IF - White fish: photograph, appearance, description, habitats, average and maximum size, best time and methods of fishing. White fish, or nelma - what kind of fish is it?

- a fish of the salmon family, and such a statement may seem strange to many people who have never tried or seen this fish: after all, everyone knows that salmon is a red fish, or at least pink - but there is no mistake here. We can consider that this fish is an interesting exception, and it lives only in our country - or rather, in Russia and Kazakhstan, because it is found only in the Caspian Sea and in downstream Volga. True, there is a subspecies of whitefish called nelma, and this nelma is found in northern and Siberian rivers: Pechora, Northern Dvina, Ob, Irtysh, Lena, etc. - white fish always lays eggs in rivers, like other types of salmon.

White fish - a rare delicacy

Whitefish - rare silvery-bluish commercial fish , and it is difficult to find it on sale. Most often, balyk and tesha are prepared from it: its meat is fatty and tender, and the taste is very subtle. The size of the fish can reach 2 m, and the weight can be more than 30 kg; V fresh it is almost never sold - it spoils quickly due to its high fat content. Nelma is smaller in size, and there is not so much fat in it.

If the white fish had not been specially bred, it would have disappeared long ago; of course, fish grown in artificial reservoirs and on farms, is inferior in taste and nutritional properties to that found in open water– it is not surprising that natural whitefish, and especially the northern one, is considered a rare delicacy.

The benefits of whitefish

The nutritional value of whitefish is high, but there are not so many calories in it - only 88 kcal per 100 g of product. Whitefish fat is digested and absorbed more easily than the fat of many other fish, and contains many healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids, so nutritionists recommend choosing it for those who want to lose weight without depriving the body of adequate nutrition.

This fish is quite rich in protein and contains vitamin PP, which plays important role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism - it is this vitamin that maintains normal cholesterol levels and prevents blood clots. Minerals whitefish: sulfur, chlorine, zinc, chromium, fluorine, molybdenum, nickel, etc. If you use it regularly, it will be easier for the body to get rid of toxins, and organs and cells will receive reliable protection.

As therapeutic nutrition whitefish is suitable for people suffering from diseases of bones and joints, the thyroid gland and the gastrointestinal tract; It is useful for young children, as it prevents the development of rickets, and for heart patients, because it helps to avoid a heart attack.

Taste and preparation of whitefish

White fish is very tasty, but you can rarely even buy frozen fish in a store. In general, it can not only be salted or smoked, but also boiled, baked and stewed; It makes excellent hodgepodge and amazing fish soup.

Nutritionists do not recommend frying this fish - the crispy crust does not contribute to a healthy weight, but for those who are not afraid extra pounds, you can sometimes eat fried whitefish - it’s very tasty. It doesn't take long to cook - 20 minutes will be enough, but it will taste better with seasonings.

Fried whitefish

Peeled whitefish is cut into thin pieces - 1.5-2 cm each, watered over them fresh juice lemon and leave for half an hour. You should fry the fish in a frying pan with a grooved or just a thick bottom: you need to pour a little olive oil into the frying pan, heat it and fry a finely chopped green chili pepper in it - before doing this, it is recommended to soak it for 20 minutes in cold water. Tarragon leaves make the fish tastier and more aromatic, so after the pepper, fry them too, and then put the fish pieces in the oil and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Whitefish cooks quickly, and you don’t need to keep it in the pan for longer - a hard crust shouldn’t form; lightly season the fried fish with salt and white pepper, remove the frying pan from the heat, place a thin slice of lemon on each piece of fish, and leave covered for 5-7 minutes. Serve fish prepared this way with a salad of fresh tomatoes and olives, olive oil and lemon juice. Flaky long-grain rice and fresh herbs - tarragon and parsley - are also suitable. When choosing white fish for frying, take the largest and thickest one - it will be tastier.

