I wanted to eat fish, the choice was large.
And I always want to try something new. It was called a fish, in Bulgarian garfish, in our needle fish. She looks like a needle.
I've never eaten this and here's a surprise waiting for me.



Brought home, butchered, as expected.


Added potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. I drizzled everything with olive oil and put it in the oven.
Everything is simple!

And to her salad, unpretentious.

The fish was ready quickly.

Sat down to eat. And then a surprise awaited me. Having cut the fish, she saw that her bones were green.
To be honest, I was scared and thought that you should not eat it.
Although it smells delicious!
Typed on the Internet: "The fish has green bones." And here's what happened:

"In the garfish, like in some other marine fish, such as the eelpout, the bones have a greenish or even bright green color. This is explained by the fact that a pigment substance similar to biliverdin, a coloring pigment, is deposited in the bones, skin, scales, rays of the fins of the garfish bile is a metabolic product of these species of fish.

Except for the green bones, everything turned out delicious.

Have you seen fish with green bones?

The upper jaw in juveniles is very short: in fish about 20 cm long, it is approximately 1/4 the length of the lower jaw. With age, the upper jaw lengthens greatly, but still remains slightly shorter than the lower. The short dorsal and anal fins of the garfish are carried far back, to the very tail. The caudal fin is forked. Almost at the very belly there is a well-marked straight lateral line. Small pelvic fins are located on the belly. The back of the garfish is dark, bluish-green, the sides are silvery. It's pretty big fish, reaching a length of 94 cm, the usual body length is 70-75 cm.

Garfish are common in moderate warm waters in Western and southern shores Europe and North Africa: from Cape Verde to Iceland and Norway. In the waters of Russia, it is found along the coast of the Black Sea, in the Sea of ​​Azov (mainly in its western part) and the Taganrog Bay, occasionally comes across off the coast of the Kola Peninsula and in the White Sea.

Sargan is a schooling sea fish. During the day, as a rule, it stays in deeper layers of water, and in dark good nights rises to the surface. The garfish normally swims by means of the undulations of its long body, but it is also capable of quick throws at high speed. When frightened or in pursuit of prey, garfish often jump out of the water, making large jumps. Sometimes they are thrown out of the water in order to jump over obstacles floating on the surface. In the coastal areas of the sea, the garfish is found all year round, but also makes significant migrations in search of food. In the Black Sea, the movements of this fish are associated with the migrations of anchovy, which is its main food here. In the spring after the anchovy black sea garfish enters the Sea of ​​Azov. He does not stop eating during spawning. In addition to the anchovy, other small fish, as well as some invertebrates, become its prey.

Sexual maturity of the garfish usually reaches the fifth or sixth year of life and breeds annually, some individuals mature as early as three years. The garfish spawns in the spring at some distance from the coast at depths of 12-18 meters. Caviar is spawned in portions, so spawning is greatly extended and continues in the Black Sea from late April to mid-October. The main part of the fish spawns from May to mid-August. Small eggs, 3-3.5 mm in diameter, are laid on algae and any floating objects. Every egg

it is equipped with 60-80 rather long threads with which it attaches to algae. The fertility of this species is 30-45 thousand eggs. Depending on the water temperature, the development of eggs lasts from 10 days to 4-5 weeks. The first larvae in the Black Sea appear in early June. They stay in the upper layers of water in the coastal zone. Larvae differ sharply from adult fish in their short jaws. By the end of the first year of life, matured and acquired a typical appearance, small garfish migrate to the depths.

This fish lives for more than 13 years, however, 5-9-year-old individuals predominate in catches. Sargan - commercial species, although his bones have a specific green color due to the bile pigment contained in them - biliverdin. Some economic importance it also exists here in the Azov-Black Sea basin.

