Flying fish are a kind of marine fish family belonging to the garfish order. The family includes eight genera and 52 species. The body of the fish is elongated, running, the color is characteristic of all fish living in the upper layers of the water: the back is dark, the belly and sides are white, silvery. The color of the back can vary from blue to gray. The main feature of the structure of flying fish is the presence of enlarged pectoral and ventral fins, which are also painted in different colors. By the presence of large fins, fish are divided into two-winged and four-winged. As in the case of aircraft, the evolution of the development of flying fish species has undergone different directions: one pair or two, the bearing planes of the aircraft. The ability to fly left its imprint of evolution, not only on the structural features of the enlarged pectoral and ventral fins, but also on the tail, as well as on the internal organs. The fish has an unusual internal structure, in particular, an enlarged swim bladder and so on. Most species of flying fish are small in size. The smallest and lightest have a weight of about 30-50 g and a length of 15 cm. The giant fly (Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus) is considered the largest, its dimensions can reach 50 cm in length and more than 1 kg in weight. The fish feed on various zooplankton. The menu includes medium-sized mollusks, crustaceans, larvae, fish roe and more. Fish fly in different cases, but the main one is a possible danger. In the dark, fish are attracted to light. The ability to fly in different types of fish is not the same, and only in part, they can regulate movement in the air.
Fishing methods
Flying fish are easy to catch. In the water column, they can be caught on hook tackle, planting natural baits, in the form of pieces of crustaceans and mollusks. Usually, flying fish are caught at night, luring with the light of a lantern and collecting with nets or nets. Flying fish land on the deck of a ship during flight, both during the day and at night, when lured by light. Catching flying fish is associated, as a rule, in amateur fishing, using them to bait other marine life. For example, when catching corifen.
Places of fishing and habitat
The habitat of these fish is mainly located in the subtropical and tropical zones of the oceans. They live in the Red and Mediterranean Seas; in summer, a few individuals can come across in the Eastern Atlantic to the coast of Scandinavia. Some species of Pacific flying fish, with warm currents, can enter the waters of the seas washing the Russian Far East, in its southern part. Most of the species are found in the Indo-Pacific region. More than ten species of these fish also live in the Atlantic Ocean.
Spawning
Spawning of Atlantic species takes place in May and early summer. In all species, the eggs are pelargic, floating to the surface and holding together with other plankton, often among floating algae and other objects on the sea surface. Eggs have hairy appendages that help them attach themselves to floating objects. Unlike adult fish, the fry of many flying fish are brightly colored.