Boiled white fish

Not all people like boiled fish - fried fish seems more tasty to them, but in the case of white fish, it is worth listening to the advice of nutritionists. In fact, there are excellent recipes for preparing boiled fish - you just have to try it, and you will probably like it. The fish should be cooked over low heat in a pre-prepared vegetable broth: boil 3 onions, a few leeks, a bunch of parsley and celery, adding a few allspice peas and a bay leaf to the water. The fish, cut into medium pieces, is placed in the prepared broth and boiled for about 15-20 minutes - no longer is needed, otherwise it will lose delicate taste. Ready fish removed from the broth and cut into slices - the whitefish is very easily divided into plates. The fish is served hot, sprinkled with chopped herbs, green onions, and a side dish of boiled potatoes or long-grain rice. Boiled white fish with horseradish, pickles and mushroom sauce is good - it is better to use champignons.

If you don’t want to boil fish in broth, you can steam it, in a slow cooker or double boiler - it will be even healthier and tastier. White fish meat will not lose its juiciness and tenderness, but it will be digested very easily, and the delicate taste and nutrients will be preserved better than when cooked in broth.

Baked whitefish

Baking whitefish is also easy, like other types of salmon. It needs to be cut into portions, placed in a greased form, sprinkled with grated carrots and chopped onions– if desired, you can place thin slices of potatoes on top, and pour in the prepared mixture of low-fat cream, eggs, salt and spices. Bake whitefish in the oven at 180-200°C for 20-25 minutes. A less high-calorie version of the dish can be obtained if, instead of potatoes, you put broccoli or savoy cabbage on top of the fish - in this case, you can lightly sprinkle the top layer with low-fat and mild grated cheese. However, sometimes this cheese can be sprinkled on fish without vegetables if you are not following a diet too strictly.

Contraindications and precautions

Who is contraindicated to eat whitefish? It is safe, but those who are allergic to fish in general should not consume white fish. Fried white fish should not be eaten by those who suffer from gastritis and other gastrointestinal diseases, but from too oily fish should be avoided if there are problems with the pancreas and liver.

In addition, it is worth remembering that whitefish spoils quickly, so you need to buy it in reliable stores that value their reputation, and pay attention to its smell and appearance– this applies to any frozen fish.

As for losing weight, you can even arrange a special diet for yourself with white fish, and get rid of excess weight at a rate of 2-3 kg per week.

The whitefish is a member of the salmon family. The whitefish subspecies and the nelma subspecies make up. The diet of the whitefish includes small fish, which she begins to consume upon reaching a body length of 30 cm. The diet may include perch, carp, roach, sprat, herring, whitefish, omul, grayling, whitefish, smelt, vendace, whitefish and gobies. Very young individuals feed on insect larvae and mysids.

Appearance it has the following:

• body shape is elongated, flattened laterally;
• the color of the back is bluish-brown, and the belly and sides are silver;
• all fins are gray in color, except for the dorsal and caudal ones - they are colored brownish-gray;
• can reach 130 cm in length, and Weight Limit 14 kg (if we compare it and nelma, the latter is larger);
• males are slightly smaller than females.

This rare fish lives at depth and is distinguished by cautious behavior. Its habitat is the Caspian Sea. Most often, white fish are found in the basins of the northern rivers - Ob, Irtysh, Lena, Yenisei. Less often it reaches the Volga and the Urals. Its total lifespan is about ten years. Males live 1–2 years less. At approximately 6–7 years of age, the fish matures and begins to spawn. To do this, he ascends the Volga River. And in November, it lays its offspring on stone or sandy soil (each female produces 100–400 thousand eggs).

Methods of catching whitefish

Fishing for white fish is not common, since due to caution it always remains at the depth of the river and its population is constantly decreasing. But occasionally it can be caught in a net or on a spinning rod. The equipment used is a spinner, a wobbler, spinners, and live bait. When she catches the hook, she begins to walk towards the surface of the water, thinking that it will be easier to free herself. Therefore, immediately after the bite the line sags. Fishing for white fish is an unforgettable moment in life. She resists and fights to the last. All this is accompanied by jumping and loud splashes of water. Catching it can give you a lot of unique emotions.

Gallery: whitefish fish (25 photos)

Benefits for the human body

White fish has a pronounced nutritional value For human body in terms of calorie and nutritional value, as well as in content useful substances. Its meat is well digestible. It is rich in substances such as:

This product is considered very useful for people with diseases of the thyroid gland, digestive and cardiovascular systems, bones and joints, in children for the prevention of rickets. White fish meat can be recommended for pregnant women as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins that contribute correct formation nervous system fetus It is also highly recommended by doctors for those who want to lose weight. Whitefish is a fatty but low-calorie fish (100 grams contains 88 kcal).

