Habits and location of naked carp in Qinghai Lake (the king of plateau fish)

Qinghai Lake gymnocypris przewalskii belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Schizothorax, and genus Gymnocypris. Commonly known as: Huang fish, flower fish, pike, scaleless fish.

The body is long, slightly flattened laterally, the head is tapered, the snout is blunt, the mouth is large, sub-inferior, and horseshoe-shaped. The upper jaw is slightly protruding and the front edge of the lower jaw has no sharp horn. The lower lip is thin, narrow and underdeveloped, divided into left and right lobes; the posterior labial groove is interrupted and far apart; there is no beard. The body is naked, with 3-4 rows of irregular scales above the base of the pectoral fin and below the lateral line; there is one row of well-developed large scales on both sides of the anus and anal fin, reaching forward to the base of the pelvic fin, and occasionally with vestigial scales from the pelvic fin to the midline of the pectoral fin. trace. The lateral line is straight, the front end of the lateral line scales degenerates into a skinfold shape, and the posterior segment is even less obvious. The dorsal fin has well-developed and serrated spines on its trailing edge. The back of the body is yellow-brown or gray-brown, the abdomen is light yellow or gray-white, and there are large irregular dark spots on the sides of the body; each fin is light red. During the reproductive period, male individuals have white granular beads on their snouts, anal fins, tail fins, and the back of the body.

Qinghai Lake naked carp is a cold-water fish. It likes to live in shallow water, and is also commonly found in migratory areas on the beach or in places where the water flows slowly among large rocks. In winter, it lives in deep pools and rock crevices. It has strong adaptability and does not have strict requirements on living conditions. It can live in smaller ponds and shallow lakes, and can also live in brackish water. After hatching, the young fish swim in groups, mostly in shallow water areas of estuaries. The juvenile fish feed mainly on animal food; the adult fish is omnivorous and feeds on all animals and plants in Qinghai Lake. The main food objects are diatoms, copepods, cladocerans, rotifers, amphipods, Aquatic insects, chironomid larvae, etc., and even their juvenile fish and loaches are also eaten by them. Because Qinghai Lake is located on a plateau with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, the water temperature is low, food organisms are poor, and the growth period is short. Therefore, the fish grows slowly. Except for the growth of 3.5 cm in the first year, there are no obvious stages of body length growth throughout its life. The weight of those under 4 years old grows faster. Those weighing 250 grams are on average 8-9 years old, and those weighing 500 grams are about 10 years old. They can generally grow to 50-60 centimeters and weigh about 5 kilograms at the age of 25. The maximum length can reach 95. cm and weighs about 6.5 kg. There are more male fish than female fish in the group, and the fecundity is low. The average number of eggs carried is 16,242. There is an obvious reproductive migration, and it enters the river from Qinghai Lake to breed from late March to August every year. Spawning sites are generally in rivers with slow flow, gravel, pebbles or fine yarn as the substrate, and clear bottomed rivers with a water depth of 0.1-1.1 meters. During the breeding season, when the water temperature is below 6°C or exceeds 17.5°C, there will be no breeding activity. The peak spawning season is from mid-May to mid-June; spawning activity occurs day and night, with the peak time from 23:00 to 3:00 the next day; eggs are laid in egg nests, and the eggs are sinking and slightly sticky.

Distributed in Qinghai Lake and its tributaries, it is also produced in Kruk Lake, Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake. It is an extremely important economic fish in Qinghai Province. Since the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of acres of grassland around Qinghai Lake have been reclaimed as farmland; 108 rivers flowing into Qinghai Lake have been artificially dammed, blocking breeding channels, and many rivers have dried up, preventing Huang fish from reaching fresh water. spawning, causing large numbers of yellowtail fish to die in the estuary. Relevant data show that the existing Huang fish resources in Qinghai Lake are about 7,500 tons, less than 1/10 of the initial development period. At present, the birds inhabiting Bird Island eat nearly 1,000 tons of Huang fish every year, and the depletion of Huang fish resources is invisible. pose a serious threat to the survival of birds.

The body of Huang fish is thick and plump, the meat is fresh and plump, and it is rich in nutrients. The fat content is as high as 12% and the protein is 16.14%. It is very popular among the people. The local people have a very special cooking method for eating Huang fish. They clean the fish, add water, seasonings, and vinegar to a pot, simmer it for 5 or 6 hours, and then call it "sour fish." During the breeding season, its ovaries and testes are poisonous. Animals who eat it will suffer from abdominal cramp-like symptoms, followed by paralysis, difficulty breathing and death. People will have diarrhea 4-5 hours after eating its gonads, followed by vomiting. Its peritoneum is also toxic. If the peritoneum of fresh fish is not removed or washed, it will be poisoned after eating. In mild cases, people will feel dizzy, lack of energy, and have mild diarrhea. In severe cases, they will have diarrhea more than ten times a day. If you eat too much fish eggs and peritoneum, severe poisoning will cause death. When eating fresh and processed dried products, the internal organs and peritoneum should be discarded to avoid poisoning.

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