Capelin is one of the most common types of fish. This explains the ease of catching capelin and its low price. It is not surprising that this fish is in demand among buyers. Some of them are interested in what capelin is. Here the interested reader will find information about the habitat, diet, reproduction, fish meat and its varieties. At the end there are interesting facts that will be of interest to everyone!
Description of the fish
Capelin leads a gregarious lifestyle. The depth of its habitat varies from 300 to 700 meters, so it is a shallow-water fish.Even though capelin can be found in large quantities, troubles often happen with it. Often individuals are attacked by predators or carried ashore due to a storm, so the mortality rate of individuals is high.
The following subsections will help the reader get started with capelin. Here is basic information about it: appearance, habitats, nutrition and reproduction. Most likely, knowledge about this will be more useful to fishermen who will use the data obtained in practice. However, it is not prohibited for ordinary people to study the section purely out of interest.
Appearance
Capelin has an elongated, thin body containing a fused head and body, with silver-colored scales that glisten in the light. There is a large eye on the head. There are almost transparent fins on the sides, and at the end of the body there is a small fin with a similar structure. A copper-colored strip runs from it to the head in the center of the body. The back is painted greenish-olive.
The fish is not large in size: its maximum length is 25 cm. The weight is also small: only 50 grams. Such restrictions are not always valid, because females are smaller than males. After spawning, capelin darken, so their appearance changes slightly during this period of time.
Do not confuse fish with moth and smelt. The first is capable of reaching a greater body length than capelin. The smelt has a different mouth and scales. This individual has a smaller mouth than capelin, and its scales are divided into larger segments.
Habitat
Capelin is easy to find in large quantities in water bodies. It is found in cold waters. For example, these include the Arctic Ocean, as well as the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.Fish are found near the shore only during the spawning period.
What does she eat?
Capelin is a predator, but its diet is not varied. This is not a river fish, so it feeds on plankton from the ocean, eggs or invertebrates. Most often, the latter type includes small crustaceans or worms. Capelin also feeds in winter, so its population dominates during this season. If the water temperature rises, the fish may be displaced by the herring.
Reproduction and spawning
Reproduction and spawning of capelin is an important stage of its life cycle. These factors not only help preserve the species, but also play an important role in the biological diversity of the ecosystem. In addition, marine fish are food for individuals of other species, so they also support the lives of those above them in the food pyramid. Fish living in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans reproduce in the spring and summer, and individuals living in the east of these oceans can continue to give birth to new individuals in the fall.
The first stage in reproduction is choosing a spawning site. Typically, fish migrate in schools along rivers to places where there are suitable conditions for spawning. These are warm shallow waters, the bottom of which is covered with pebbles or sand. Once the site is found, the next important stage occurs - fertilization.
After a suitable place is found, 2 males swim up to the female and help dig a hole. The eggs are thrown out there and stick to pebbles, sand or other hard objects lying at the bottom. The eggs develop independently. This is not scary, because the water contains all the necessary nutrients and oxygen for breathing.
As a result, the eggs turn into fry, which are carried away by the waves into the ocean.The birth period varies from a week to 2 months: the higher the temperature, the faster the fish will be born. Growing organisms have mobility, which allows them to hide from predators and unite in flocks. At first, its representatives feed on plankton and algae. Gradually, the fry approach the stage of metamorphosis, after which they turn into adults.
Varieties
There are different classifications of capelin, which differ in different places. According to their habitat around the world, fish are divided into Pacific and Atlantic. Within Russia, capelin are divided into European, Far Eastern and Arctic, because the country has access to three oceans. The emphasis will be on description according to the Russian classification.
In fact, the fish that live in 3 different oceans are almost no different from each other. Due to different habitats, the size and weight are slightly different. Thus, in the Arctic, males reach a length of 19 centimeters and a weight of 36 grams, and females reach a length of 11 centimeters and a weight of 20 grams. In the Far East, the size of male uek fish, as it is called in the east, is 15 centimeters and weight is 24 grams, and the size of females is 9 centimeters and weight is 15 grams. In the Sea of Japan, capelin are called “elite fish” because of their large dimensions: the male grows up to 24 centimeters and weighs up to 54 grams, and the female reaches a length of 19 centimeters and weighs 27 grams.
About fish meat
Capelin meat has beneficial properties, because otherwise there would be no demand for it. It must be borne in mind that fish is not suitable for some categories of people. These include those who cannot tolerate seafood. Smoked capelin should not be eaten by patients with problems in the gastrointestinal tract.Fish contains carcinogens that cause malignant neoplasms, so it is better for risk groups to refrain from eating the dish.
Of course, there is more good than bad in capelin. For example, fish contains many vitamins and minerals. For example, phosphorus improves the functioning of the nervous system, iodine supports the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. Thanks to other components, cholesterol levels are reduced, so the condition of the cardiovascular system improves. Capelin also helps lower blood sugar levels and produce insulin, so it is very useful for diabetics!
Since capelin contains many useful substances, it has few calories. Thanks to this, fish is used for preparing dietary dishes. Capelin does not require long-term heat treatment. This plays a positive role, manifested not only in reducing cooking time, but also in preserving a large number of useful ingredients.
How to choose capelin and store it correctly
Not all representatives of capelin are “correct”, like other products. For this reason, fish must be selected carefully. If something is wrong, then under no circumstances should you buy capelin and eat it! When choosing, you need to be guided by the following signs of quality fish:
- the expiration date has not expired;
- smooth surface of the body;
- coloring is evenly distributed over the body;
- the eyes are black and not cloudy.
Unfortunately, in many grocery stores, sellers do not want or do not have time to check the fish. So you have to rely on yourself and choose quality products. Even if everything in the store is carefully checked, you definitely need to check everything yourself. Products that do not meet the requirements may not be noticed due to human error.
Naturally, it is not enough to choose the right fish. You also need to know how to store it. The capelin must be kept in the refrigerator so that it does not defrost. Fish can stay there for no more than two days, so it is better to buy it immediately before preparing the dish.
Interesting Facts
Capelin is interesting because of the facts associated with it. As you know, a large number of this fish live in the waters near the Kola Peninsula, so many birds of prey are also observed there. During the breeding season, capelin wash ashore in large quantities due to storms. For example, in June a Canadian can come to the sea or ocean shore and take the amount of fish he needs for free!
They say that capelin meat smells like cucumbers, which is why it is so easy to distinguish it from other fish. There is also another interesting fact: at the beginning of spring, residents of Murmansk celebrate the capelin festival, where they can try dishes from this fish. The chosen time of year for the holiday is explained by the fact that it is during this period that a huge amount of this fish washes up on the shore.
