Garfish otherwise called arrow fish. People's name emphasizes the thinness and elongation of the animal. His body resembles a ribbon, and a long nose- igloo. The jaws open like a beak. Inside it is strewn with sharp and thin teeth.

The appearance is exotic and the taste is excellent. Garfish has fatty, white and soft meat. There are minimal bones in it. Therefore, fishermen are not embarrassed by the small “exhaust” of meat. If you are cutting an arrow fish for the first time, it is interesting to look not only at its appearance. The water dweller has green bones.

Description and features of garfish

Sargan - fish ray-finned. There are also cartilaginous ones, for example, and. Ray-finned fish are divided into superorders. Garfish are included in the "true teleosts". The order is called “sargan-shaped”. The family is called garfish. Its representatives are characterized by:

  • small and thin scales with a smooth edge, called cycloid
  • fins lack spiny and hard rays
  • the anal and dorsal fins are opposite each other, only one is on top and the other is below, almost at the tail
  • the lateral line is located on the belly of the fish rather than on the side
  • the swim bladder is disconnected from the digestive system, ensuring compactness of the organs

Biliverdin gives the green color to the spine of the garfish. This is one of the bile pigments. The substance is a breakdown product of fish bone marrow blood cells.

When cooked, garfish bones turn green

Biliverdin tastes unpleasant. However, there is no need to eat garfish bones. By the way, the skeleton turns green during heat treatment.

Bileverdin is not poisonous, although it scares many people with its color. The color of the garfish on top also includes green. The back of the fish is cast for them. The sides and belly are silvery.

In what bodies of water is it found?

There are 25 species of fish in the garfish family. Two dozen live in the seas. Only 5 people like fresh water. Rivers and garfish inhabit exclusively in tropical zone. Marine fish thrive in subtropics and temperate zone.

Freshwater species caught in Ecuador, Guiana and Brazil. Two species live in their waters. Another 2 live in the waters of India, Ceylon and Indonesia. The fifth of the freshwater garfish is found in Northern.

Both freshwater and saltwater arrowfish mostly stay off the coast and even bury themselves in the sand at low tides. In the photo there is a garfish sometimes it appears as the tip of a bony nose or tail sticking out from the edge of the beach.

When choosing a bottom landscape, garfish prefer a complex one. As a rule, arrowfish are found near reefs. A few species of garfish, for example, the ribbon-shaped one, swim away from them and the shores.

Types of garfish

Among the 25 species of the hero of the article, the smallest are freshwater ones. However, all arrow fish are mostly small. However, there is one giant living in the sea. Let's start listing the species with this:

1. Crocodile. Reaches 2 meters in length, for which it is nicknamed gigantic. Another name for the animal is the armored pike. Unlike most garfish, the body of the crocodile is covered with hard scales. They form a relief similar to the skin of a crocodile. The giant weighs about 6 kilograms.

2. European. Grows up to 60 centimeters long. The fish inhabits the Atlantic, found off the coast and the Old World. While sailing through the Mediterranean, the animal gets to the Black Sea. Garfish here it is separated into a separate subspecies. That's what it's called - Black Sea. Garfish this one is slightly smaller than most European specimens. There is a dark stripe running down the back of the animal.

3. Pacific. In Russia it is called Far Eastern. Found in southern waters Primorye, in particular in the Sea of ​​Japan. The fish reaches a meter in length. In the waters of the Primorsky Territory, the animal fattens and spawns, swimming there exclusively in the summer. Blue stripes are visible on the sides of the Far Eastern garfish.

4. Freshwater. All freshwater garfish are united under this name. They rarely extend more than 30 centimeters. This, coupled with a predilection for fresh water, makes it possible to keep arrowfish in aquariums. Since garfish are predators, it is not worth adding miniature ones to them. Arrows are introduced to large cichlids.

5. Black-tailed garfish. It has a round anthracite-colored spot on the tail. On the sides of the animal there are cross stripes. Black-tailed individuals reach 50 centimeters in length. The second name of the species is Black garfish.

IN Soviet times The Black Sea subspecies of garfish was one of the top five fisheries leaders. By the 21st century, the number of Russian arrows has declined.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The thin, laterally compressed and long body of the hero of the article suggests a wave-like movement. The fish swim like water snakes.