IN summer time in Peter the Great Bay and off the coast of Southern Primorye, a close species appears in our waters - pacific garfish(Strongyiura anastomella). This more heat-loving fish is common in the seas washing the coasts of Japan, Korea and Northern China, reaches a length of 90 cm and differs from other types of garfish in a beautiful bluish-silver longitudinal strip running along each side.


Fishes. - M.: Astrel. E.D. Vasiliev. 1999

See what "Common garfish" is in other dictionaries:

    common garfish

    Garfish- ? Sargan Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

    Garfish- common, or Atlantic, garfish (Belone belone), a fish of the garfish family. Body length up to 90 cm, weighs up to 1 kg. Distributed in warm temperate waters off the coast of Europe and North Africa, found in the Baltic, North, ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    European garfish- ? European garfish Scientific classification ... Wikipedia

    European garfish- paprastoji vėjažuvė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Belone Belone engl. flat needlefish; garfish; garpike hornfish; greenbone rus. European garfish; common garfish ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… … Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

    garfish family- Common garfish (Below belone), common in all European and other seas, reaches a length of 1 m or more, and the weight rarely exceeds 1 kg. The signs are in a very elongated, eel-shaped body, elongated in the form of a long ... ... Animal life - a family of fish of the garfish order. Length from 30 cm to 1.8 m. Over 30 species, in the coastal waters of tropical, subtropical, less often temperate seas, including 2 species in the Black, Baltic and Seas of Japan. Object of local craft. * * *… … encyclopedic Dictionary

    GARGAN-SHAPED- (Beloniformes), a detachment of ray-finned (see. RAY-FISHED) fish. Known since the Eocene (see EOCENE SECTION). 4 families and about 150 species, widely distributed in the warm waters of the World Ocean and fresh water bodies, in the upper layers of water. All garfish… encyclopedic Dictionary

The Atlantic garfish in the waters of the Black Sea usually grows up to 70 cm and reaches a mass of 300-400 g. It is a schooling predator whose main food is various small fish, mainly ferina - a small fish similar to anchovy (scientifically - atherina). The shape of the garfish resembles something between a needle fish and an eel: a long, elastic body covered with small silvery scales. characteristic feature are very forward-protruding jaws-beak, dotted with small teeth, which makes it look like a swordfish or marlin. And although it is inferior in size to the legendary corsair southern seas, in aggressiveness and indefatigability in the pursuit of prey can boldly compete with them.

Catching a garfish Black Sea coast begins approximately in July and continues until frost in November - December. If in the summer garfish are caught only occasionally and, as a rule, not large, then in the fall a dozen toothy predators are a completely normal catch. It was at this time that organized flocks of garfish begin the hunting season for the ferina, which strays into large shoals on the eve of winter. This small, 7-10 cm fish is the best bait for the "Black Sea pike", as the garfish is often called, so the hunt for the garfish begins with catching the ferina. Ferina is caught using a lift, a light float rod (bait - a piece of mussel, shrimp) and a mini-trap (two-five hooks No. 2.5 - 3 according to the domestic classification, equipped with white wool, shiny threads).

The presence of ferina in the fishing area is one of the indispensable conditions good fishing. Flocks of ferinas easily find themselves with splashes and fuss at the surface of the water, fish like to spin around piles, piers, and moorings. From time to time, one can observe how suddenly a commotion arises in the flock, the fish rush in all directions, and greenish shadows flicker in the water. Do not yawn here - the garfish has approached! Often, anglers lure the ferina by throwing crushed mussels, pieces of fish and other animal food into the water. Sometimes the fish are stocked in advance and frozen at home. But, as you know, everything fresh is always better than frozen.

When choosing a place for catching garfish, it is important to pay attention to one important thing. If you have ever fished from a pier, you will often see that the beach is separated from the open sea by a breakwater that is hidden under the surface of the water, but not so much that it cannot be overlooked. The resulting cove is very good for swimming, catching gobies, but many sea ​​fish prefer to stay on the high seas. The garfish is no exception. Therefore, if you plan to catch this fish, look for it behind a breakwater, in the open sea, or in a place where there is no breakwater.

