Are shrimp found in the Black Sea? Catching Black Sea shrimp - the best ways. What gear is used for fishing?
According to the classification, the Black Sea shrimp belongs to crustaceans that live in the Black Sea, Azov and Mediterranean seas. It is not only food for fish and other inhabitants of water bodies. For many centuries in a row, this tasty delicacy has been preferred by gourmets and seafood lovers, so its production is acquiring an industrial scale.
Shrimp (lat. Caridea) belong to arthropods from the order of decapods of the Crangonidae family. They can live safely in both fresh and sea water, due to which they are widely distributed in all water bodies of the world. The depth of their habitat can reach up to 80 m, which they use to hide from enemies. They also know how to quickly burrow into muddy or sandy bottoms when encountering a predator.
Its body consists of 3 sections: cephalothorax, abdominal and caudal. Almost the entire body is covered with a shell consisting of chitin and other minerals. The tail plates are divided into segments; at the end of the body they form a tail fan, which helps to swim and move.
In the front part there are antennae, which are organs of touch and smell. Below them are located antennules intended for identification chemical composition water and food.
Crustaceans have 5 pairs of legs: the first 3 are designed for self-defense and capturing food, the next 5 are for movement. The remaining 2 legs are located under the abdomen and can be used both for swimming and for bearing eggs by females. In males, the first pair in the process of evolution turned into an organ for copulation.
The lifespan of shrimp is 3-5 years. The main diet consists of plankton and algae remains. Large crustaceans eat larvae and worms, small invertebrates and dead fish.
When females reach a size of 3-4 cm, they are ready to reproduce and can lay eggs. After a few days, small planktonic larvae hatch from the clutch. During maturation, they change their shell several times, with each subsequent one being slightly larger and stronger than the previous one. And only after going through 5 molts do they reach the post-larval stage and can switch to a benthic lifestyle.
Varieties
Several species of crustaceans live in the Black Sea, of which 2 belong to the shrimp genus Palaemon, which have commercial value, and are used as food.
These include:
- Black Sea grass (Palaemon adspersus);
- Black Sea rockfish (Palaemon elegans).
Palemon is slender or stone, which received its name from the required habitat. These creatures prefer to live among accumulations of stones in ridges, gorges and in shallow waters covered dense thickets seaweed In secluded places, such inhabitants live peacefully, because... they are well protected from enemies. Here it is possible to find a lot of small plankton, which is their main food.
Rock shrimp can live and reproduce safely in any water salinity, so they are also found in the fresher Azov Sea. The size of an adult individual can reach 8 cm and weigh up to 8 g.
The grass palemon chose bottom areas overgrown with algae as its habitat and sandy beaches near Anapa. The color of the shell has light shades, the body is almost transparent, which allows it to live safely in the shallows. The size of such crustaceans is up to 7 cm.
Azov shrimp, living in the waters of the Kerch Gulf and the Sea of Azov, are mainly herbaceous, preferring areas heavily overgrown with aquatic vegetation.
How to catch shrimp?
Crustaceans are valuable, nutritious and tasty seafood. They contain many vitamins, acids and minerals (calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, iodine, etc.). Contained therein useful material allow to stabilize hormonal background in the human body and enhance its immunity. The disadvantage of shrimp meat is its high cholesterol content.
For their taste, they are valued among gourmets and fishing enthusiasts. Therefore, catching shrimp is carried out as in industrial scale and fishing enthusiasts. The latter prefer not only to eat them, but to sell them to local cafes and restaurants.
Shrimp fishing is most often carried out in the evening or at night. It is best to choose areas in the form of a backwater for this, because In places where the reservoir narrows, it is convenient to install trawls or traps. Caught crustaceans can be consumed not only for food, but also used as bait or as bait for fishing.
Many fishermen fish not only in the coastal zone, but also from a boat. And the most ancient method of shrimp fishing was popular in Belgium and was carried out with the help of specially trained horses that pulled shrimp nets.
Habitats
To catch crustaceans in large quantities, you need to know exactly the places where shrimp live. Their favorite areas are the bottom layers at a depth of 0.6 to 1.5 m, where there are accumulations of seaweed. If there are ebbs and flows in the selected location, then exact time their occurrence should be known, because Low tide hours are considered the most convenient for fishing.
Equipment and methods of fishing
Basic tools and methods of shrimp fishing:
- Shrimp net (other names: landing net or drachka), consisting of a metal circle large diameter(at least 70 cm) or a rectangle (aluminum, etc.), on which is attached a bag up to 3-4 m long made of fine mesh, and a long, strong handle. A weight is attached to the bottom of the net, and sticks are attached to the sides, with which you can pull the net along the bottom when entering the water.