Garfish swim in the upper layers of water, that is, they belong to pelagic fish. More school arrows. Gathering in schools of thousands, the animals reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. The indicator is comparable to the sprint of hunting pikes. Garfish are similar in appearance to them.

By staying near the surface, garfish can breathe. The functions of the lungs begin to be performed by the swim bladder of the arrows. Transformations occur in oxygen-poor waters or when fish bury themselves in the sand.

Garfish are indiscriminate when it comes to food; they grab small fish, caviar, insects, invertebrates, even their own relatives. In this way, arrows are also similar to pikes.

Indiscriminate eating is one of the factors that has allowed garfish to survive for millions of years. The arrowfish is a relict fish.

Fishing for garfish

Fishing for garfish exciting and dangerous. The needle-shaped teeth of the water dweller cause painful wounds. The animal's sharp and durable nose can pierce flesh. This becomes possible at speed. Having gained full speed, a garfish can collide with a person in two cases:

  1. Scared bright light. Incidents occur during night fishing or simply when small vessels with spotlights are sailing. Seeing them, the blinded garfish jumps out of the water at speed.
  2. Having encountered an obstacle. If the animal did not notice it from afar, it will try to jump, soaring high above the water. In flight, the needle steams through objects and creatures that get in its way.

You can also prick yourself on a needle when fishing from the shore. They catch garfish from a distance of 40-100 meters. You need to take the caught individual under your head, like a snake. The animal will squirm and try to bite. You also need to be careful when grabbing a needle that has fallen off a hook and is wriggling on the ground.

You can catch the hero of the article not only from the shore, boat, but also under water. A popular fish is even named after the arrow fish. wetsuit "Garfish" spearfishing enthusiasts are included in the “top 10 best on the domestic market.” Actually, there is more than one wetsuit. More than 10 models are produced under the Sargan brand.

Reproduction and lifespan

To spawn, garfish choose secluded corners among the reefs, under aquatic vegetation, staying off the coast. 5-year-old males and 6-year-old females begin to reproduce. This is the age of puberty. Older fish, of course, also participate in mating games.

Females lay eggs several times with an interval of 2 weeks. Having started in April, spawning ends only in August.

Algae is needed not only to camouflage eggs. The capsules are attached to plants using adhesive threads. Garfish eggs are placed close to the surface.

Arrowfish are born one and a half centimeters long and have short jaws. The nose lengthens as the animal grows.

In an aquarium, garfish live up to 4 years. Accordingly, this is the age of freshwater arrows. IN natural environment they live to be 7, starting to spawn earlier than marine species. They live up to 13 years.


Crocodile gar August 5th, 2016

So, which “crocodile-like” ones have we already looked at? Everyone knows, of course, but how do you like this? There were all sorts of course and even with or

And today we’ll look at another fish, with crocodile teeth.

The crocodile garfish or Hound needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus) is the largest representative of the garfish, sometimes called the giant garfish. Reaches a length of just under 2 m and a weight of more than 6 kg. They are found mainly near the coast and near coral reefs. Prefers to stay in small flocks or alone. Fishermen are afraid of this fish, because at night, rushing towards the light, it jumps out of the water and can seriously injure the fisherman with its sharp teeth.

Photo 2.

Sargan is a pelagic fish, i.e. lives in open waters closer to the surface of the water. It feeds on other small fish: anchovy, sprat, juvenile mackerel, etc. The body of the arrow fish is very successful from an aerodynamic point of view. She can dial high speed, making lightning-fast short-term jerks. During a hunt, a garfish can become so excited that it jumps out of the water after its fleeing prey. It also makes high candles when it gets hooked by fishermen.

Photo 3.

Sargan is a valuable commercial fish species. On an industrial scale, it is caught in shallow water in nets. Spinning fishing from a boat or boat is also popular. Most often, garfish are served fried or baked. The bones of the fish are green in color due to biliverdin (a green bile pigment), which discourages some from eating arrowfish, but the fish is completely safe.

Photo 4.

The Sargan family - Belonidae - have a long and thin body, covered with very small scales, and powerful elongated jaws, equipped with sharp fang-like teeth, distinguish them well from related families - half-snout fish, flying fish, and scombfish. During individual development The fry of some garfish go through the “half-snout stage,” which indisputably indicates the systematic proximity of these fish.

Photo 5.