So, we will assume that you have stocked up on ferina, now is the time to talk about gear. Garfish are caught both with the help of an "elastic band" and using a float for long-distance casting. In both cases the bait should be 0.5 - 1 m from the sea surface - it is in this layer of water that the garfish mainly hunts.

The device of the marine "gum" is quite standard, it is distinguished from the traditional one by a small but important detail. In the place where the leashes depart from the main line, foam floats the size of wine cork to keep the bait in the right layer of water. The length of the leashes should be about 1 m, it is advisable to connect them to the main fishing line using a swivel. Leashes are sometimes weighted with a small pellet so that the bait sinks faster. It is better to use a small hook (No. 67) with a long shank and very sharp. Usually on the "elastic band" use from 4 to 8 hooks. The fish is planted behind the back, and bites are determined by the behavior of the floats - they begin to dive and spin in place.

A more sporty look is fishing with a long cast float or a slightly heavier "match" rig. To do this, you need a 35 m long rod (you can use a match or Bologna), a spinning or multiplier reel, a main line with a diameter of 0.25-0.3 mm or a cord up to 0.15 mm and a meter of smaller diameter, a “match” float with a long antenna and a sliding sinker "olive". Although the teeth of the garfish are sharp, I do not remember the case when he bit off the leash from the fishing line, so it is not advisable to use a tungsten leash. The mounting of the float is preferably sliding, so it is much easier to cast. The long body allows it to successfully withstand a small wave, and when biting, the fish feels less resistance. This is really important, because, having grabbed the prey with its "beak", the garfish continues to move, turning and swallowing the fish. If he feels a lot of resistance caused by a heavy "deaf" sinker or a powerful float, he will most likely throw the bait. Of course, depending on the wind and the size of the waves, it makes sense to adjust the equipment of the fishing rod: to make it heavier or lighter. Therefore, sometimes they use a "bait" float with a carrying capacity of up to 15 g. However, even in a mild storm, garfish are almost never caught. When biting, given the structure of the mouth of the garfish, you should not rush to hook it, since it is unlikely that you will be able to pierce its nose with a hook. Be patient and let the fish take the bait. The garfish is usually given 20 seconds for this. If time runs, but there are still no bites, try to play with tackle: slowly reel in the line, make slight jerks with the rod.

Flocks of garfish actively move along the coast in search of ferina, so sometimes fishing from a boat while drifting is more prey. A characteristic feature of fish of the Sargan family is the greenish color of the bones, which is believed to be due to the high content of phosphorus. However, eating this fish is not at all dangerous, and besides, the garfish is very tasty.

Pisces with unusual appearance always get our attention. One of these amazing fish is a garfish fish, appearance which is very reminiscent of an armored pike and an igloo fish at the same time. Sometimes a garfish is called an arrow fish, emphasizing its long, elongated, like an arrow, body with this name.

Who are the gargs

Garfish belong to a subclass of ray-finned fish, which is included in the class bony fish(there is another class cartilaginous fish, which includes stingrays). In the class of ray-finned fish there is a superorder "Real bony fish", in which among the many detachments there is a detachment of Garfish. Four families are distinguished in this order, one of them is the Sargan family, in which there are approximately twenty-five species.

Most species of fish of the Sarganov family are inhabitants sea ​​waters and only five of them are freshwater. Almost all of them prefer the tropics and subtropics, but some sea ​​views live in temperate regions.

Appearance features

Description of garfish fish:

  • All garfish have a very long and rather thin body.
  • The scales are very small, cycloid (the edge of the scale is even, without notches).
  • The lateral line is located very low - almost on the belly.
  • There are no spiny rays in the fins.
  • The anal and dorsal fins are very close to the tail, being almost a mirror image of each other.
  • Very long and powerful jaws, resembling tweezers, are completely seated with sharp, fang-like teeth that help to tenaciously grasp and hold prey.

