Living habits and morphological characteristics of shad (steamed shad without scraping scales)

Macrura reevesi belongs to the order Herringae, family Herringidae, subfamily Macrura, and genus Macrura. Common names: Shiyu, Sanlai fish, Sanli fish. English name: Hilsa herring, Seasonal shad, Reeves’shad.

Endangerment level: Endangered.

The body is very flat on the side and oblong in shape, with a medium-large head and a pointed snout. The mouth is large, end-positioned, the oral cleft is inclined, and the lower jaw is slightly longer; there is a notch in the middle of the upper jaw, which coincides with the protrusion in the middle of the mandible. The posterior end of the maxilla reaches below the posterior edge of the eye, which has well-developed fatty eyelids. Gill rakers are slender and dense. The gill openings are large. False gills are well developed. The opercular membrane is not connected to the gill isthmus. The scales are large and thin, with fine lines on them; the base of the caudal fin is covered with small scales; the bases of the pectoral and pelvic fins have large and elongated axillary scales; the ventral surface has large, sharp ridged scales arranged with serrated edges. There is no lateral line, the back and head are gray-black, the middle and upper sides have a slight blue-green sheen, the lower sides and abdomen are silver-white; the pelvic fins and anal fins are gray-white, and the other fins are dark blue.

Anchovy is a migratory fish that goes up rivers to spawn. It is named after it enters the river regularly every year. They usually live in the sea. From late February to early March every year, the reproductive groups migrate upstream from the ocean for reproductive migration. From May to July, when the water temperature reaches about 28°C, there is a slow flow of migratory water in the tributaries of rivers or lakes. , Breeding in river sections with sandy bottom. The spawning time is mostly in the evening or early morning, and the broodstock fish still swim back to the sea after reproduction. The young fish enter tributaries or lakes to feed, and do not fall into the river until September or October. The spawning grounds of shad in the Yangtze River are relatively concentrated in the Boyang Lake and Ganjiang River areas. A few go upstream to Dongting Lake and enter the Xiangjiang River, and a very few go up to the vicinity of Yichang. In the Pearl River, they mainly spawn in the lower reaches of the Xijiang River, and can be traced back to Guiping, Guangxi. Anchovy is a filter-feeding fish that mainly feeds on plankton and sometimes diatoms and other organic debris; however, during reproductive migration, broodstock rarely eat. The age of sexual maturity is generally 3+ years old.

It is widely distributed in my country's offshore waters, including the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea; it is distributed in fresh water in the Yangtze River, Pearl River, Qiantang River, Min River and other water systems.

Shad are larger in size, with common individuals weighing 1-1.5 kg. The largest individual can reach 8+ years old, with a body length of 616 mm and a weight of 3.5-4 kg. Its meat is thin and fatty, and its taste is very plump. Its internal organs have a fat content of 18-21.7%. The scales and skin are full of oil. It has a strong umami flavor and rich nutrition. The protein content of anchovy is 11.4-16.9%, and the fat is 11.1-17.0%; it is also rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc., so special emphasis is placed on "steaming the anchovy without scraping the scales" when cooking. Anchovy has always been a valuable fish in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Qiantang River, Pearl River and other water systems. It has been used as a tribute in ancient times. Steamed anchovy is famous at all times and at home and abroad. The arrival time of shad varies from place to place along the river, and the fishing season also has its own timing. For example, in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, "shad are seen during Grain Rain"; in Anhui, "shad are seen early in the Grain Rain, and late in the day, and during the Beginning of Summer and Xiaoman"; and in Xiajiang, Jiangxi, "shad are seen during the Dragon Boat Festival." "fish"; and in the Pearl River Delta area of Guangdong Province, shad are eaten in March of the lunar calendar. The Qiantang River runs from the beginning of summer to the Dragon Boat Festival. Jiangsu and Shanghai regard shad as the first of the four famous freshwater fish in the Yangtze River.

Anchovy meat is sweet and warm in nature and has the effect of nourishing and strengthening the body. Eating it steamed can relieve fatigue. The fish oil steamed from the fish can be applied to the burnt areas. The effect is very good.

Shad often form large schools during their upstream spawning process. The annual output of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was about 500 tons before 1970, and reached as high as 1,500 tons in 1974. Due to overfishing of breeding broodstock and bait-fed juveniles, the recruitment population has been drastically reduced. In addition, the construction of the advection cascade hub project in the Ganjiang River, the main spawning ground of shad, has blocked the spawning migration route of shad and destroyed the spawning grounds. Due to several reasons, the resources of shad have declined sharply. Since the 1980s, the population of shad has been in an endangered state.

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