Chir is a very valuable fish that belongs to the Salmon family. It is a freshwater semi-anadromous individual that lives in rivers and lakes. To spawn, whitefish move to deep rivers and channels that have a slow flow. This fish is characterized by unique valuable meat, which contains many useful components. Therefore, chir has a beneficial effect on the condition of the human body.
Description of the fish
In the generally accepted classification, whitefish belongs to the genus Whitefish of the Salmon family. It is often called differently - “shchekur”, “schohar”, “shchokur”.This is due to the fact that the fish is found in the Shchekurye River, located near the village of the same name.
The scientific name of the fish is Coregonus nasus. It belongs to freshwater. Adult specimens weigh 4 kilograms. Moreover, the largest individuals reach a length of 80 centimeters and weigh 16 kilograms. Chir mainly lives in the Ob and Yenisei. Moreover, its spawning begins in September. At this time, the fish moves to deeper places, which are characterized by slow currents, or chooses lakes for reproduction.
How does she look
In appearance, the whitefish is more reminiscent of a representative of the Karpov family. Only his elongated body indicates that he belongs to the Sigov family. The body of the whitefish is covered with dense silvery scales, which are characterized by a golden tint. The edges of the scales are distinguished by a dark edging. Thanks to this, a special texture is formed, characteristic of such fish.
The whitefish has a small triangular head with a sloping forehead. It is not a continuation of the body, since it is smaller in height. A peculiar difference forms the dorsal hump. The fish is characterized by a rounded stigma. At the same time, his upper jaw protrudes forward.
All fins of the whitefish are well developed. There is an adipose fin on the back near the base of the tail. It helps to emphasize belonging to the Salmon family. The fins of whitefish are often dark in color. However, there are individuals with light fins.
The body is silver in color with a yellowish or golden tint. At the same time, the back is darker – almost black. There are yellow stripes near the base of the belly.
It is worth considering that chira is often confused with muksun. These individuals have the same habitats and have many visual similarities.However, muksun has a taller body and an elongated stigma. Upon careful examination, you can see differences in the structure of the ventral fins. Muksun meat is more prized because it contains a lot of fish oil. At the same time, chir is distinguished by more nutritious caviar.
Where does it live?
The chir is a fish with expressive cheeks that lives in the north of European Russia. It is found in Kamchatka and Siberia. Shchekur also lives in the desalinated waters of the Arctic Ocean. It is also found in the basins of the northern regions of Canada and Alaska. In addition, the fish lives in rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
The whitefish chooses cold and clean bodies of water to live. At the same time, river and lake-river varieties are found. However, these fish have no visual differences. The difference concerns only habitats and diet.
The river whitefish chooses northern rivers for life. It is found in Pechora, Kolyma, Angara and other reservoirs. Places with slow currents are considered a suitable option for these individuals. There is most food there for the chir.
The lake lizard lives in mainland lakes - Sovetskoye, Nalimyem, Biruchi, Makovskoye. To spawn, whitefish move to lake rivers. Here he feels as comfortable as possible and has a lot of food. Therefore, the lake variety is considered fatter and is larger in size.
Diet
This fish is sometimes mistakenly called gar. In fact, its name sounds like “chir” or “cheek”. The food requirements of individuals vary depending on the time of year. The chiru requires the maximum amount of food during the warm months. With the arrival of cold weather, the volume of food decreases. During the spawning period, the chekur does not eat at all.
The diet is affected by the age of the fish. The fry prefer zooplankton. They also eat benthos.This term refers to small organisms living in the soil of reservoirs. As the whitefish grows, it expands its diet, beginning to consume benthic inhabitants. The adult tick eats crustaceans, mosquito larvae, and crustaceans.
Reproduction and spawning
Puberty of whitefish occurs quite late. This occurs at 6-8 years of age. At this point, the fish reaches 45-48 centimeters in length and weighs 1.4-2 kilograms. The spawning period for whitefish begins in autumn, when the water temperature drops to +1 degree. Sometimes the reservoir is completely covered with an ice crust. Depending on the region, spawning begins in September-November.
Even before the start of reproduction, both males and females change their appearance using a special “nuptial” transformation. In this case, light bumps consisting of epithelium appear on the entire body, including the head and fins. The female can be easily distinguished from the male. This can be determined by the shade of the pelvic fins. In this case, one ray has a whiter color.
During spawning, the whitefish leaves its usual body of water and goes in search of a more suitable place. At the same time, semi-anadromous river individuals begin to move at the end of August, swimming long distances. Lake species usually do not swim far from their habitat.