- Trawls are made of 2 types (mid-depth and bottom), 4 ropes are tied to them, designed to be pulled so that the entire device stretches along the bottom of the reservoir behind a person. In this case, the fisherman stands waist-deep in water and drags the trawl against the current.
- When fishing with a net or trawl, a flashlight is a bait to attract the attention of aquatic inhabitants, as well as additional illumination.
Homemade traps are widely used for catching Black Sea shrimp. To make a shrimp tank you will need the following materials:
- nylon mesh with cell 14 - piece 1.5x1.5 m;
- galvanized rigid wire - 3−4 m;
- thin wire braided in plastic - 0.6 m;
- 4 m of nylon thread (twine);
- float (plastic bottle, etc.) and rope.
First, a piece of mesh is taken and stitched into the shape of a large pipe. Another piece measuring 15x30 cm is similarly sewn along the length to enter the trap. A piece of thin wire is passed through it to create a ring-shaped entrance. The edges of the wire must be twisted and secured.
Then the galvanized wire is threaded into the cells in the form of a spiral, which will hold the trap with rings. After 2-3 turns inside and 1 outside, its ends must be fixed at the first and last rings. Then you get a circle, then both edges of the large pipe need to be sewn to the wire rings using twine.
At the end, between the middle rings, you should tie the bait with a rope. The float is also attached to the middle of the shrimp tank. Black Sea fishermen often use slightly rotten meat as bait.
The simplest shrimp trap is made from a plastic bottle (float), a weight and a plant called a tumbleweed or broom. Several bushes need to be tied together, a sinker attached to the bottom, and a float on top. The trap should be lowered to a depth of 1 m overnight. Shrimps climb en masse on wet plants. In the morning, all that remains is to shake them out into a nearby bucket. However, this old-fashioned method is considered poaching and may be subject to a fine.
Natural enemies in nature
In conditions wildlife Most young shrimp die while still in the larval stage, because they are tasty and healthy food for many underwater inhabitants. They are eaten by bottom-dwelling fish species, seabirds and even some mammals. A very small number survive to adulthood.
Restrictions and bans on shrimp fishing
In accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Agriculture, a ban on shrimp fishing is imposed annually for the entire summer period. From June 1 to August 31, 1 person is allowed to catch no more than 5 kg of crustaceans. Fish protection officers carry out daily raids along the Crimean coast in order to prevent shrimp fishing.
However, from September 1, the season resumes. The condition of shrimp in the Azov and Black Seas, according to experts, is favorable. Their number is growing steadily, which is of interest to the official fishery and contributes to a rich catch.
Since 2016, fishing for these crustaceans has been carried out by mining organizations Krasnodar region and Crimea. The caught catch is supplied to restaurants and other food establishments. The domestic market for shrimp is in high demand due to its rapid reproduction. According to statistics, the annual shrimp catch in Cherny and Seas of Azov is more than 1.5 tons.
An excellent bait for catching almost all fish of the Black Sea, except mullet, are the 4 species of shrimp that live in this water basin. I think shrimp are currently proving to be the most difficult bait to find in this article. The main difficulties with catching shrimp living in the Black Sea are associated with their capture and subsequent storage.
Also, due to overfishing and extremely unfavorable environmental conditions, shrimp are simply dying out as a species in the Black Sea. However, more on this below. What exactly species of shrimp live in the Black Sea and are the basis for amateur fishing fish?
Catching shrimp on the mangrove shallows using a casting net
Of the numerous Class Crustacea (Order Decapoda) living in the Black Sea, the most widespread is the family Palaemonidae Dana, represented by only one genus Palaemon and three species, such as the serrated palemon (P.serratus), the stone or slender palemon ( P. elegans) and grass palemon (P. adspersus)
Herbal palemon or the Black Sea grass shrimp (Palaemon adspersus) - a typical inhabitant of shallow sand and pebble banks, abundantly overgrown with thickets of phyllophora and zoster, has a maximum size of up to 70 mm and a weight of up to 8 grams. This type shrimp tolerates changes in salinity well and can live in both desalinated estuaries (up to 7-8 ppm) and pools with the salinity of the World Ocean (30-35 ppm). Herbal palemon is the object of commercial fishing in all Mediterranean and Baltic countries, as well as in the North Sea (Sweden and Denmark).
