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Muksun fish represents the order “salmon”, the genus “whitefish” and the subfamily “whitefish”. Muksun is the closest relative of the Baikal omul. It prefers to live in fresh water and is highly valued, therefore, both caught and bred on a large scale, both by the population and entrepreneurs.
Muksun fish: description
The meat of this fish has a unique composition, therefore it differs markedly from other types of fish that inhabit fresh water bodies. The meat differs both in aroma and taste data. Muksun fish is not contraindicated even for people suffering from poor liver and kidney function. In addition, athletes prefer to eat the meat of this fish, because they have a rather strict diet.
Appearance
The salmon family has a large number of valuable fish species, but the muksun fish is considered the most valuable. Some hundred years ago, when sterlet was traded in buckets, muksun fish was sold by the piece. By appearance, you can determine which genus it represents.
In this case, the body of the fish is spindle-shaped. The elongated body is somewhat flattened laterally. The color of the body is not monotonous: the back has a darker shade, and the sides and belly are lighter, while the belly is almost white, and the sides are silvery. River representatives are distinguished by a golden hue. Any kind of coloring makes the fish almost invisible in the water column. The head and tail, in relation to the body, are in an elevated position. As the fish mature, the hump begins to develop, causing the fish to become even more “curved”.
Interesting information! Adult individuals are able to grow in length more than a meter and weigh up to 12,5 kilograms, although the average size is about 70 cm with a weight of about 4 kg or more. Such individuals are already considered large. As a rule, individuals weighing no more than 1,5 kilograms predominate.
The head of this fish is not sharp, with a mouth located at the bottom. The lower jaw is slightly forward compared to the upper jaw, which allows individuals to collect small crustaceans from the bottom of the reservoir. The gills are composed of many stamens, which allows them to filter the suction objects of food. This is especially good for young animals that feed on zooplankton.
Lifestyle, behavior
This fish belongs to semi-anadromous species, and it lives either in fresh or low-salt water bodies, where it grows and develops. Muksun fish overcomes up to one and a half thousand kilometers against the current in order to lay eggs. At the same time, she does not die, but manages to return to her former habitats, where she restores her strength, so that next time she can again go to spawn.
How long does a muksun live
It is believed that muksun fish can live for about 25 years, although the average age of adults is from 15 to 20 years.
natural habitats
Muksun inhabits reservoirs with clean fresh or slightly brackish water. It does not swim in the open waters of the oceans. As a rule, fish are attracted by estuaries, where fresh water mixes with sea salt, although there are tributaries that do not suit this whimsical fish.
Interesting fact! Large populations of whitefish are found in the basins of the Lena and Yenisei rivers, and the lake-river form is found in lakes Lama, Taimyr and Glubokoe.
Muksun fish is found in almost all rivers of Siberia. In addition, fish are also found in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. The largest populations are observed in the Tom and Ob rivers. In these rivers and in their basins, fish are found throughout the year. In other rivers, muksun appears periodically, in the process of migration, when the fish goes to spawn. The lake form of muksun behaves in the same way.
Diet
The diet of this fish depends on the conditions of existence, as well as on the time of year, including the availability of food supply. In summer, it feeds on mollusks and crustaceans, and in winter it is limited to zooplankton. Juvenile muksun mainly feeds on zooplankton, as they are not yet able to process, and even hunt for larger prey. At the same time, the fish is fully adapted to such conditions, thanks to the special structure of the gill plates.
The basis of the diet is made up of various crustaceans, as well as caviar of other fish species, including fish fry and zooplankton, but in the process of spawning, fish eat poorly, satisfying only their primary needs so as not to die. During the spawning period, the fish spends all their energy on getting to natural spawning grounds. Moreover, you need to get to the spawning sites as early as possible, until the first ice appears on the reservoirs.
Reproduction and offspring
The spawning process begins in early spring, when ice begins to melt on the rivers. Before spawning, females and males will have to travel up to a thousand kilometers, or even more, to get to natural spawning grounds. The fish overcomes such distances only by the middle of autumn. The most suitable places for spawning are areas with a sandy or pebble bottom and the presence of a rapid current. The beginning of spawning coincides with the appearance of the first ice, and the end of spawning falls on the month of November.
Interesting fact! The spawning process ends as soon as the water temperature drops below +4 degrees.
The number of eggs laid by females depends on their age and averages about 50 thousand pieces. During her whole life, the female can make up to 4 trips to natural spawning grounds. At the same time, muksun does not spawn every year. Before once again going to spawn, the fish must restore their strength and stock up on nutrients (fat).
