What are the largest fish that were caught in Russia, namely pike, catfish, beluga and Siberian taimen? What size fish are found nowadays?
The largest and most terrible fish, real monsters, are found, of course, in exotic countries, in the waters of the oceans and rivers flowing in wild and almost uninhabited jungles. There are such favorable conditions for the development of such giant fish that they could not help but be born. In addition, there is no one to exterminate them, which cannot be said about the fish of our reservoirs, which are electrocuted and covered with kilometers of nets. Nevertheless, there are still large fish left in our rivers, which will be discussed.
Som
These giants are found in our large rivers and reservoirs, choosing the deepest holes and snags for their habitats. And some specimens deserve to be called real monsters. Catfish are unpretentious fish. They may also feed on carrion, although by their true nature they are real hunters, incredibly strong and furious. (On the distribution of catfish, read our article “Catfish, where the monsters live”)
The main food of catfishes are fish, small animals, and birds, which thoughtlessly land on the water in the habitats of catfishes. Catfish will not refuse river mollusks - toothless, pearl barley and other bivalves. A large catfish can attack a pet. And there are no more legends about any of the fish tribe than about catfish.
The writer and scientist Arsentyev described cases when giant catfish attacked bears fishing in the shallows, grabbing them by the paws and trying to drag them into the pool. There were terrible descriptions of how catfish seemed to lick small children off rafts while mothers washed and rinsed clothes. These huge predators also attacked adults. And why be surprised if, according to Sabaneev , in past centuries catfish reached a weight of more than 400 kg . Such a monster can easily attack a person and quite successfully.
A specific incident occurred with one peasant who was swimming across the river and was grabbed by the leg by a catfish. The peasant was saved only by the sickle, which was in his hands at that time. There are many other cases of catfish attacks on humans described in books and newspapers.
Nowadays, there are almost no such giants left.
about 30 kg are often caught by fishermen True, in the Volga delta there are still mustachioed predators weighing more than two hundred kilograms, but there is a real paradise for fish and anglers.
Probably the last recorded cases of giant catfish being released were the case in the Khopyorsky Nature Reserve , when a predator dragged a deer into the water, and the tragedy in the Voronezh region that happened in the 90s, when a man-eating catfish dragged away residents of the village of Kulakovo swimming in the evening. It was a woman and a boy.
Top 10: The World's Largest Fish Ever Caught
Every fisherman dreams of a good big catch. Professional fishermen are trying to catch the biggest fish and set a new world record. Each of us understands that an absolute record for all times is impossible. There will certainly be craftsmen who are capable of achieving greater results than their predecessors, but there are people for whom the desire to become the most successful fisherman becomes the goal of their whole life. The names of such lucky ones were included in the list of the International Sport Fishing Association.
1. Atlantic tuna
Ken Fraster caught the world's largest Atlantic tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the waters of Olds Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada. This event occurred on October 26, 1979. The fish weighed 678 kg and Ken managed to catch it in just 45 minutes, for which he became famous for the rest of his life.
2. Atlantic blue marlin
The record-breaking Atlantic blue marlin (lat. Makaira nigricans) was caught by Paulo Amorim on February 29, 1992. He wrestled with the hulk for 80 minutes and pulled it out onto the coast of Victoria in Brazil. The marlin weighed almost 635 kg and beat the previous record by 54 kilograms.
3. Swordfish
A swordfish (lat. Xiphias gladius) of record size was caught on May 7, 1953 in the waters of Chile off the coast of Iquique. The lucky one was Lou Maron, who pulled out the giant in 2 hours. It was 4.55 meters long and weighed more than 536 kilograms.
4. The giant of the Mekong River - the Grizzly Bear catfish
On May 1, 2005, a fisherman from northern Thailand caught what many of the world's scientists consider to be the largest freshwater fish in the world - the giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). Its length was 2.74 meters and it weighed 293 kilograms. Since it was similar in size to an adult grizzly bear, the locals called it that.
5. The largest pike in the world
On October 16, 1986, a fisherman named Lothar Lewis caught a giant pike 152 centimeters long in Lake Greffern, in western Germany. Rybina weighed 25 kg, which is almost 5 kilograms more than the previous record set by Peter Dubuc. It took Lothar Lewis 40 minutes to cope with the giant and pull him ashore.
6. Trout perch
This huge trout perch (lat. Micropterus salmonides) is a record holder for two reasons: firstly, it weighs 10 kilograms, and secondly, it is also the oldest trout perch in the world - it is 77 years old. He was caught by Manabu Kurita from Aichi City in Japan on July 2, 2009.