Jagged Palemon(Palaemon serratus) is a permanent resident of winding underwater grottoes and deep rock crevices, living at a depth of up to 40 meters, currently found only on the Tarkhankut Peninsula (Crimea) and is not a widespread species of crustacean in the Black Sea. The serrated palemon lives 3-5 years, reaches 100 mm in length (the largest shrimp in the Black Sea) and weighs up to 12 grams. In addition to the Black Sea, the jagged palemon lives en masse in the Atlantic from the Skagerrak Strait (Denmark) to Mauritania and is a commercial object subject to catch.
Stone or slender palemon(Palemon elegans) – is considered the most widespread species of shrimp of the genus Palaemon inhabiting the Black Sea. This shrimp received its original name because of its habitat, since large accumulations of slender palemons are often observed near rocky capes and shallow bays with a rocky bottom, covered with dense thickets of cystoseira. Stone palemon is quite unpretentious to changes in salinity aquatic environment and can live at 5-35 ppm. Reaches a length of 7-8 cm and weighs no more than 8 grams. It is noteworthy that the state fishery for slender palemon existed in Soviet time using a shrimp trap (3-10 caster trap with metal hoop rings made of delhi mesh) on a very limited scale.
The Black Sea is also home to another representative of the Crustacea class (Crustacea) from the family Crangonidae and the genus Crangon Fabricius, represented by the crangon shrimp. , grows to a maximum size of 70 mm and a weight of 6 grams. Crangon prefers to inhabit coastal waters with a sandy or silty-sandy bottom with a depth of up to 80 meters, where daytime trying to escape from predatory fish burrowing into sandy soil. The main habitat region of the crangon shrimp is the northwestern coast of the Black Sea from Cape Tarkhankut to Odessa, where legal and illegal mass fishing of this crustacean is still carried out using shrimp vents.
For fishing, from all of the above mass species crustaceans, only two types are suitable - crangon and palemon shrimp. In order to decide on the method of harvesting these two species, you need to understand how many caught shrimp are needed and for what purpose. If you are going to get them in large quantities, then you need to make a special cone-shaped trawl, with 4-5 aluminum or plastic hoops and 3-4 strong nylon cords, as well as a small net, which will have to be towed like a barge hauler along coastline along a rocky bottom covered with zostera. This method is extremely tedious and is applicable only in calm seas, daytime and optimal temperature water. I will recommend to you another, more primitive and reliable way, tested by me personally and seasoned local fishermen of the coast of Abkhazia.
First, you will need to buy a regular telescopic landing net for fish with a handle length of no more than 2.7 meters, a hoop size of 75x70 cm (costs between 800 -1,500 rubles). The net on the landing net will have to be removed, and instead put a tulle cut into a long cone (density 100 g/sq.m) made of 100% polyester (costs in the range of 200-250 per 1 meter). Tulle is placed for only one reason, due to the fact that even in the smallest mesh of a standard mesh of 1.0x1.0 cm, the fishing object can simply fall through. Now all that’s left to do is learn how to catch shrimp, and on any coastline. Shrimp production in different regions The Black Sea has its own characteristics and differences. Let’s say that in the northwestern part of the sea (Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa regions) and from Cape Tuzla to Anapa (Taman Peninsula), where sandy and silty-sandy soils predominate at the bottom, you can mainly catch crangon shrimp. From Cape Utrish and inclusive to Sukhumi, the rock palemon shrimp will dominate the catches. I often catch palemon, since I constantly fish on the territory of the Abkhazian coast, where crangon is practically not found in shallow water.
To catch a stone palemon, you need to, armed with a converted landing net (hereinafter I will simply call it a net), find the following typical habitats:
- large and dense thickets of Cystoseira seaweed running along the rocky or pebble seabed at a depth of 1.0 to 1.7 m. Palemon hides in the daytime and in the evening, after 19 hours, in the branches of Cystoseira.
- large boulders, submerged breakwaters or anti-tank concrete bumps covered with eelgrass;
- breakwaters, piers, piers, stone chaos in the form of dams, covered with druses of mussels and overgrown with zoster.
- shallow areas with a rocky bottom, locked between a high breakwater and the seashore, preventing the penetration of high waves.
In these above-mentioned areas of the sea, it is best to catch palemon shrimp in the morning hours, from 7 to 9 am, hoop the net close to the algae, stones or concrete structures, then lift it up with a sharp movement. The stone palemon shrimp can often change its habitat and abundance on a certain section of the coast. If you catch a kilogram of shrimp with a net today, then rest assured that literally tomorrow you will not be able to catch even three pieces. This metamorphosis is often associated with the movement of plankton in the shallow sea, on which the shrimp feeds, as well as a strong wave, forcing the palemon to go deeper. Having caught 3-10 shrimp with a net, you should immediately remove them from the net and place them in any deep container with sea water, which is best placed immediately away from the sun, in the shade. Unfortunately, when catching shrimp with a net, you come across specimens of different sizes, but this does not mean that very small palemons should be thrown back into the sea. Using the palemon as a bait, you can completely attach a small shrimp to hook No. 6.