There are contraindications to the use of whitefish - allergic reactions to fish, gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.

Cooking whitefish

The meat of this fish very tender and has a delicate taste. It is represented by white layers that are well separated. Whitefish contains a lot of fat, and therefore spoils very quickly. Therefore, fishermen most often cut it up immediately on the shore and salt or smoke it. In stores it is sold only frozen, and even then it is rare, because it is considered a northern delicacy. You should buy such fish only from trusted places to avoid undesirable consequences.

In addition to salting and smoking, other cooking methods are also used for it. It can be boiled, fried, baked, stewed. Ukha and solyanka are especially tasty. Balyk is very common and has an extraordinary taste.

Below are some recipes for cooking with this fish.

Grilled whitefish fried in a frying pan

Ingredients.

Cooking technique. Remove the seeds from the pepper in advance and soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes. Then cut the cleaned fish into steaks 2 cm thick and sprinkle them with citric acid. Heat the grill pan. Pour some into it olive oil, wait until it warms up and put in half the pepper and a tarragon leaf, which will give the dish a special taste and aroma. After 5–10 minutes, you can place the fish on the bottom of the frying pan. Since it cooks quickly, after 3 minutes you can turn it over. Sprinkle pepper and salt on the fried side. Remove the dish from the heat. Then put a slice of lemon on each steak and cover the pan with a lid for 5 minutes.

Garnish the fish with parsley and cherry tomatoes. Serve with rice and white or brown bread toast.

Boiled whitefish

Whitefish steamed in a double boiler or slow cooker turns out to be very tasty and juicy. In addition, all useful substances are preserved in it.

But most people do not like boiled fish, considering it tasteless. To refute this, here is a recipe for whitefish cooked in broth.

Ingredients.

• White fish, cut into small pieces;
• 3 onions;
• A few leeks;
• A bunch of parsley;
• A bunch of celery;
• 5–6 peas of allspice;
• 2-3 small bay leaves.

Cooking technique. Boil the vegetable broth, adding all the ingredients except fish. When it is cooked, add pieces of fish and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the broth, place on a plate and garnish with herbs. Serve with boiled potatoes or rice. They can be seasoned with horseradish or mushroom sauce. And also very tasty when eaten with pickles.

Whitefish baked in kvass and cucumber brine

This is an amazing dish, which is easier than ever to prepare.

Ingredients.

• 1 whitefish weighing 1.2–1.3 kg;
• 1.5 cups cucumber pickle;
• 1.5 cups of kvass;
• 100 gr. butter;
• 250 gr. pickled mushrooms.

Cooking technique. Remove scales and bones from the fish and cut in half. Grease the baking tray butter and put whitefish on it inside, opening it. Bake at 180 degrees until golden crust. Then pour brine and kvass over the fish, and place pickled mushrooms on top. Cover the dish with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes until full readiness.

There are many more options for preparing white fish with various products, for example, baking in sour cream and garlic sauce with cabbage leaves or broccoli.

Nelma

Very often, nelma and white fish are considered the same fish, but in reality this is not the case. They are part of the same subfamily of whitefishes and live in the same rivers . Their differences are is that:

• nelma comes from the Arctic Ocean;
• nelma reaches 1.5 meters in length and can weigh 28 kg (in rare cases 40 kg);
• Spawning of nelma takes place in September.

Otherwise, these two fish are similar.

Whitefish is a fish of the Salmon family. It is also called white fish. Habitat: Caspian Sea. There is a subspecies of it called nelma, which lives in northern rivers.

White fish are quite large in size, can grow up to 1 meter in length and weigh up to 20 kg. This fish is a predator, and it feeds on other smaller fish. Today it is considered a delicacy because it does not reproduce as quickly as it is exterminated. The number of whitefish living in nature is rapidly declining. It is grown in artificial reservoirs, but such fish are inferior in taste to real ones. Therefore, natural white fish is highly valued.

Properties of whitefish

The color of the meat of white fish fully corresponds to its name. In quality it is tender, but fatty, and in taste it is refined and pleasant. Belorybitsa is in second place in terms of nutritional value among fish, however, it does not have many calories - about 90 kcal per 100 grams. Due to this, as well as the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish is considered dietary and is recommended for people who limit their diet. In addition, fish is considered healthy due to its high content of nutrients.