For spawning, whitefish choose small rivers that have a pebble, sandy or rocky bottom. They have a weak current and significant depth, which often exceeds 5-7 meters. Chickweed can also spawn in lakes. However, the reservoir must have running water, since a high oxygen content is required for the full development of fry.
It takes 20-25 days to spawn.This process already takes place under the conditions of the appearance of an ice crust. This helps protect the fish population. The whitefish lays fairly large eggs measuring 2.5-4 millimeters. It has a light yellow color. After spawning, the whitefish does not die, unlike many other representatives of the Salmon family.
A large female can lay up to 250 thousand eggs. At the same time, it rarely goes to spawn - only once every 3-4 years. This prevents a significant increase in the population. Immediately after breeding, most of the individuals return home. However, there are other fish that are looking for a new habitat.
The incubation period takes a long period of time - approximately six months. The larvae appear only in March. Within a week they become fry, which constantly move downstream. Fish eat zooplankton and small invertebrates that live in bottom areas. They quickly gain body weight.
Is it possible to breed in captivity?
Whitefish is considered a commercial fish. However, it cannot be classified as an expensive gourmet product. This fish appears in stores only in those regions in which it is caught. This is due to the fact that the average weight of harvested individuals is small. This makes it possible to use whitefish as bait for more valuable fish. Moreover, for the population of some regions, this fish is the only object of hunting.
Due to its rapid development, feeding on benthos and adaptability to cold climates, whitefish can be grown in artificial reservoirs. Of course, in terms of costs, it is more profitable to breed carp or carp. However, the climate imposes a number of restrictions. At fish farms, whitefish shows high productivity.From 1 hectare it is possible to obtain 200 kilograms of product.
Fishing for whitefish
Shchekur is a valuable commercial species. However, it lives in hard-to-reach places and harsh climates. That's why this fish is not caught too often. However, the process has certain features. You can catch shchekur using traditional methods - using a float or bottom fishing rod. Spinning or fly fishing is also suitable for this purpose. The gear must be durable. When choosing them, it is important to consider the mass of potential prey. The line should be inconspicuous.
The bait may vary. Suitable baits include insects and their larvae, worms, mollusks, and maggots. It is also acceptable to use artificial bait. In this case, you should give preference to products that most closely resemble insects and crustaceans in shape and color.
It is recommended to catch whitefish at a depth of 4-7 meters. In rare cases, it is permissible to do this on sandbanks. Fishing is possible throughout the daylight hours. At the same time, it is almost impossible to catch shrew in reservoirs with fast currents or at night.
Useful and harmful properties
Chir is considered a healthy fish that contains many valuable components. Its meat contains a lot of chromium. This element normalizes glucose levels and enhances the action of insulin.
In addition, fish contains vitamins B, A, and nicotinic acid. Chekur also includes Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body. In addition, chir contains many micro- and macroelements. Among them it is worth highlighting nickel, molybdenum, magnesium, iodine, zinc and much more.
Thanks to the rich composition of the product, it brings great benefits to the body.With regular consumption of this fish, you can get the following results:
- activation of metabolic processes;
- increasing the body's defenses;
- strengthening the cardiovascular system;
- activation of blood circulation;
- minimizing the likelihood of developing heart attacks and strokes;
- strengthening bones and cartilage tissue;
- prevention of pathologies of the digestive system;
- improving the functioning of the nervous system;
- activation of brain function;
- increasing stress resistance;
- prevention of cancer development;
- improving the condition of skin, nails and hair.
Cheer is especially useful during pregnancy. By consuming fish during this period, it is possible to improve the development of the brain in the fetus.
In rare cases, this product causes harm to the body. Fish that were caught in polluted waters pose a threat to health. Its meat contains heavy metal salts. It is also important to take into account contraindications for eating this fish. In this case, the only limitation is considered individual intolerance.
How to cook chira
Chir is considered a universal product that can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes:
- Fish has fatty and nutritious meat. Thanks to this, the population of the northern regions consumes its meat raw, using it to make stroganina and sugudai.
- The product can be fried, boiled, stewed and baked.
- Chir is suitable for preparing rich fish soup and various fish soups.
However, most often the cheese is smoked and dried. Many fishermen argue that such fatty and tasty fish should not be spoiled by heat treatment. They are largely right. Smoked chir is considered a real delicacy, which is quite expensive.
Chir is a sought-after fish that belongs to the Salmon family.Its meat contains many valuable components, so the product brings great health benefits. It is not surprising that this fish has a high commercial value.
