Chekhon is a freshwater fish that lives in water bodies of Eurasia and North America. Since ancient times, this fish has been an important source of food for peoples living near rivers and lakes. Today it is popular in fishing and cooking due to its delicate taste and soft texture of meat. In cooking it is used to prepare a variety of dishes, ranging from simple fried fish cutlets to gourmet dishes seasoned with aromatic spices and sauces.
What kind of fish is this
Chekhon, a member of the carp family, is a common species of freshwater fish.It is known by several names, such as saber, Czech, scythe. This species is found in the Azov, Caspian and Baltic waters; it is also found in abundance in the Black Sea.
Chekhon is a schooling aquatic inhabitant. In recent years, the saberfish population has declined significantly, leading to fishing bans in several areas. For example, in 2018, it became illegal to catch sabrefish in the Moscow Region and the capital itself.
How does she look
The fish has a saber-shaped, slightly curved body with a flat top and a convex belly. Its scales are large and delicate, which makes it prone to shedding. A lateral line runs along the lower part of the body, resembling a zigzag shape.
Chekhon has a rounded head. Its snout and lower jaw are distinctly curved upward. This type of fish has excellent eyesight. She has large transparent eyes with a grayish-yellow tint. Life expectancy is no more than thirteen years.
The saber fish have unusually arranged fins. They are clearly visible on the chest of the fish, and the tiny fin on the back is close to the tail. The characteristic anal fin is longer than the dorsal fin, and its thin part reaches the very tail. The upper part of the saber has an iridescent brown or blue color, the lower part is pale and silver, and the sides are of the same shade. The transparent fins on the back and tail have a grayish tint, and the remaining fins have a yellowish tint.
The fish has two rows of pharyngeal teeth with small serrations that are curved like a hook.
Chekhon reaches a size of up to 150 cm in length, and can weigh up to two kilograms. But, as a rule, with medium sizes it usually weighs about five hundred grams.
Habitat
This fish is found in the Gulf of Finland, as well as in the basins of the Azov and Caspian Seas.Chekhon is present in numerous rivers and other freshwater bodies throughout Europe and Asia.
The saber usually lives in deep areas of rivers, reservoirs and lakes with running water, especially in their wide areas. The bottom topography should be very uneven, with a large number of crevices.
The fish is very active, especially in warm weather, showing amazing restlessness. Her groups often move along a river or lake and only approach the shoreline to feed.
Nutrition
Silverfish are active in the morning and evening, looking for their typical prey:
- flying insects;
- zooplankton;
- insect larvae;
- invertebrates, fish fry;
- mosquitoes;
- worms;
- dragonflies
Chekhon does not tolerate sharp drops in water temperature very well; during such periods, it usually eats worse or stops eating food completely. The same refusal of food often occurs during spawning. After the breeding process is over, the silverfish becomes especially voracious. She appears peaceful when mingling with the fry, showing no hostility. But then she is able to make a surprise attack on her prey and drag her to the depths.
The diet of young animals usually consists of plankton, insects and larvae that are found in the pond. Adult sabrefish feed on fry and small fish, as well as caviar. This extremely popular fish species in Russia is characterized by an interesting feature: after they have eaten their fill, they swim into the water column, closer to the bottom.
The saber has a special talent - to grab insects that fly over a pond. To do this, she jumps out of the water, grabs her food in the air, and then falls back into the water with a loud splash.
Natural enemies
Young saberfish are preyed upon by predatory fish, including pike, perch and pike perch, which decimate their populations. Predatory fish also feast during the spawning of sabrefish, as they happily eat its eggs.
Seagulls and other fast-flying aquatic birds grab the saberfish as it rises to the surface of the water to feed on insects.
This silvery fish, like other river inhabitants, is susceptible to dangerous parasitic diseases.
Humans are considered the main threat to this fish, as they are responsible for its excessive industrial fishing using nets. In addition, anglers who actively catch saberfish in numerous reservoirs throughout central Russia and beyond also contribute to the population decline.
Amateur fishermen believe that the most effective way to catch sabrefish is a feeder when fishing in deep rivers with fast currents, as well as a spinning rod, float or bottom fishing rod. The bait used is worms, flies, dragonflies, butterflies, horse flies and grasshoppers, as well as live bait.