White fish, like others, can be fried, boiled and baked.

The benefits of whitefish

This fish contains vitamin PP, fluorine, chlorine, chromium, nickel, iodine, molybdenum and zinc. The meat itself healthy fats perfectly absorbed. White fish dishes are very healthy when prescribed therapeutic diet, aimed at treating gastrointestinal diseases, diseases of the thyroid gland and the skeletal system.

Fatty acids help remove bad cholesterol and increase the level of good cholesterol. If you consume white fish regularly, you can reduce the chance of getting a heart attack. Like any fish, white fish contains a lot of iodine, which in turn is very important for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. The fluorine contained in fish has a positive effect on bone growth, as well as on the entire skeletal system. In this regard, whitefish is especially recommended for children and adolescents as a preventive measure for rickets.

Application of whitefish

White fish is prepared with the addition lemon juice, which is poured over the fish half an hour before frying. But for people watching their figure fried fish It is not recommended to eat it, since the fried crust contains a lot of calories and does not contribute to low weight.

White fish is less often boiled, since many people believe that it tastes inferior to fried fish. However, it is several times healthier and less calorie. You can cook it not with broth, but by steaming it in a double boiler. In this case, it will be even tastier and healthier than with classic cooking.

Baked white fish is also very tasty, and the calorie content of the dish can be varied independently. You can bake potatoes along with fish, which will have a high calorie content, or you can replace it with cabbage or broccoli and sprinkle cheese on top.

It is believed that white fish best suited for cooking balyk. Solyanka with the addition of this fish acquires an unusual but pleasant taste.

Harm of whitefish

It should not be eaten if you are allergic to fish or have gastrointestinal diseases, and if you have problems with the liver and pancreas, instead of fried it is better to steam white fish.

This fish is perishable, so purchased stale fish threatens poisoning.

With the help of white fish you can both lose weight and gain weight. Therefore, it is important to select the right recipes preparations so that its use does not lead to the opposite effect.

The whitefish is a semi-anadromous fish species of the whitefish subfamily, which is part of the salmon family. In this species, it is customary to distinguish two subspecies: whitefish itself and nelma. This is a fairly large fish that can reach a weight of 14-18 kilograms.

About what the whitefish looks like, where it lives, what its behavioral characteristics are, fishing for the whitefish and its beneficial properties– read in this material.

Description of the whitefish

It is believed that the white fish got its name from the Belaya River in the Republic of Bashkiria, where it spawned.

IN different regions whitefish has various names. Here are some of them:

• white fish,
• white,
• barnwood,
• heater,
• ak-balyk,
• school,
• unek,
• Podgerik,
• Shoripole,
• Tsebyn.

This fish in lately It is quite rare due to a declining population, so catching it during recreational fishing is a great success.

Appearance

The whitefish usually reaches a length of 1.3 meters and can weigh from one to eighteen kilograms. At the same time, the male is usually smaller in size than the female.

The lower jaw of the whitefish is slightly longer than the upper, which, in turn, reaches the vertical leading edge eyes.

The body shape of the white fish resembles a whitefish. The body of the whitefish is elongated and laterally compressed. The belly and sides of this fish are silver in color, and the back is brownish-blue. The fins on the back and tail are gray-brown, the remaining fins are gray.

Habitat

Whitefish is a migratory fish. Its main habitat is the northern part of the Caspian Sea.

How to catch more fish?

Over 13 years of active fishing, I have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective:

1. Bite activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates its appetite. It's a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
2. More sensitive gear. Read the appropriate manuals for your specific gear type on the pages of my website.
3. Lures based pheromones.

You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.

After wintering, with the onset of spring, the white fish will rise to the upper reaches of the rivers of the Caspian basin:

• Volga,
• Ural,
• Kama,
• White,
• Chusovoy,
• Ufa and others.

Here she will stand in the pits until spawning.

Spawning

As a rule, the breeding season of the whitefish falls on September-November. After spawning, the whitefish returns back to the Caspian Sea.

Fishing for white fish

At one time, the white fish was an object of commercial fishing, but now its population has decreased so much that catching a white fish is a great success.

