Animals of Baikal > Fishes

Fishes of lake Baikal

Golomyanka

• Small oil-fish
• Big oil-fish

It is Baikal endemic. Oil-fish live all over Baikal in the in the thickness of open waters and up to maximum depths.. It's body is naked, with scales. The body of a big oil-fish contains about 44% of fat, the small oil-fish - up to 9%. The maturity starts from 3 years. Both are ovoviviparous, give birth to live larvae, the number of which to 2-3 thousands. This fish is slow-moving. It does not for stocks. Length - up to 21 cm. Maximum age - 8 years.

Ide

Lives in the closed shallows of Baikal, in large bays, at river mouths, etc. Sexual maturity is reached in the 4th year of life. Prefers silty-sandy surfaces with well-developed underwater vegetation.

Spawning occurs at the end of spring - beginning of summer. The breeding period is 10-15 days. Is a commercial fish.

Pike

Pike appears in Baikal mainly in the summer in the lake shallows, where is feeds on sculpins and other small fish. The pike lives year-round in a few regions (Maloye More, Chivyrkuisky Bay, the Seleginsk shallows, and others). It is widely prevalent in the rivers and lakes of the Baikal basin. Annual catch of pike on Baikal fluctuates in the parameters of 1000-1500 dd.

Taimen

A fish that is widely prevalent in the rivers of Siberia, the taimen inhabits chiefly the tributaries of the Baikal basin. Towards autumn, it is conveyed from small tributaries into Baikal. It is often encountered along the shores of open Baikal, but closer to river mouths. In the spring the taimen enters rivers in order to lay eggs.

For the most part it feeds on sculpins. Its commercial significance in Baikal is not notable. Spawning occurs in fast- flowing rivers in the spring in May and June. Sexual maturity is reached at an age of 6 years. The number of roe can be up to 40.000. The weight of a taimen at 5 years of age reaches 1.5 kg. at 10 years - 10 kg, with a length of I m. Taimen with a weight of up to 60 kg are encountered.

Omul

The omul penetrated into Baikal from polar regions in the Quaternary Period and found a second homeland here. Formed several ecological races, of which four are described: the Selenginskaya, Severobaikalskaya, Chivyrkuiskaya, and Posolskaya. Omul feeds on everything, although at early ages feeds on phyto-plankton.

The omul's diet consists of more than 30 species of animals. From the lower crustaceans, epischura andcyclops make up the omul's main food, from the sideswimmers - macrohectopus, and also pelagic sculpins. The omul reaches sexual maturity at an age of 5-7 years, Omul constitutes up to 70% of the overall fish catch.

Amur sazan

The Amur sazan was introduced into the Baikal basin from the Amur. Its introduction in 1944-1945 into Posolskii Inlet on Baikal can be considered successful. Is encountered in the coastal zone of Baikal.

Karasi

Karasi in the Baikal basin constitute the fundamental part of the lake business (trade). In the summer they are encountered from time to time in the coastal zone of Baikal.

Nalim

Two forms of nalim - lake-river and lake - live in Baikal. The nalim is a cold-water-loving fish, and spends the greater part of its life in waters with temperatures of 10-12 degrees C. In hot summer days on Baikal the nalim descends to depths of up to 100 m. Sexual maturity is reached at an age of 3-4 years. For the lake-river nalim, spawning begins in late autumn and sometimes does not end until March. The nalim spawns on sandy surfaces at depths from 5-10 cm to l m. After spawning the fish are conveyed into Baikal. The nalim is a commercial fish.

Baikal sturgeon

Lives chiefly in the mouths of large rivers, in the summer disperses in the shallows of Baikal. Winters at depths of 20-40 m, early in the spring migrates to shallower depths, in the summer inhabits depths of 10- 15 m. Gammarids, chironomid larvae and Baikal sculpins are the sturgeon's main food. Sexual maturity is reached in the 15t-20th year of life. Sturgeon fishing is currently banned.