The angler must regularly raise the float to attract the fishfish onto the fishing line of the float rod. The fish are most likely to bite when they feel the bait moving, so morning and afternoon are the ideal times to fish as this is when they are most active and looking for food.
Types of saberfish
Silver fish come in two varieties: sedentary and semi-anadromous.Apart from the rapid growth rate of the semi-through saber, there are no visible differences between them. Sedentary species remain in one body of water their entire lives, forming large groups.
Semi-anadromous fish are able to exist in both salty and desalinated sea water, for example, in the Caspian and Aral waters. They leave such places when it is time to reproduce.
Fishing enthusiasts highly value the Azov and Caspian sabers. The Don species is larger than the other two, and its fillet contains more fat. On the other hand, the Volga Czech is smaller in size and its meat is not as fatty.
The saber, even if it lives in a salty water environment, reproduces only in fresh water. To achieve this, fish usually have to travel long distances - sometimes even hundreds of kilometers downstream.
How do fish reproduce?
As spring approaches, huge groups of saberfish head to their spawning grounds. This occurs between April and June, depending on the climate of the region.
The female fish reaches sexual maturity after about three years and weighs at least one hundred grams. The male saber is capable of fertilization at the age of two years. In warm waters, such as the waters of the southern seas and rivers, Czech fish ripen much faster - within one to two years. In cool northern waters, this period sometimes extends to four to five years.
Spawning usually takes place over four days at water temperatures between thirteen and twenty degrees Celsius, in areas with strong currents, such as shallow waters.
A female sabrefish is capable of laying a large number of eggs, from ten to one hundred and fifty thousand, depending on age. These eggs are transparent and measure up to two millimeters in diameter.They do not have the ability to stick to rocks and plants found underwater.
The eggs move downstream in oxygen-rich water, which is necessary for their maturation. Female fish also move with them.
The baby fish, which hatch from the eggs after three days, are carried away by the moving water. As a result, they end up far from where they were originally deposited. On the 10th day they already begin to consume plankton.
In twelve months, the young will increase in size to ten centimeters. The fish will reach a weight of four hundred grams only at the age of six. Only the largest specimens, reaching 150 cm in length, can weigh about a kilogram.
Chekhon prefers to lay eggs at sunrise, when the morning fog settles over the lake. Its spawning behavior is remarkable: the fish often jump out of the water to impressive heights, making loud noises and creating large splashes.
Application of fish
Chekhon is a commercially profitable fish to catch. It is usually mined in the fall, from late August to September. In addition, there is a second commercial fishing period in the spring, lasting from April to mid-June, when Czechs gather in huge groups of up to hundreds of thousands of individuals to migrate.
Fishermen use nets to catch saber. Both floating options with attached buoys and those secured to the seabed with anchors are suitable. Anglers also have success using live bait such as worms or bugs. Sometimes seines are also used to catch this type of fish.
Not so long ago, sabrefish were caught in huge quantities, estimated in tens of thousands of centners, in the Azov basin. However, since then its production has declined sharply.
Chekhon is widely used in cooking, medicine and aquarium farming. Its meat is considered delicious and nutritious, so it is often used in the restaurant business for preparing dishes. In medicine, Czech extract is used for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as arthritis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart pathologies and others. In the aquarium hobby, saberfish are popular for breeding and keeping in the home aquarium, as its silvery color looks attractive. In addition, the saber is used in industry, in particular for the production of animal feed.
What does chekhon taste like?
Chekhon meat is considered a healthy food due to its low calorie content. It has an exquisite taste and pleasant aroma, while containing a moderate amount of fat. Fish is beneficial from a nutritional point of view - it is rich in protein and amino acids.
Fish is an excellent source of phosphorus, calcium, zinc, chromium, magnesium, and molybdenum. It also contains beneficial trace elements such as fluorine and nickel. In addition, the fish is saturated with all B and PP vitamins.
Chekhon is one of the most popular additions to beer. Among the minuses of the fish is the mass of small bones. Delicious soups and stews are prepared from saber, and it is best served with some kind of potato or vegetable side dish. Czech caviar is also highly prized.
Cooks prepare sabrefish in various ways, for example, by smoking, frying, salting, baking or stewing.
Czech dishes should be avoided by those who suffer from individual sensitivity or allergies to fish. Hypertensive patients and people with kidney disease should also avoid dried fish.
Any river fish, including saber, should be cooked with caution and for a long time, as it is susceptible to parasitic diseases.
