Smelt - useful fish

Smelt - a fish that has small, delicate scales that simply fall off. It also has an elongated body, a mouth with an elongated jaw and a multitude of large teeth. This fish is very beautiful. Boka - silvery with a bluish tint, and the back is brownish-green and slightly translucent.

The size that this smelt family fish has depends on the range of its habitat. In general, its length ranges from 16 to 20 cm, there are much fewer specimens 25 cm or more in length. There are European and Asian smelt, although their differences are so insignificant that they are often confused with each other. The weight of each individual can be from 20 to 350 grams - it all depends on the habitat. The largest fish are found in Siberia.

In general, smelt is a fish that has a very large area. However, most often it can be found in the northern waters. Sea fish of the family of smelt spread in fresh cold lakes and was called a snail. Some researchers consider it a degenerating species.

The most common smelt is found in the Gulf of Finland, the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic and White Seas, Ladoga, Chudskoye and Onega lakes. It occurs only in large schools, both in the sea and in fresh water.

Smelt - the fish is very voracious. And although its main food is zooplankton, it does not disdain and fry, which is not much less than it. This fish refers to salmonids, so its marine population in the spring to spawn goes up the freshwater rivers. At the same time, billions of eggs are deposited, from which the young will later develop. One individual lays up to 50,000 pieces per spawning. Depending on the place of spawning and weather conditions, fry appear after 5-10 days. Almost all species are very tenacious, so the catch very often reaches the consumer alive. The life span of a smelt varies and depends on the place of its dwelling. In central Russia, fish live no more than 3-4 years, but the closer to the north, the longer its life. In Siberia, the age of individuals in the population reaches 10-12 years.

Due to the rapid and numerous reproduction of offspring, smelt is a fish that is accessible to a wide population. Its nutritional properties make it possible to cook various culinary masterpieces from it. It can be bought live, freshly frozen, salted, smoked or in the form of preserves. The fish can be baked in the oven, fried in coals, in clay or just in a pan. The smell of freshly caught smelt like the smell of cucumbers. The flesh of the fish is somewhat zhirnovata, but it just melts in the mouth. Eat it better with fresh vegetables or boiled or fried potatoes.

Smelt is unpretentious and very suitable for artificial cultivation on an industrial scale. It is easy to breed such a fish as a whole. It is enough to have a fairly deep lake or a pond with cold water. It is known that in England this type of fish is bred even in key ponds, where it is very well developed. The most favorable place for breeding, according to experts, is the lakes of central Russia.