At the same time, catching white fish is an interesting, unique activity. The meat of this fish has an excellent taste and can only be compared with red fish.

Where to fish?

You need to catch whitefish either in the Caspian Sea or in the rivers of the Caspian basin, for example:

• Volga,
• Ural,
• Kame,
• Chusovoy,
• White.

The white fish, which is a migratory fish, will stay in these reservoirs all summer, until spawning in the fall, after which it will return back to the Caspian Sea and stay there until spring.

What to catch?

To catch this fish in rivers where it rises to spawn, spinning rods using small spoons are suitable light colors, wobblers and tackle made from pieces of fish.

The whitefish settles in the pools, below the riffles. She hunts in places with fast current- here and offer her bait.

White fish are caught by fly fishing. Therefore, to catch it, you should use, among other things, flies of various models and colors.

If fishing is done with a float rod, then the following baits are suitable:

• large bloodworm,
• maggot,
• muckworm,
• small fish or live bait (in this case there is a chance to catch a trophy specimen).

She is very capricious and careful. If it gets hooked, expect a stubborn fight, this fish is strong and very active.

Please note that in many regions of Russia and other countries, fishing for white fish is prohibited due to the small number of the species.

Useful properties of whitefish

This fish contains a lot of useful substances that reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Dishes made from this fish are recommended by nutritionists, and they will also be good for people with gastrointestinal problems.

Regular consumption of whitefish will reduce the risk of heart attack, thyroid diseases, and rickets. Also, dishes made from white fish meat will help improve metabolism and remove toxins.

This fish is very useful for children.

Vitamins

White fish contains vitamins various groups, is especially rich in PP vitamins.

Microelements

Whitefish contains the following microelements:

• nickel,
• chromium,
• zinc,
• molybdenum,
• fluorine.

Calorie content

This fish is not very high in calories. 100 grams of product contains 88 kcal, 17.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. There are no carbohydrates in fish.

Harm from consumption

Whitefish meat should not be consumed by those suffering from allergies, as well as by patients with exacerbation of pancreatic disease, or those suffering from liver disease.

Belorybitsa

Stenodus leucichthys Guld.
White fish belongs to the whitefish and is the largest and at the same time the most delicious and valuable species. In addition to its size, it is easily distinguished from other whitefish by the fact that, like vendace, its lower jaw is longer than its upper. Its body is very elongated, fusiform, somewhat slab-like, brownish-blue above, silvery on the side, white below; dorsal and caudal fins brownish-gray, others whitish, gray or blackish towards the top; the eyes are silver with a yellowish tint. The size of the whitefish is very significant: in the Volga it most often weighs from 12 to 18 pounds, but sometimes reaches a height of more than 3 feet and weighs from 30 to 40 pounds; According to the testimony of Saratov fishermen, sometimes white fish are found even 2 arshins in length and 2 pounds in weight, but this is hardly true. Males are always noticeably smaller than females. Barn males (?), called storks in Astrakhan, have a slightly different appearance and are very similar to the northern and Siberian variety of whitefish, known as nelma and considered by many to be a special species. However, judging by the descriptions of the famous traveler of the last century Lepekhin and prof. Kessler and taking into account the similarity of nelma with the barren male white fish, it is more correct to accept that the latter originated from nelma and became isolated in the Caspian basin after the separation of the Caspian Sea from the Arctic Ocean. The main differences between nelma and whitefish are that its head is noticeably longer, its eyes are larger, they are further away from the top of the nose and there is one less ray in the pectoral fins, and three more rays in the anus. The same thing is observed in the stork, so perhaps the latter is salmon that entered the Caspian Sea through the northern channel that connected the Kama to the basin Northern Dvina. And his infertility can be explained by the fact that he has not yet had time to adapt to water and other conditions. It is strange, however, that there seem to be no females among the storks.
Both nelma and white fish are migratory fish, that is, they live in the sea and rise to some distance, although quite for a long time into the rivers. Nelma is found in all large northern rivers - the Dvina with its tributaries, in Pechora, Usa, Onega, from where it enters some lakes, for example. lakes Lache, Kubenskoye, etc. In Siberia, nelma, as already shown by her alone local names, found in all or almost all rivers, especially in the river basin. Ob, where it rises very high along secondary and even small rivers, although it does not go as far as tallen.