There are 9 genera and about 25 species in the garfish family. They inhabit mainly marine, but also brackish and fresh waters, mostly within the tropical and subtropical zones. Some marine species However, they also live in temperate warm-water areas, while freshwater garfish, of which there are only 5 species, are found only in the tropics: they are known from rivers South America(Ecuador, Guiana, Brazil), South-East Asia(from India and Ceylon to Indonesia) and Northern Australia. Two species of freshwater garfish belong to the widespread genus Strongylura, other representatives of which live in coastal marine waters and sometimes enter river mouths; the rest belong to independent, but very close in origin, genera.

Photo 6.

Sea garfish are found mainly near the coast, and among them there are even those that live only near coral reefs. The black-tailed gar (Strongylura strongylura), common in bays and bays off the coast of South Asia, can remain in the drained zone during low tide, burrowing into soft mud to a depth of about half a meter. At the same time, there are also species that go far into the open ocean. These include, in particular, the ribbon-shaped gar (Ablenes hians), quite common in the tropical pelagic zone

Photo 7.

Sargans are the largest representatives of the order of garfish. The giant crocodile gar (Tylosurus crocodilus), common in the tropical waters of all oceans, reaches, for example, 150-180 cm in length. There are, however, smaller species, the size of which does not exceed 30-40 cm. Garfish usually swim using wave-like bends of the body, but are also capable of sharp throws performed at high speed. When frightened or in pursuit of prey (all garfish are predators that feed mainly on fish), they jump out of the water, making large jumps. Garfish are often thrown out of the water in order to jump over obstacles floating on the surface of the water, which may include artificial obstacles, such as boats or rafts. In this case, large garfish can pose a significant danger to passengers. Indeed, there are known cases where such jumps led to dangerous injuries to fishermen.

Photo 8.

All garfish belong to the group edible fish, although in some countries there is a certain prejudice against them due to the strange green color of their bones. Most of the garfish are caught only for local fresh consumption, and only a few are the object of special fishing.

Two species of garfish are found in Soviet waters - the common garfish (Belone belone) and the Far Eastern garfish (Strongylura anastomella). The common, or Atlantic, garfish is widespread in moderate warm waters off the western and southern coasts of Europe and North Africa from Cape Verde to Iceland and Norway (individual specimens were caught further north - to eastern Murman and White Sea). This garfish is also found in the Baltic, North, Mediterranean and Black Seas. It reaches a length of about 90 cm; the Black Sea form, however, does not grow to such sizes (length up to 66 cm, weight up to 300 g). This is a pack predatory fish, the main food of which in the Black Sea consists of various small fish, mainly anchovy, after which garfish enter the Sea of ​​Azov in the spring. Spawning common garfish occurs in the coastal zone, and the eggs, equipped with adhesive threads, are attached to algae and sea grass. In the Azov-Black Sea basin, the garfish, called local residents"needle", has some economic importance, and recently there was even a proposal made about the desirability of introducing this fish into the Caspian Sea.

Photo 9.

The Far Eastern garfish is common in the seas washing the coasts of Japan, Korea and Northern China. In our waters it is found only in summer time off the coast of Southern Primorye. This garfish, up to 90 cm long, is sometimes caught in fixed seines in Peter the Great Bay, but due to its small numbers it has no commercial significance.

Photo 10.

Photo 11.

Photo 12.

Photo 13.

Photo 14.

This fish is ideal for frying, as it has virtually no bones. It will not be possible to fry it entirely, since the fish is quite large.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the fish into portions. Add a little salt.
  2. Roll in flour.
  3. Fry on sunflower oil until golden brown.

The garfish turns out very tasty, with tender meat and a crispy crust. This fish can be served with a salad of fresh vegetables.

Garfish Shkara Recipe

Shkara is a delicious dish that is not so easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • garfish – 700 g;
  • onions – 3 pcs.;
  • olives – 10 pcs.;
  • lemon – 1 pc.;
  • butter – 100 g;
  • bay leaf – 4 pcs.;
  • spices, salt and pepper.

Preparation:

  1. Gut the fish and roll into rings, using toothpicks to secure.
  2. Remove the zest from the lemon and cut it into small pieces. Stuff olives with lemon.
  3. Melt a piece in another pan butter, add bay leaf, heat for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Fry the fish in vegetable oil for 10-12 minutes on each side. Remove the toothpicks; the garfish will hold its shape.
  5. Cut the onion into rings. Place about half of it in a thick layer on the frying pan, and place garfish rings on top.
  6. Place olives stuffed with lemon into each ring. Add spices and salt to taste.
  7. Place a little butter on each ring. Sprinkle the remaining onion on top and pour in a little water.
  8. Simmer the shkara over low heat for 20 minutes. The lid must be closed.

