is often found.
Caspian Hall
The most famous variety of Pacific herring is Olyutorsky : this is the name of the Korfo-Karaginsk population living in the Olyutorsky Gulf of the Bering Sea. The fish is valued for its high fat content and excellent taste.
What is the difference between iwasi herring and herring
Iwashi is a Far Eastern sardine. It received its trade name “ Iwashi herring Despite a certain external similarity, these are two different types of fish that belong to different genera. The gastronomic value of the Far Eastern sardine is higher due to the greater amount of polyunsaturated acids; in addition, it has more tender meat.
Ivasi
You can distinguish herring from willow herring by the following characteristics:
- there is a row of dark spots on the back of the sardine;
- The average length of a herring is 25-30 cm, weight is 300-400 g, an iwasi carcass weighs 100-150 g and has a length of no more than 18-20 cm.
CHEKHON
Not a herring
Iwasi herring
Even under the USSR, the Far Eastern sardine was mistakenly called the Ivasi herring, and this name was so firmly rooted that it has survived to our times. Due to large catches, the stocks of this small fish were depleted, and a 25-year break was made. But recently the fishery has resumed and ibashi can again be seen on store shelves.
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Sosvinskaya
Just like the Iwashi, they mistakenly called the fish Tugun from the salmon family. A small silvery fish, very similar to a herring. Found in the Ob tributary - Sosva.
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Beneficial features
“The herring is on the table, the doctor is away” is a famous Swedish proverb. “No matter how much gudgeon you salt, the herring tastes better.” These and many other sayings are written about herring. After all, besides the fact that it is tasty, fatty, inexpensive, it has many other advantages. And the one who has it as a frequent guest on the table has:
- healthy heart and vascular system;
- longevity;
- good mood;
- beautiful skin;
- mental health;
- physical strength;
- good immunity.
Another interesting saying: “Chicken for two is herring for ten,” which means that this fish is very filling. Herring fish, although tasty when salted, should not be abused by hypertensive patients; for nutritional benefits, it is advisable to use it baked.
What types of herring are there?
Let's try to understand the diversity of the herring world. There are an incredible variety of recipes for preparing this popular fish. Herring can be river and sea herring, as well as ocean herring. The most delicious types of herring are caught in rivers.
The fish grows and gains weight in the sea and matures. Having reached a certain age, it goes to the deltas of large rivers to spawn. Eating river algae there, it acquires a unique taste. But the fish are generally sea fish. Only vendace and tugun are pure river herring.
Chemical composition
Both herring fish and its caviar are very valuable products.
Chemical composition of herring
Why is herring so useful? Yes, because it contains:
- fats - from 2% to 33% (depending on the place of catch);
- proteins - up to 19%;
- nutritional value - 246 kcal;
- essential amino acids (so called because the body is not able to synthesize them itself);
- vitamins - A and D;
- oleic acid - refers to unsaturated acids;
- minerals - iodine, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, calcium, cobalt.
Herring in cooking
Herring is one of the most useful fish eaten by humans. Dishes made from various varieties of herring can be found in many cuisines around the world. Fish is fried, baked, boiled, prepared into soups and broths, but most often it is consumed salted.
The calorie content of herring ranges from 217 to 250 kcal per 100 g, depending on the type, time of catch and method of preparation. The beneficial properties of fish are due to the presence of a large amount of easily digestible protein (up to 20% of the total weight of the carcass), polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The chemical composition of the product includes potassium, magnesium, selenium, chlorine, phosphorus, vitamins A, E, PP, and several B vitamins.
The appearance of the herring can tell about the taste characteristics, so when buying fish you should pay attention to the following points:
- high-quality herring has intact skin, without a yellow coating, the eyes are transparent and not sunken;
- the thicker the back of the carcass, the juicier the fillet;
- with the same weight, it is better to choose the fish that is shorter and thicker;
- the presence of dents on frozen herring indicates that it was frozen after catching and was not re-frozen;
- The color of the eyes can be used to determine the degree of salting of the fish: herring with red eyes is lightly salted, while herring with white eyes is the most salted.
The degree of fat content of the meat depends on the time of catching. The fattest herring is considered to be caught in mid-to-late autumn after the end of the feeding season. The taste of herring depends not only on the timing of catching, proper processing, storage and preparation, but also on the type of fish. Thus, the meat of Caspian salmon and Olyutor herring is considered the most tender. The two most common varieties of herring, Atlantic and Pacific, also have certain taste differences. Fish caught in the Pacific Ocean is fattier and contains more iodine, and its fillet is darker and denser.
