Reproduction of the vast majority of underwater inhabitants of reservoirs occurs by laying eggs. After the females produce its release, the time comes for males who begin to fertilize it. This is how fish spawning occurs - the process is amazing and extremely interesting.
General information
As a rule, underwater inhabitants are able to breed from a year old. In general, spawning of a particular species of fish is highly dependent on the geographical location of the reservoir. It is known for certain that those species that live in the southern regions begin to breed somewhat earlier than their counterparts from the northern regions.
Fish have many biorhythms that determine their vital activity. Spawning is one of the most important of them. Moreover, each type of fish has its own - special. And fish spawning occurs when several circumstances are combined at the same time - light and temperature, oxygen and food, as well as hydrological factors. If one of them is currently absent, then the fish either does not spawn at all or swims to the place of laying eggs, and then turns around, and in the most literal sense of the word, and its caviar is absorbed. Resorption - so this process is called scientifically.
In addition, it has been proven that even for one species of fish in different water bodies, spawning time is different, and this is due to the time difference between the combination of all the necessary factors.
Breeding
On average, sexually mature underwater inhabitants of ponds breed annually. But, unfortunately, commercial fishing and other negative impacts of human activity have caused most species to spawn one or two, a maximum of three times in their entire lives.
Deposition of eggs takes place at different times: it depends both on the fish itself and on the temperature of the water. Moreover, the latter circumstance plays a fundamental role in when the spawning period begins. The reason is that the maturation period of caviar directly depends on this.
At the same time, and this is surprising, the reproduction of some fish, such as pike, burbot, etc., occurs in fairly cold water. However, this in no way impedes the normal development of caviar. It is almost impossible to determine the sex of a representative of a particular species by eye. But when spawning begins, in many fish, and especially for predators, sexual secondary signs begin to appear. For example, some males change their color, their head shape becomes more aggressive, on which sometimes, like on the body, horny growths grow.
As a rule, both males and females are present in the same flock in the same amount. But over time, this proportion changes dramatically: for almost five years, the balance has completely changed.
Within the framework of fish of the same age, females become almost twice as large.
Laying eggs
About how and when spawning begins for each species, the fisherman must know. This will affect not only the percentage of successful catch, but also help him avoid fines. After all, as you know, fishing during this period is prohibited.
Usually, spawning of fish occurs after a long zhor. This is the golden time for the fisherman when the prey begins to actively peck, and equally well on various nozzles and bait. Especially popular among many species in pre-spawning zhor is food of animal origin, which makes it possible to obtain a much larger amount of substances useful for life and the upcoming reproduction.
This period before spawning, unfortunately for fishermen, does not last long: from seven to fourteen days. At the same time, predators live a little longer than other types of fish. For example, in cyprinids, spawning is so fast that you just might not notice it.
Long haul
Before going to spawn, the fish begin to hatch in schools. Then their path goes to the headwaters.
Some species swim in small rivers or canals, while others simply choose small and well-warmed places where they lay their eggs. During this period, it is very important that the water level is maintained, and especially in reservoirs, in which spawning also takes place in small areas. And therefore, a sharp change in depth can cause the death of eggs, thereby causing an irreplaceable loss of fish resource. During the whole journey to spawn, the fish feed intensely, preparing for their forced "fasting". For this reason, they swim long and leisurely: sometimes the path to the breeding site in some species takes several days.
The process of developing eggs
Having sailed to the right place, the females make the laying of eggs. And males just emit seminal fluid into the water. Next, the process starts "by chance".
After some time, small creatures begin to hatch from the eggs, very remotely resembling fish. For several days they literally freeze motionless, as if gradually recovering, and after that they begin to actively feed on various microorganisms. As a rule, this process takes about a month. Throughout this period, the body of the larvae is gradually covered with scales, and full fins appear. And after a week, four tadpoles hatched from eggs can be called fry with confidence.
Spawning time
The most important aspect for anglers during spawning is temporary.
This is due to the fact that different species have different periods of laying eggs. Fish in our reservoirs are divided into spring-summer spawning - catfish and roach, bream and pike, pike perch with sturgeon, beluga, grayling, etc., which spawn from March to August. The second group is one that reproduces in autumn or winter. Among them are whitefish, salmon, whitefish and burbot, which lay eggs from September to January. But both have one thing in common: the larvae have to leave the eggs by spring and summer, when fodder plankton, periphyton and benthos are intensively developing around - starting feeds for juveniles.
The difference in reproduction in different species of fish is not only in season, but also in varying degrees of development of the sexual product. Some underwater inhabitants spawn their eggs as soon as they sail to the river: these are spring races. Others remain there for a rather long period - almost a year, feeding themselves, and only then spawn: these are winter species.
