Taimen: a description of the fish with a photo, where it lives, what it eats

Siberians sometimes call this fish red pike, because before the spawning process, adults change their usual gray tint to copper-red.

Taimen fish: description

Taimen fish is a representative of the genus of the same name taimen and the salmon family, while it is considered the largest representative of this family. Local residents respect the taimen, calling it by other, characteristic nicknames.

Appearance

The body of the taimen fish is quite slender, but slightly squared, covered with small silvery scales, like most classic predators.

In the region of the head, when viewed from above, one can see numerous black spots, as well as on the sides, which may be in the shape of the letter “X”, or purely round. The head bears some resemblance to the head of a pike, as it is flattened from above/below. Taimen has a fairly wide mouth, located across the entire width of the head and swings open almost to the gill slits. On the lower and upper jaws there are rather sharp and inwardly curved teeth that grow in several rows.

Interesting to know! Taimen have fairly strong and wide fins, which provide the predator with greater maneuverability and speed of movement in the water column.

At the same time, the dorsal and pectoral fins are distinguished by a gray tint, and the anal and caudal fins have a red tint. The color of the fish depends on the living conditions, although the juveniles of the taimen are colored in transverse stripes. The belly of the fish is light, almost white, and on the body (on the back and sides) there is a characteristic spotting. The general tone of the body, although it depends on the nature of the reservoir, has greenish-gray or brownish-red hues. The color changes, and drastically during the spawning period, but after spawning, the usual tones return.

Taimen sizes

After 6-7 years, individuals become sexually mature when their weight is up to 4 kilograms, with a length of up to 70 cm. As they grow and develop, the size of the taimen becomes more impressive. Often, fishermen come across individuals that grow to almost 2 meters, which gain weight up to 80 kilograms.

According to some reports, this is not the limit at all, since there are cases when fishermen caught almost 3-meter individuals. Unfortunately, it was a long time ago and now such specimens are not found.

Lifestyle, behavior

Taimen ordinary is a residential species that prefers to live permanently in one reservoir. As a rule, this is a river fish that prefers reservoirs with clean water and sufficient oxygen. This fish is cold-loving, which in the summer lives in small channels, and in the winter goes into the channels of large rivers and lakes. The common taimen keeps to areas where there are deep holes located close to the coastline, in contrast to migratory forms.

In the daytime, the taimen chooses shaded areas, and at night it appears in open areas, characterized by a rapid current. Early in the morning, when the sun rises, the taimen hunts for small fish on the riffles, and does it very noisily. This fish waits out the winter in deep areas, while the taimen often rises closer to the surface to take a breath of fresh air.

Interesting fact! According to some statements, the common taimen is capable of making loud sounds, similar to rumbling, which can be heard for several tens of meters.

At the beginning of summer, after spawning, there is a peak of taimen activity. When the water begins to actively warm up, taimen become less active. This fact can be explained by the period of teeth change, which is quite painful. At the end of August, the taimen starts to become active again, and already in September, high activity is noted, which continues until the first ice appears.

According to ichthyologists, the distribution of taimen in rivers has not yet been studied properly. Scientists know that adults leave classic habitats in order not to compete with juveniles, which begin to defend their territory.

How long does a taimen live

According to some reports, taimen can be safely considered a long-liver in the salmon family, since it is able to live for at least 50 years. Unfortunately, this is possible only under favorable living conditions, and most importantly, if there is an appropriate food supply.

Interesting fact! Not far from Krasnoyarsk, in the Yenisei River, a specimen was once caught, whose age was at least 55 years.

Many cases were noted when fishermen came across individuals under the age of 30 years. Experts believe that the average age of individuals is about 20 years.

natural habitats

Common taimen inhabits almost all rivers of Siberia, and is also found in the basin of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and in the basin of the Amur River, in the Ussuri and Songhua basins, as well as in the rivers associated with the Amur Estuary. In addition, taimen is found:

• In Lake Zaisan.
• In Lake Baikal.
• Lake Teletskoye.

Taimen is found on the Yamal Peninsula. At one time, when dams were not yet built, taimen entered the Volga, meeting within Stavropol, and also inhabited the tributaries of the Middle Volga, including the Upper Ural basin.

The western borders are limited by the basins of the Kama, Pechora and Vyatka rivers. Nowadays, it practically does not occur in the Pechora River basin, but is found in such rivers as the Shchugor, Ilych and Usa, which are tributaries of the Pechora.

The common taimen also lives in Mongolia, in the Selenga River basin, as well as in the reservoirs of the Khubsugul and the Darkhat depression, including the Kerulen, Onon, etc. rivers. Taimen also inhabits the tributaries of the Amur, which extend to the territory of China.

Taimen diet

Taimen ordinary feeds almost all year round, taking a break only for the spawning period. After spawning, a period of zhora begins, when the taimen feeds especially actively, but this period does not last long and a period of passivity begins, associated with the onset of summer heat. After that, the period of zhora again begins, when the fish begins to stock up on nutrients in the fall for the winter. Due to the presence of a fatty layer, the fish manages to survive the cold when the food supply is very scarce.

Depending on the nature of the reservoir, the basis of the diet is not large fish, representing the family of whitefish, cyprinids, graylings, etc. Young taimen feed on invertebrates, as well as caddisfly larvae. Gradually, juveniles begin to hunt fry of other fish species, and already from the 3rd year they completely switch to feeding on fish.