The dish turns out very aromatic and tasty.

Garfish fish with vegetables

Fish on a bed of vegetables always turns out tender and juicy.

Ingredients:

  • garfish – 800 g;
  • carrots – 3 pcs.;
  • onions – 5 pcs.;
  • tomatoes – 7 pcs.;
  • vegetable oil– 75 ml;
  • paprika, pepper, salt.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the fish into portions and fry until golden brown.
  2. Coarsely grate the carrots, cut the onions into rings, and tomatoes into slices.
  3. Fry onions and carrots. Stew the tomatoes in another frying pan.
  4. Place half the vegetables in layers in a large frying pan, place the fish on top, seasoning it with spices. Place the remaining vegetables on the fish.
  5. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice or potatoes.

Garfish dishes have a unique taste and aroma, so you need to treat yourself to this fish at least sometimes.

I wanted to eat fish, there was a lot of choice.
And I always want to try something new. It was called a fish, in Bulgarian garfish, in ours needle fish. It looks like a needle.
I’ve never eaten something like this before and a surprise awaited me.



I brought it home and cut it up as expected.


I added potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. I poured olive oil over everything and into the oven.
It's simple!

And a simple salad to go with it.

The fish was ready quickly.

We sat down to eat. And then a surprise awaited me. Having cut up the fish, I saw that its bones were green.
To be honest, I was scared and thought that I shouldn’t eat it.
It smells delicious though!
I typed on the Internet: “fish have green bones.” And this is what happened:

"The garfish, like some other sea ​​fish, such as eelpout, the bones are greenish or even bright green in color. This is explained by the fact that a pigment substance similar to biliverdin, a coloring pigment of bile, is deposited in the bones, skin, scales, and rays of the fins of the garfish.

Except for the green bones, everything turned out delicious.

Have you ever met a fish with green bones?

Garfish (lat. Belone belone) or “sea pike” is a fish of the garfish genus.

Description
Habitat: sea
Reproduction: oviparous
Length of newly hatched garfish: 13 mm
Adult length: 90 cm

The turquoise-colored common garfish is one of the fish that can dance above the surface of the water. Faster and faster they move towards the light, just for fun or to “escape” from danger. This fast and graceful predator has a narrow body. Little ones sharp teeth on a peculiar beak allow the garfish to grab small prey - herring, crustaceans - during fast swimming. IN large quantities garfish are found in the Black and other seas.

Reproduction

In the spring, garfish begin their reproductive period: along the coast they lay round eggs, which are attached to algae and other aquatic vegetation with the help of thin sticky threads. Garfish larvae are born without a beak; it appears only in adult individuals. In winter, garfish move to the open sea.
Many fishermen, especially beginners and holidaymakers, mistake the garfish for an igloo fish that has grown to gigantic sizes. In fact, there are many differences between them. Firstly, the largest of the pipefish of the Azov-Black Sea basin (there are 7 species of this fish in total) - Syngnathus typhle argentatus - is long-snouted or high-snouted, has no teeth, and secondly, it is incommensurate with our hero neither in length nor in length. weight, not to mention color and especially gastronomic qualities.

Sarganaceae - mainly Marine life, distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones oceans. Some of them reach a length of 1.5 m and a weight of 4 kg. This large family, numbering about 12 genera, is represented in the Black Sea by only one species - Belone belone euxini.

The Black Sea garfish, or, as it is also called, sea pike, has a typical arrow-shaped body covered with small silvery scales. The back is green. The length is usually up to 75 cm. This schooling pelagic fish has elongated jaws in the form of a sharp beak.
Garfish are widespread in the Black and Marmara Seas, as well as in the western part Sea of ​​Azov. Lives 6-7 years, reaches sexual maturity in one year. Breeds from late April to late August. Its migration throughout the year is associated with spawning, feeding and wintering.
Once a garfish, being one of delicious fish Black Sea, rightfully included in the top five commercial species, mined off the coast of Crimea. The total annual catch of garfish reached 300-500 tons. Often large specimens were caught in the nets of Crimean fishermen - about 1 m long and weighing up to 1 kg.