When which fish spawns
Burbot, for example, lays eggs from January to mid-February. Then for seven to fifteen days he does not eat at all, as if restoring his strength, but then he pounces on almost any small fish that comes in his way. Pike in the southern regions spawn in late February, while in the north - in early March. Sudak lays eggs immediately after this toothy predator.
Usually, the time of its spawning occurs at the time of ice melting, when the water warms up to ten degrees of heat. As a rule, in the southern reservoirs this is April, and in the northern - May. In time, its reproduction is quite extended, and in some regions, and especially in the southern regions, pikeperch spawns in March, and in the waters located in the north, only after the decline in water occurs in late April or early May.
Around the same period, lays eggs and chub. True, he shows his pre-spawning activity much earlier, so fishing for this fish is successful even at the very end of February.
Breeding in the southern regions begins in early March, and from the end of January this fish begins to fatten. And a month later he, already full of energy for laying eggs, spawned with might and main. And in the first place, only large individuals begin to discard, and only then a trifle. In this case, the average temperature in the pond should be at least ten degrees. Another prey popular with our fishermen - roach - spawns under the same conditions. Moreover, weather conditions are also important for her. In early spring, roach lays eggs only in early April, and during prolonged winters, not earlier than March. As a rule, the geographical position of a particular reservoir plays an important role in this.
Catfish go to spawn rather late: its spawning time almost coincides with the breeding of crucian carp or carp. In this case, the water temperature should be at least fourteen degrees. Usually this happens only in the middle or at the end of May, therefore this mustachioed underwater inhabitant spawns one of the last of the whole fish fraternity living in Russian reservoirs.
Crucian
This fish is most often found in our lakes and rivers. It is part of the largest family of cyprinids living in any geographical area of the former CIS.
Crucian carp can be caught in every, even the most unpredictable body of water, starting with dammed swamps and quarries and ending with large rivers or lakes. Crucian spawning takes place in the period falling on the last days of April, and lasts until the end of spring. The timing depends primarily on the temperature conditions in the area: for example, during a long and cold spring, eggs can be delayed up to half of the first of June. By this time, when the main fish species already go to the post-spawning zhor, carp and crucian carp cannot be caught. At the same time, tench goes with them for reproduction.
Crucian spawning begins only when the water in the reservoirs reaches fifteen or sixteen degrees. This suggests that the spawning of this fish stretches over time: first, individuals living in small ponds and lakes begin to be discarded, and later the turn of inhabitants of large rivers begins, where the water is noticeably colder.
Perch
Females of this family reach their puberty only in the third or fourth year of life, while males sometimes even at the age of two with a length of about ten centimeters.
In the central strip of Russia, spawning of perch begins when the water decreases. This is due to the fact that the water temperature must reach the desired value. The time of laying eggs directly depends on the region of habitat of this fish. For example, in the first decade of April, perch spawns in reservoirs of the chernozem strip, in the second - in the Moscow region, in mid-May - in the Urals, etc. Spawning of perch can be quite extended in time. Sometimes this fish can begin to spawn in the southern regions even in March.
Cannot be spawned
Penalties for violating the fishing ban are sometimes quite large. Many experienced hunters know that there is a spring restriction on fishing, because during this period, many species begin to spawn. However, the catch is that the timing of laying eggs in each region is different. They are regulated by the Fisheries Rules in force in each individual fishery.
During this period, it is strictly forbidden to ride boats, including without a motor, to approach closer than two hundred meters by motor transport to the coastline, etc. But the most important limitation is fishing for spawning. During the entire breeding season, any amateur fishing is prohibited. However, not everything is so simple. For those who can not live without fishing for a day, it is allowed to fish from the shore outside the spawning areas, and on a specifically installed tackle with a clear number of hooks.
Punishment
During the spawning period, a person who catches even with amateur tackle can be considered a poacher. As a result, he faces a fine.
Spawning fishing is dangerous for fish in that it is not able to fight during this period with those who plan to catch it both on a hook and in the net. As a result, this can lead to problems associated with a population that often does not fully recover.
If a person who entered the reservoir during the spawning period does not pay a fine, then he faces a penalty - up to fifteen days of administrative arrest. To many, such a measure may seem unnecessarily strict, but in our country many species of fish are threatened with extinction, and the number of those who are careless about penalties and do not want to part with money is quite a lot. On average, fines have increased up to ten times and reach up to three hundred thousand rubles. Inspectors fish protection concretize violations. So, fishing during the days of the ban on pike, carp, or carp can cost two hundred and fifty rubles for each fish caught.