The real whitefish lives only in the northern parts of the Caspian Sea, from where it rises to the Volga, Terek and, to a much greater extent smaller quantity, to the Urals; in the Caucasian and Persian rivers it is not present at all, also in the Aral Sea and Syr Darya. In the Volga basin it reaches very high - up to Tver and Rzhev, in the Oka - up to Serpukhov and Kaluga (Ggoldenstedt), in Sura (Stal) and in Sheksna - up to Veloozero, but Kessler’s opinion is that the Cholmuzh whitefish Lake Onega identical with whitefish, according to Danilevsky’s research, is incorrect, since this whitefish belongs to special type. In the upper, even middle Volga (above Kazan), this fish is now very rare and is caught by chance, which depends most of all on changes in the temperature of the upper Volga caused by the destruction of forests and shallowing of the river.
Much more white fish rises into the Kama. Many fish farmers consider it even more Kama than Volga fish and say that it, having risen along the lower Volga to the mouth of the Kama, heads mainly to this latter river, giving preference to the colder Kama water. Here it also rises into side rivers - the Ufa. Belaya, Chusovaya and Vishera. In all likelihood, its spawning occurs in these rivers, which, like all whitefish, takes place in the fall - in September. In the lower reaches of the Volga it is unlikely to spawn, since there are no stone ridges on which it releases eggs. My observations of nelma in the river also agree with this. Sosva, Theological District. In general, both of them love cold, deep water, but at the same time not particularly fast, and constantly stick to the bottom of the river; By at least Nelma is afraid of riffles and in Sosva does not reach them (to the village of Maslovskaya). Regarding the spawning time and lifestyle of the white fish, there is only rather confusing information. In the upper Volga, according to some, it spawns around September 8, according to others - in October (the same in the Kama) and, moreover, within two weeks. In the lower Volga, according to Ovsyannikov and Yakovlev, it appears in October and lasts all winter, but its main movement is in February and early March, before the opening of the river. She chooses the widest branches and walks under the very ice, against a fairly strong current. During the rest of the year, whitefish are not found in the estuaries. Thus, together with prof. Kessler must accept that it enters the Volga mainly at the end of winter, does not stay in the lower Volga, but goes more to the middle Volga, especially the Kama, spends the summer there at depth, in pits, and comes out to spawn in the fall, but in different places V different times; then it rolls down and again, in smaller quantities, reaches the sea in October and November. Previously, the whitefish's move was much more correct, but now it, as they say, goes in vain, without any of a certain order. Apparently, the white fish is not included in very large quantities; at least it is rarely possible to capture a lot of it at once in the lower reaches of the Volga, where the main catch is carried out in Bakhtemir, one of the branches in the fisheries of Prince Dolgoruky. It is found in even smaller numbers in the upper Volga and Kama, even during spawning, so it spawns, if not in families, like pike, then in very few schools. This is confirmed by observations of nelma, which, although, according to Lepekhin, enters the Ob “in a terrible abundance,” but at the spawning sites - in Iset, Pyshma, Miyas, Tura, Tavda, Sosva and Lozva - it is caught more alone.
A very remarkable phenomenon is that juvenile white fish are almost completely unknown to Volga fishermen. The latter almost unanimously showed Ave. Kessler that they had never come across a whitefish smaller than 7, even 10 pounds, and only in Novy one fisherman told him that they also found the smallest whitefish. In all likelihood, the juveniles, like sturgeon fry, spring flood rolls down the river into the sea and comes out only when it reaches mature age, precisely when it reaches at least 7 pounds in weight. Some fishermen, however, explain this phenomenon in an unusual way rapid growth white fish and claim that its juveniles reach the size of a dace in one week and become adults in one year (in Saratov there is even a saying: “the white fish grows like a sheep”), but, of course, this opinion is without any basis.
Average value nelma, like white fish, up to 18 pounds, but there are specimens up to a pound (Irtysh) and even up to 50 pounds. (Yenisei).
We still have somewhat more detailed information about the life of the Siberian white fish. We know that the bulk of nelma comes from the Arctic Sea in the spring, but that many individuals are found in rivers all year round, rising into secondary tributaries in late summer to spawn. Nelma rises into the river faster than other fish and by July 10 already appears even, for example, in the tributaries of the Black Irtysh. At first it travels in large flocks, certainly along the riverbed, in the deepest and fastest places; Most of these schools consist of young fish (7-10 pounds) three years old (?!). IN big rivers nelma never spawns, but enters small rivers for this purpose, avoiding, however, like the white fish, very fast-flowing and rapids. In all likelihood, these fish, like other migratory fish, spawn where they hatched. There is some reason to believe that, having reached their native rivers, flocks of nelma stop at the mouths; Thus, for example, it is known that in the tributaries of the Black Irtysh (Kaldzhir, Belypekha and Buurchum) nelma stand for some time “in dense rows in several tiers.”
Spawning itself does not take place in schools, but in families or in pairs, like pikes, in September or at the end of August. Potanin says that Charysh fishermen (in Altai) often have the opportunity to observe the movement of nelma to spawn. They walk in pairs or threes and all along the same path; sometimes the female is so overweight that she is not able to go against the current on her own, and two males support her from the sides, squeezing her with their sides.
The eggs are spawned in deep and fast places, on stones and cartilage, and are eaten in large numbers by graylings. In September and no later than October (in the Northern Urals), nelma begins to slide down, but this slide occurs very slowly, and it is quite possible that some individuals remain in the river for at least a year, or even never go to sea at all.
Juvenile nelma appear in large numbers after the ice breaks up (Yenisei) and, presumably, go to sea in the spring. After spawning, late autumn and in winter, nelma is often found in quiet, muddy places, in creeks, abundant small fish(rarely 4-5 versh. in length), which constitutes its main food; in addition, she devours a lot of grayling caviar. According to the observations of Sosva fishermen, nelma always walks in the depths, without appearing on the surface, feeds at night at sunrise and sunset; she is very afraid of noise and is perhaps the most cautious and timid fish.