Eggs ripen for almost half a year (up to 5 months) and this is not surprising, since the water temperature is quite low. Having been born, fish fry slide under the influence of the force of the current into the lower reaches of the rivers, where they grow and develop. After 10 years of life, individuals are ready to breed, while females mature even later. As a rule, individuals are ready for spawning if their weight is almost a kilogram. It is during this period that the fish is the most vulnerable, therefore fishing for it is strictly regulated by laws, especially this is true in relation to poaching, which has recently taken on very menacing proportions.
At the same time, winter sports fishing is allowed on the condition that the fish will be released.
Muksun. Closing of the season on Sarlyk lake.
Natural enemies
In the wild, although this fish has enemies, they are not capable of causing serious damage to the muksun population. The main enemy is a person who does not think about the future and catches valuable fish uncontrollably, which causes significant damage to its population. Even in ancient times, people who fished for this fish were called muksunniks, because for centuries the catch of muksun brought the main profit to their families.
In our time, when the catch is controlled at the level of laws, it is no longer possible to find carcasses of fish scattered over the ice, abandoned in a hurry by poachers. Therefore, there is hope for the restoration of the population of this very valuable fish.
Population and species status
Due to the fact that the meat of this fish is quite tasty and valuable, regular uncontrolled catch of individuals is carried out. As a result, in places where fish used to be abundant, these fish are almost non-existent today.
It is important to know! Muksun fish belongs to a commercial species. At the mouth of the Ob River, the number of this fish is noticeably reduced due to uncontrolled fishing. A similar situation is observed in other places, at the mouths of other rivers, where earlier there were plenty of fish.
During the spawning period, this fish is especially defenseless. At the same time, poachers always know when and where this fish passes and catch it when moving to the upper reaches of the rivers. As a result, crazy catches are observed, which causes significant damage to the population. In this regard, fish surveillance services practice escorting fish along the entire path of its movement in order to protect it from voracious poachers.
Fishing value
Muksun fish is considered unique because of the composition of its meat. It is believed that this fish is a real delicacy. At the same time, regardless of the place of catch or long-term freezing, the meat does not lose its true flavor, which is incomparable with anything else. The aroma of meat is reminiscent of the aroma of freshly sliced cucumbers. In addition to flavor, whitefish meat has a lot of useful properties. Therefore, the demand for this fish is great, which leads to its overfishing.
On the shelves of fish stores for 1 kg of fish, you will have to pay 700 rubles, and this does not include delivery costs.
Interesting to know! In our time, muksun is actively bred in artificial conditions and is supplied to store shelves.
It is believed that the meat of muksun fish is not infected with various parasites, so fish can be eaten even raw. In fact, you need to think carefully before doing this, since this is only an assumption and the risk is absolutely inappropriate here.
It is advisable to subject the fish meat to heat treatment before eating. It can be fried, boiled, baked, etc. You can get rid of parasites if you freeze the fish at temperatures up to -40 degrees. At the household level, this is almost impossible to do. For cooking, you should buy fish only from conscientious suppliers who regularly check the fish for parasites.
Food quality
The meat of this fish retains its taste even when deep frozen. Its energy value is only about 89 kcal per 100 grams of product. All components in the meat are in an easily accessible form, so the meat is digested almost 100 percent. The presence of arachidonic acid in the meat allows you to get additional strength for those people who practice heavy loads on the body. Fish dishes are especially recommended for sick and debilitated people.
Muksun meat is absolutely identical in nutritional value and composition, when compared with the meat of marine fish, but it is not so mineralized that it is permissible to use it even for people with diseased kidneys.
It is believed that whitefish meat is fatty, although this fat is quite healthy and does not contribute to the deposition of cholesterol plaques in the vessels. The meat contains a sufficient amount of vitamin “PP”, as well as rare minerals.
What dishes can be prepared from muksun
Locals cook a wide variety of dishes, but sugudai is considered quite popular among Siberians. And to prepare this dish is quite simple. To do this, just cut the fish into pieces and marinate the pieces in lemon juice. In this case, the dish should be sprinkled with salt and not a lot of pepper and onions. Somewhere, in an hour, the dish is ready to eat.
Muksun makes excellent pies. The filling for pies is either raw or fried meat of this fish. In both cases, delicious pies are obtained.
Ceviche From Ah..enoy Fish | Muksun in marinades | #Borsch
In conclusion
Despite the fact that Siberians even eat raw fish, experts still recommend heat treatment. To eat even pickled fish, you need to be 100% sure that it is not infected with parasites. Therefore, it is better to play it safe once again and demand from the seller the relevant documents indicating that the fish has passed sanitary control.
Since muksun meat has a unique taste and aroma, it is not recommended to get carried away with spices and seasonings when cooking it, so that the fish retains its natural taste and aroma.
The fish is so fatty that it is not recommended to add butter or vegetable oil during the cooking process. Even when cooked on the grill, it will never be dry.