On average, in half an hour in the morning, using a net, you can catch no more than 20-300 grams of shrimp, and sometimes even less. Is this amount enough for fishing for 2-3 days? Yes, there will be enough and there will still be left if you can preserve the shrimp properly. In Abkhazia, I was shown an almost ideal way of preserving shrimp for fishing, which is almost impossible to improve. With this method, shrimp can be stored for six months without changing appearance. As I mentioned above, after catching several shrimp, you need to immediately transfer them from the net to a jar of sea water. Next, to preserve crangon or palemon, I recommend taking 0.5 l plastic bottle, and then carefully transfer the caught shrimp from the jar into it so that they occupy no more than half the volume of this container. Then pour fresh (!) water into a bottle (preferably without chlorine, boiled or from a well), so that it completely covers the shrimp. Screw on the cap and place (!) the bottle in the freezer. Thus, you can “equip” any number of 0.5 liter bottles.
When going fishing, you only need to take the required number of bottles, which upon arrival at the fishing site will be almost completely defrosted and ready to be hooked. After you arrive at the pier or any other fishing spot, I advise you to carefully cut off the top part bottles so that you can freely take the shrimp from the container. This method is also convenient because it makes it possible to fish at any time of the year and in any place, regardless of the weather and the lack of effective baits nearby. It is clear that it is no longer possible to re-freeze shrimp in a bottle.
Often on the Internet, on forums, they mention the effective catching of shrimp using lanterns lowered into the sea and tied to the pier supports. It should be noted that I have repeatedly tried to catch stone palemon shrimp from the pier, lowering a household flashlight on a cord directly into the sea at night. Surprisingly, the results for catching shrimp were the same as in the daytime.
Shrimps
They belong to the swimming decapod crayfish; in the Black Sea there are 11 species from 5 families.
Palaemon elegans- the largest and most massive:
- translucent, greenish-yellow;
- length 5-8 centimeters;
- swim with the help of small “abdominal” legs;
- walk on the grass on long “chest” legs;
- feed on small animals and also consume plant food;
- large and small whiskers - organs of smell and touch that help find food;
- live about 2 years;
- eggs are laid 3-4 times during the summer;
- have commercial significance - as food, bait for fishing.
Also meet Palaemon adspersus- grass and sand - Crangon crangon shrimp. Recently a green one appeared Tiger shrimp - Penaeus semisulcatus.
Crabs
There are 18 species of crabs in the Black Sea:
Stone crab (Eriphia verrucosa)- the largest of the Black Sea crustaceans, diameter 9 centimeters (width).
- dark purple back with yellowish patterns;
- lives on rocky soil of the coastal zone and on sand;
- found at depths up to 30 meters;
- the shell protects from enemies, but interferes with growth, it changes periodically;
- when molting, the crab sheds its shell, having previously prepared a soft, folded shell underneath;
- absorbs water into the body, from which the new shell straightens and acquires required sizes;
- hides until the shell hardens;
- inactive, easy to catch.
Grass crab (Carcinus maenas).
- runs at a speed of 1 meter per second;
- moves sideways;
- the most numerous of the coastal species;
- the width of the shell (green with an ocher-yellow tint) is up to 7 centimeters.
Other types:
Swimming crabs (Macropipus holsatus).
- light small crabs;
- flattened hind legs-flippers;
- dig into the sand, using the same flippers - this time as blades.
Marble crab (Pachygrapsus marmoratus)- got its name because of the characteristic pattern - dark wavy lines on the shell. Sometimes called spider crab, sea spider, gypsy. Water crab (Xantho poressa). - Length up to 26 mm, width 42.3 mm. In the Black Sea, it is constantly found near the coast at a depth of less than 1 m, mainly under stones among pebbly soil and crushed stone, less often found on other soils to a depth of 15 m. Widely distributed along the entire coast of Crimea and the Caucasus. Limbs are short. Sometimes called purple or lilac crab.
Invisible crab (Macropodia longirostris)- is a common inhabitant of algal thickets in shallow waters. This crab perfectly camouflages itself by growing various algae on itself. It feeds on algae.
Clibanarius erythropus hermit crab- usually he lives in the shells of rapans. Usually has a bright red color. Prefers rocky bottom.
Diogenes hermit crab (Diogenes pugilator)- Maximum length: about 1-3cm, often found especially on the sandy coast.
Balanus (sea acorns) (Balanus timprovisus)- a kind of crustacean, came to the sea along the Volga-Don Canal.
