Turbot fish belongs to the order of flatfish and is a species of radiant fish. Sometimes it is called the "big rhombus" or "sea pheasant". It lives in the waters of the Black, Mediterranean, Baltic and North Seas; it can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean. Turbo is a very valuable commercial fish.
Appearance
Turbo fish has an interesting look. The body is high, the eyes are located only on the left side. The lower part is white and the upper has the color of the environment, which is a good way to mask. Also, the upper part does not have scales at all, but there are bone protrusions. The body is almost round in shape, can reach a length of 50 to 70 cm, sometimes up to 1 m. This fish is commercial.
Turbo is a very active predatory fish that feeds on small fish and mollusks. Often it can be found buried in the bottom layer.
Types of turbo
Depending on where the fish swims, it is divided into:
The most valuable is the Mediterranean and oceanic species, because these individuals are larger in comparison with others. Therefore, the price of such fish will be high. The turbot fish caught in the Baltic Sea is a bit like the Atlantic variety. The Black Sea is noticeably inferior to everyone else - its meat has a grayish tint and a taste of tina with iodine.
A close relative of the turbo is the Smooth Rhombus. But unlike his relative, the body is oval and its color is gray or brown with small spots of white color, which become larger in size, approaching the edges. Its fins are pale and with dark brown spots. The body is asymmetric and flattened laterally. The range of this species is the same as that of the turbo. Smooth rhombus is a predatory fish.
When is it better to catch turbo
It should be remembered that this fish is not grown in an artificial environment, it can only be found in the natural habitat. It is recommended to catch it in late autumn and in winter. Because the colder the water temperature, the more intense the taste of the fish will be. During this period, the aquatic environment is cleaner, and in spring and summer the turbulence begins in turbot.
Breeding
Turbo is chosen for the fertilization of the waters of the North and Baltic Seas in the spring-summer period. Females leave 10-15 million eggs each at a depth of 10 to 40 m. About a week later, fry appear from the eggs.
How to determine turbo quality
Since this species is a deep predator, it can be determined by the color of its upper part in which aquatic environment it was located. If the color is dark with a greenish or gray tint, then she lived in silt, therefore, there will be a taste of mud. If light, then the fish swam in a marine environment with a sandy bottom, and it will have a clean, refined taste.
Freshness can also be determined by one specific property: unlike other varieties, high-quality turbot will be covered with transparent mucus with a slightly grayish tint. The eyes of fresh fish will be convex and glow from the inside, the gills will be reddish and there will be a smell of iodine.
Turbo fishing value
Turbo is considered one of the most valuable fish, due to its excellent taste and a high content of substances that are beneficial to human health. It tolerates cold very well, so if you freeze it in accordance with all the rules, then it will retain all its useful properties.
You can cook it by almost any means, but preference is given to baking, frying, boiling and stewing. Almost all over the world identical methods of turbo cooking are used. Grilled vegetables are a good side dish for fish. Particular attention should be paid to sauces - they should be light, it is best if they are based on dry white wine.
Commercial fish: their use and protection
Fisheries are an important industry for humans, because fish occupies an important place in the diet. But this does not mean that constant fishing in the same places will not affect the number of individuals. In order to prevent the disappearance of certain fish species, it is necessary to properly approach their catch.
It is noted that if you catch adults up to a certain age, the number of fish increases. This is due to the fact that young animals will have more opportunities for growth, which leads to an increase in the number of fish. Therefore, the minimum age is established from which it is allowed to catch fish, and it must be higher than that at which it spawns.
Commercial fishing is carried out by networks, therefore a certain cell size is set so that young individuals do not accidentally get into the network. If it turns out that it was caught more than planned, then for some period fishing is prohibited at this place.
To preserve the population, it is very important to protect the spawning grounds of fish, build special migration dams, and, of course, it is necessary to combat water pollution. An important solution for the protection of fish is the construction of hatcheries that grow young animals in large quantities, which contributes to the growth of the fish population.
Commercial fish - their use and protection - are also important environmental issues. Although turbot does not belong to the species that is threatened with extinction, nevertheless, the above-described rules are used to catch it, so that the population remains at an acceptable level. Every year, about 3,000 tons of this expensive and tasty fish get on the net. And the catch on this scale does not greatly affect the number of turbot fish.