On Sosva and Lozva nelma are caught using the so-called. a path - an artificial fish made of an iron, somewhat curved plate with a piece of red cloth at the opposite end; This plate is tied to a string (14-20 fathoms long), which is placed behind the ear, and the fisherman rides in a boat downstream, or even better up the river ( cm. Taimen). Nelma takes things very faithfully and never breaks down. It’s remarkable that it only bites by walking, that it never grabs a wide path and pulls out like a board.
After red fish, white fish takes first place in its value. Its meat is white in color, conveniently cut into slices, and its taste is well known to everyone. Having been taken out of the water, she is in winter time It turns out to be quite tenacious, but in the summer it falls asleep extremely quickly and cannot be kept in cages. Therefore, only frozen, freshly salted, and especially the so-called. “spun”, dried whitefish. Its caviar is also highly valued.

Life and catching freshwater fish. - Kyiv: State Publishing House agricultural literature of the Ukrainian SSR. L. P. Sabaneev. 1959.

Synonyms:

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Migratory fish of the whitefish family. 2 subspecies: white fish and nelma. The whitefish is up to 110 cm long, weighs up to 20 kg, lives in the Caspian Sea, and enters the Volga and Ural for breeding. Valuable object fishing and breeding... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Nelma, whitefish Dictionary of Russian synonyms. whitefish noun, number of synonyms: 5 stork (15) leima ... Dictionary of synonyms

WHITEFISH, migratory fish (whitefish family). Length up to 110 cm, weight up to 20 kg. It lives in the Caspian Sea and enters the Volga and Ural for breeding. A valuable object of fishing and breeding... Modern encyclopedia

WHITE FISH, white fish, female. Large fish from the salmon breed. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

WHITE FISH, s, female. Family fish whitefish Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Stenodus leucichthys), anadromous fish of the family. whitefish Unity, species of the genus, 2 subspecies: nelma and B. (Sleucichthys). B. has a large mouth and large scales. The sides are silvery, without spots. There are no teeth on the jaws. Length can reach St. 1 m, weight up to 20 kg,... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

WHITE FISH- (Stenodus leucichthys guldenstadti) a valuable commercial fish from the salmon family (Fig. 8), having tender fatty meat (fat content 18-26%). Used to make delicacies fish products. The mouth is large, oblique, terminal. On the jaws... ... Pond fish farming