Karshi, like some other representatives of carp fish, has a noticeably compressed body. Visually, these fish are easily recognized by the appearance of the body. It is equal to 1/3 of the total length. The tall and tapered dorsal fin makes the fish appear even larger than it actually is. Rays have an asymmetric fin in the tail area.

The anal fin has 30 rays. The beam uses it as a keel to provide stability. The head of the fish is not very big, the eyes are small. The mouth is also small. There are small scales on the surface of the fish's body, but there are none on the back.

With age, the color of bream changes. Young bream have a grayish or silver color. Over time, the color of the fish darkens. This causes the bream to turn brown or black. It has a characteristic yellowish-golden hue. Fish fins are also different. They can be seen from light gray to blood red.

Karshi grows up to 40-75 cm in length and 5-7 kg in weight.

Where do bream live?

Karshis is a gregarious fish. Groupers prefer to stay in deeper areas where there is a lot of vegetation. Carps feed on baits of plant and animal origin.

Carps are sedentary fish. Even in rivers, they stick to a specific territory. However, semi-anadromous bream can also live in separate tanks. These spawning fish move quite far upstream. In winter, most individuals still remain in the same conditions, choosing simple underwater burrows.

Hornets have one interesting behavioral trait. Sometimes they gather in very large flocks, and then move along the bottom, choosing from it everything that can be eaten. The heathers resemble real harvesters harvesting a field of wheat. Sometimes the passage of such a flock can be observed from the shore. The movement route of the fish can be very easily followed by air bubbles rising to the surface that are released from the bottom mud.

What does bream eat?

The most important component of the bream's diet, in addition to various small crustaceans, is the larva of the mosquito gnat living in the mud of the bottom (commonly known as matylius).

In addition, bream actively feed on aquatic vegetation. When feeding, the bream absorbs all the necessary food components with water, which are then retained with the help of special outgrowths. Gill rakes are arranged in two rows along each gill. At the same time, the gill rakers, although short, are quite thick, with transverse channels. It is in the transverse canals that the necessary food is deposited. Later, the water is pushed out through the gill covers.

Therefore, we can safely say that bream mainly feed on small food objects, such as mosquito larvae and small crustaceans, zooplankton. Such a fish diet is associated with its anatomical structure, more precisely, developed gill rakers with a special muscle. This muscle controls the gill rakers. Such a unique mechanism allows bream to quickly become the dominant species in its natural environment, displacing fish such as roaches or whips from its habitat.

When do bream spawn?

It is typical for part of the territory of our country that bream start spawning in May-June. Until the start of spawning, bream flocks are divided into groups according to age. Small pimples appear on the head area of males, more like a rash.

Fish come out to spawn in groups, and each group leaves to spawn later than the previous one. Spawning areas of carp are close to normal habitats and are found in shallow areas with grassy bottoms. Males enter spawning grounds first, followed by females.

Each group spawns for several days, although much depends on the nature of the habitat and weather conditions. Roe has a slightly yellowish tint. The female lays up to 150 thousand eggs.

Eggs attach firmly to aquatic vegetation. Caviar that could not attach itself floats on the surface of the water where it is eaten by birds. For normal egg development, the water temperature should not fall below +10 degrees. With a noticeable cooling of the water, mass death of eggs is possible.

Important to know!

Depending on the climatic conditions, the bream matures at different times. In warmer regions, they are ready to spawn at the age of 3-5 years, while in colder regions, bream can mature only at the age of 5-9 years.

After spawning, bream form large schools and leave their traditional spawning grounds. After spawning, bream begin to actively feed.

Useful properties of fish

Large bream are considered the most acceptable catch among fishermen. According to some experts, bream is a thin and bony fish, but in fact its meat contains up to 9 percent healthy fat. Therefore, bream meat is tender and soft. The meat of smaller individuals is really lean and dry, and because of the many bones, it is of lower quality.

The most interesting thing is that bream is considered the fattest fish. It is also believed that bream fat is the most useful because it is not processed, participates in the process of cleaning blood vessels, and vitamin D helps strengthen bones.

It is a unique product because it contains Omega-3 fatty acids. It is these acids that reduce blood cholesterol levels and dissolve cholesterol plaques, clean blood vessels, which in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

In addition to useful fish oil, bream can become a source of vitamins and trace elements, which are so necessary for the life of the human body.

When it comes to frying bream, it should be remembered that fried bream is considered the tastiest and healthiest, but this does not mean at all that it cannot be prepared according to other recipes. Many people know what it is - delicious smoked bream. And one of my favorite and simplest recipes is bream in the oven. You can read how to make it in my article.

You guys

There are many interesting facts about the life of this fish. At the beginning of the 20th century, up to 20 million tuna were caught annually in the Caspian Sea basin. tons of bream. What cannot be said about our time, when the populations of various fish species are constantly decreasing. Catching a big bream is the biggest dream of any angler. Unfortunately, trophy specimens are quite rare these days. And it's all the fault of a person who pollutes the waters of the reservoirs at a rapid pace. In addition, during the construction of various hydrotechnical structures in the rivers, fish cannot reach their natural spawning grounds. Commercial fishing also makes a big contribution to the decline of the bream population, they cause great damage to the number of bream by catching the largest and most productive individuals.

Fortunately, there are still hard-to-reach places on the planet where fish do not feel anything noticeable "pressure" from fishing enthusiasts. Unfortunately, some elements of modern civilization are becoming more and more accessible to man, and he is increasingly trying to get to these places where fish still feel safe.

Fishing is first and foremost recreation and everyone wants to touch nature in order to recharge with strength and energy. Therefore, it is not surprising that on weekends the shores of the lakes are simply covered with fishing enthusiasts. Can it be banned? Hardly!! Let's be responsible and protect the fish stocks and comply fishing regulations!