At the same time, the diet of taimen consists of other types of fish, such as:

• Sandpiper and chebak.
• Gorchak and minnow.
• Roach and dace.
• Sig and perch.
• Harius and Nalim.
• Lenok and stalker.

In addition, taimen easily eat the juveniles of their relatives. Often, hungry fish attack chicks, frogs, mice, squirrels, and various waterfowl. There were cases when even bats were found in the stomachs of taimen.

Reproduction and offspring

With the advent of spring, the taimen begins to rise upstream, reaching the upper reaches, and also entering small tributaries with a rapid current, and lay eggs there. Mostly females go to spawn with one male, but there are cases when females are accompanied by 2 or 3 males. The female prepares a place in the bottom soil, from 1,5 to 10 meters long and lays eggs in this long depression, after which the male or males immediately fertilize it. The spawning process lasts no more than 20 seconds.

It is important to know! After fertilization, the female carefully buries her eggs. If the process of spawning has not ended, then she continues the process of spawning, and the males are engaged in her fertilization.

After spawning, individuals still remain on the spawning grounds for about 3 weeks, while they protect and protect their future offspring. As a rule, the common taimen spawns every year, with the exception of taimen, which inhabit colder water areas. They spawn in a year. Taimen eggs are relatively large and reach a size of 0,6 cm. The fry appear on average in a month, although much depends on the water temperature. For 2 weeks, the fry are still in their shelters, after which they set off for free swimming.

After being born, the fry remain within the spawning ground for a long time and are not going to leave these places. Sexual maturity of individuals occurs when individuals gain a certain weight. Females are ready to spawn, gaining weight up to 2 kilograms, and males – 1 kilogram. At the same time, their length is about 60 cm. Depending on the habitat conditions and the availability of food resources, this also occurs later, at almost 5 or 7 years.

Natural enemies

Young taimen are hunted by other species of predatory fish, as well as their relatives. When individuals go to spawn and travel considerable distances, in the process of such movement, the fish falls into the paws of bears, which are almost the main natural enemies of taimen. And yet, the main enemy is a person in the person of poachers, who cause great damage to the population of this fish.

Fishing value

The common taimen is also called the king fish, which indicates not only its majestic appearance, but also its gastronomic qualities. Taimen meat is quite tender in taste, like its caviar. Because of this, despite significant bans on commercial fishing, uncontrolled commercial and recreational taimen fishing is still practiced, both in Russia and in other countries.

It is important to know! If you get permission (purchase a license), then it is permissible to catch taimen when it has reached a size of about 75 cm. The same rule applies to specially designated fishing areas.

The rules indicate that the angler who caught the taimen must release it, although you can take a picture with the trophy. You can take it with you if the fish is injured so that it simply cannot survive in the natural environment.

Population and species status

At the international level, it is considered that the taimen belongs to the vulnerable species, the number of which is declining almost everywhere. The Siberian taimen is listed in the Red Book of Russia and is under special protection in many regions. According to the IUCN, fish numbers have been significantly reduced in 39 of the 57 existing river basins. Untouched populations are considered to live in hard-to-reach places on our planet.

Important fact! Half of the river basins of the Russian Federation are characterized by a moderate level of risk, but the river basins located west of the Ural Mountains are characterized by a fairly high level of risk.

Unfortunately, no one knows the exact numbers indicating the number of taimen, but it is known for sure that there are practically no fish in the Pechora and Kama river basins. This fish is also rare in other regions, such as the eastern slopes of the Middle and Polar Urals, as well as in the Northern Sosva, although there is much more taimen here.

A serious threat to the number of this fish is:

• Sport fishing, both legal and illegal.
• Water pollution.
• The construction of artificial barriers in the form of dams or roads.
• Extraction of natural resources.
• Fertilizers entering water bodies.
• Changing the formula of water as a result of global warming.

The recommendations of the IUCN are reduced to the need to carry out cryopreservation of genomes, as well as to practice the reproduction of livestock, while creating protected water areas. In addition, it is recommended to use safe fishing methods, using single hooks, artificial lures, as well as keeping the caught fish in the water.

Useful Properties

Taimen meat contains several layers of fat, so it is quite juicy and tender, while the percentage of fat is from 4 to 8 units.

Basically, culinary specialists prefer to use low-salted taimen meat for preparing various cold appetizers and salads. Since the meat is subjected to heat treatment, all useful components are preserved in it. Frozen taimen fillet is best fried or boiled.

In addition to cold appetizers and salads, various dishes are prepared from the meat of this fish, and they are quite tasty. Fish soup or broth cooked from taimen and seasoned with bay leaves, allspice and fresh herbs is an incredibly tasty dish. Offal is also used, namely the heart, kidneys, liver, ventricles, bladders, etc., which are fried until golden brown. Boiled taimen goes well with baked potatoes, as well as wild garlic salad.

Taimen fat is much more useful than sunflower oil, as it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that help a person get rid of excess cholesterol in the body, and is also a prophylactic against various ailments.

Taimen fish today is a rare fish, therefore it is not commercially harvested. If this fish appears on store shelves, then it is most likely grown in artificial conditions, which means that its useful qualities are not as high as those of fish caught in the natural environment.