- looks like a small, conical cap consisting of several plates;
- leads a sedentary lifestyle, forever grows to stones, the bottoms of ships, reducing their speed;
- the upper plates are able to move apart, legs appear from the inside, resembling a fan in shape and begin to diligently drive water, catching small food particles;
- Balyanus larvae live in plankton;
- a wire base is dipped into water, it is overgrown with balanuses, and a beautiful, decorative slab is obtained, which is used for finishing buildings;
- mucus has an irritating effect on the skin, the wounded area may swell.
Gammarus crustaceans.
- gray;
- 1 centimeter in length;
- refers to multi-legged crayfish (mandibles, 2 pairs of claws, 4 for walking, 3 for swimming, 2 for jumping).
Seafood, including shrimp, is considered very useful product. They are rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins, and important inorganic components. There is practically no fat in shrimp and, due to this, the cholesterol present in them does not penetrate into the blood. This is a low-calorie product, but nutritionists warn that you need to know moderation in everything, and shrimp are no exception. You should not overeat them.
An important feature of crustaceans is that they absorb everything from the water, both useful and harmful. That's why it's so important to be interested in cleanliness sea coast where she was caught.
Ingredients:
- Black Sea shrimp – 1 kg.
- Lemon or lime – 1 pc.
- Fresh parsley - 1 bunch.
- Salt.
Cooking process
- 1 Take a larger pan. Put it on fire. The water should be twice the volume of sea crustaceans. To make it boil faster, add salt when the water starts to bubble.
- 2 The shrimp can be from the market, then they are already cooked and have a reddish or pale pink color. However, if you live in a seaside town or come to the sea on vacation, then naturally this is a convenient opportunity to stock up on shrimp that you have just caught. You can be smart and go fishing yourself, or you can negotiate with local fishermen. Of course, it is better to buy them immediately after catching, so as not to doubt the freshness of the delicacy.
- 3 When the water has boiled and you have already added salt, throw a bunch of fresh parsley and half a lemon, cut into several pieces, into the boiling water. If you are an exotic lover, use lime; it will add a touch of freshness and piquancy.
- 4 The Black Sea shrimp is small in size, so its shell is thin and soft. Cleaning it before cooking is inconvenient and unnecessary. It is this outer shell that gives shrimp its rich, vibrant flavor. By the way, you should not overload the marinade in which it is cooked with unnecessary flavoring additives. Let the taste convey what she absorbed from the depths of the sea.
- 5 Throw the shrimp into the already well-boiling water. If it is from a store, you need to cook it for no more than 60 seconds; if it is fresh, 5-7 minutes will be enough, otherwise the tender meat will turn into tough gum.
- 6 The finished shrimp should float to the surface. You can collect it with a slotted spoon in a colander and leave it in the sink for about ten minutes so that the water completely drains and ready dish cooled down.
That's it! Delicious snack ready for beer or white wine! Place the sea seeds on a large plate and garnish with the remaining lemon. Now you can get together with friends or family and enjoy the communication and gifts of our beloved Black Sea.
A tiny trophy of fishing, the shrimp, despite its size, has value among gift lovers water world and gourmets of such products. An inconspicuous-looking crustacean with a mustache and long legs, with a body of gray or pale yellow color, has excellent taste qualities. Shrimp can be bought at any supermarket, but it is not so difficult to find them yourself. To do this, you don’t need to go on a voyage abroad - Mother Russia is rich in such a delicacy.
Where shrimp are found in Russia is not difficult to figure out. They can be obtained from Primorye and Far East(near Sakhalin Island) to the Baltic. In the conversations of fishermen, the Caspian, Baltic, Transcaucasian, and Amur varieties of these animals are mentioned. But those arthropods that are caught in the Black and Azov Seas are especially valued.
Shrimps in the Black Sea basin live in depths from 60 cm to one and a half meters, choosing areas with algae in order to hide at the slightest danger. In the Black Sea coastal zone, small crustaceans can be found everywhere, while large individuals stay in more secluded places. Having identified such places, you can easily catch arthropods of the required parameters.
Azov shrimp are almost no different from their neighbors and lead the same lifestyle, but some gourmets claim that their taste is more subtle and rich, so many people prefer them over tiger or king shrimp delivered from abroad. While relaxing on the Arbat Spit, it’s always nice to go fishing.
Place and time of fishing
For an effective trip for crustaceans, it is best to choose places like a backwater - it is easier to install the necessary gear there. You can also search for it in the coastal area using a boat. The best place For mooring, piers, rocks sticking out of the water, areas near the bottoms and sides of large ships are considered.