7. Mississippi Shellfish
This fearsome species is usually found in the southwestern United States, but also occasionally travels as far north as Illinois and as far south as Veracruz, Mexico. This fish was shot by John Paul Morris and weighed 104 kg.
8. Big tiger fish
The giant tiger fish (lat. Hydrocynus goliath) lives in the waters of the rivers of central Africa and is famous for its large teeth. A tiger fish of record size was caught on July 9, 1988 by Raymond Houtmans. The weight of the fish was almost 44 kilograms.
9. Yellowfin trevally
A Japanese man named Keiki Hamasaki from Kagoshima caught a large yellowfin trevally (Caranx ignoblis) near his home on May 22, 2006. It took him only 35 minutes to pull the 72-kilogram giant ashore.
10. Blue catfish
A record-sized blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) was caught by 47-year-old Missouri resident Greg Bernal on July 21, 2012. He caught a 1.45 meter long fish in the Missouri River. The weight of the catfish was almost 59 kg.
Source
Related posts:
The longest rivers in the world. TOP 10 rating
The largest lakes in the world. TOP 10
Rating of medicinal plants by frequency of use
Beluga
This giant fish from the sturgeon family could occupy the entire pedestal of the largest river fish in Russia, since it reached a weight of 2 tons and a size of up to eight meters .
Documented data suggests that not long ago a beluga weighing 1.5 tons and 4.2 meters long .
Large beluga whales weighing up to 500 kg can still be found in our time. And these are also real monsters, however, belugas are not predators . Their development and reproduction is hampered by a person who blocked the Volga riverbed with a cascade of dams. Fish passage structures, as a rule, are absent or poor at such dams. And this prevents the fish from rising to spawn.
The largest fish in Russia
Do you know what the biggest fish is in Russia? Unfortunately, there are no whales or sharks here. Among freshwater fish, the largest fish in Russia is Beluga, which sometimes reaches up to 9 meters in length! For example, history books often describe the event of how a Beluga weighing several tons was caught from the Volga River! It is even reported that about 100 kilograms of black caviar were extracted from it! Whether this is true or not is impossible to argue now. But some museums keep the skeleton of a beluga, which is 6 meters long. The scientists themselves note that the maximum weight of the fish can be no more than 1,500 kilograms, otherwise the ridge simply will not be able to withstand the load. At the moment, beluga is caught in sizes of 30-80 kilograms. Of course, it is simply impossible to catch such fish with a fishing rod. For this, a seine and some kind of vessel are used. Beluga is found exclusively in freshwater bodies of water, the depth of which is at least 30 meters!
Some recreation centers in Russia are located along the coast of the Volga River. If you want to catch Beluga, go there! By the way, experts and professionals note that black caviar is extremely rare in fish. Because there are several times more “men”, and the process of formation and laying eggs is quite fast. But do not forget that beluga is listed in the Red Book, so it is prohibited to catch it without obtaining a permit to catch it. And this is allowed only in a few reservoirs where this type of fish is specially bred. For more detailed information, you can contact directly the nearest fishery inspectorate in your city.
As a migratory fish, beluga is often found in the Black and Caspian Seas. In the Black Sea it is found quite often, in the northwestern part, near the Sea of Azov.
And also do not forget that at this stage, beluga fish has been awarded CR status according to the International Red Book. What does this mean? That this type of fish is one of those that is threatened with complete extinction! Why did this happen? Because previously in Russia the fishing industry was practically built directly on the catch of beluga! And officials “settled down” only 20 years ago, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the fish population has not been restored even now.
By the way, beluga is often confused with kaluga. Yes, they are similar in appearance, but the beluga has a red belly.
Siberian taimen
Siberian taimen is the largest and most beautiful predator of Siberian rivers, from the salmon family. In addition, this is a very ancient fish that was found in Siberian reservoirs 18 million years ago. Since the Siberian taimen is considered an endangered fish species, fishing for it is carried out on a catch-and-release basis.
In earlier and fish-rich times, taimen reached a weight of one hundred kilograms . Their length reached 2 meters or more .
The current record was 41.95 kg. But, as the Siberians say, somewhere in the mountain rivers, no, no, and a fish weighing 80 kg , if only by eye.
Pike
Leonid Pavlovich Sabaneev wrote about pikes weighing up to 60 kg that lived in the rivers of Siberia. In our post-war newspapers they wrote about fish weighing 30 kg that were caught in one forest lake on the Volga side. Pood fish are not a relict rarity even now. In the Volga reservoirs, predators weighing more than 20 kg are quite regularly encountered. And this is also one of the largest river and lake fish in Russia. Pike is often the most desired object of fishing in sport fishing and among amateur fishermen. (description of pike)