In the photo of the garfish fish, all the above features of its appearance are clearly visible.

But there are other features internal structure, characteristic for the detachment of garfish:

  • The swim bladder is not connected to the esophagus, as is the case in other fish, for example, in (from the sturgeon order).
  • In some species (fish of the Sargan family), the spine green color.

What is a green garfish fish

To the question that fish has a green garfish, the answer must be sought not only in its appearance, but you should also “look” inside and remember about the bones of the spine. Garfish bones have such an unusual color due to the presence of a special green pigment in them, which is called biliverdin.

All garfish are edible fish with tasty meat. But not all countries decide to use them for food because of the prejudice caused by the unusual phosphorus-green color of the bones of these fish. It is enough to forget about this feature, and from these fish you can cook a lot of delicious dishes.

Where do garfish live

The garfish order includes fish, which for the most part are marine, with the exception of a few freshwater species. In the sea, garfish live mainly near the coast. There are even those who choose only coral reefs as their place of residence.

And the black-tailed garfish, common off the coast of South Asia (the coast of Pakistan and India), is capable of burrowing into soft soil (silt and fine sand) at low tide, remaining in the drainage zone.

It goes into the sandy soil to a depth of about 50 centimeters, waiting for a long period of low tide. At the next high tide, he leaves the shelter and can return to the sea, where he lives at a depth of about 10 meters. Consider a photo of a black-tailed garfish, which gets its name from the black round spot on each side of the base of the caudal fin.

Among the garfish, there are species that go far into the open ocean, such as the ribbon-shaped garfish (Ablennes hians), often found in tropical ocean waters around the world.

One of the few freshwater garfish lives in reservoirs with fresh water(lakes and canals), as well as in the mouths of some countries of Southeast Asia. Often they are bred in aquariums, since they do not grow more than 30 centimeters. These are silver-green fish with a long cylindrical body, along which a dark stripe stretches.

Types of garfish

The most famous garfish fish is the common or European garfish (Belone belone). Its habitat is temperate waters. Atlantic Ocean off European coasts and the coasts of northern Africa. It passes through the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, where the subspecies of the Black Sea garfish (Velone belone euxini) stands out. Velone belone fish can reach almost one meter (90 centimeters) in length, and its Black Sea counterpart is slightly smaller - up to 60 centimeters.

Description of the common garfish fish: a very elongated body with a greenish back and silver-green sides and a dark, clearly visible stripe along the back.

The Belone belone garfish are characterized by seasonal migrations: adults come close to the shore for spawning. The winter period is spent in the open sea, walking up. The fish are schooling and swim fast. And during a swift swim, they grab crustaceans and small fish (tulka, anchovy, sprat), which they feed on.

The largest garfish

The largest fish of the Sargan order (including the famous flying fish) is a member of the Sargan family (Belonidae). Its name is crocodile or giant garfish (Tylosurus crocodilus). It inhabits the tropical parts of all oceans and can even reach two meters in length. Its weight can be more than six kilograms.

Far Eastern garfish

In Russian waters (except the Black Sea), the arrow fish is found in the Sea of ​​Japan waters of South Primorye. This is the Far Eastern or Pacific garfish (Strongylura anastomella), which also grows up to 90 - 100 centimeters.

Its ribbon-like, laterally compressed body is densely covered with very small scales. The lateral line is "hidden" in a skin fold located along the lower edge of the abdomen. Each side is decorated with a narrow bluish-silver longitudinal stripe, starting at the upper corner of the gill cover and going to the caudal fin. transverse stripes absent on the sides.

These garfish enter the waters of the Primorsky Territory only in summer for breeding and feeding. Spawning takes place in shallow areas of bays, bays and lagoons in thickets of underwater plants, possibly the sea grass Zostera.

Way of moving and jumping up

Having a long snake-like body, garfish swim, making its wave-like bends.

They swim at high speed and can perform sharp throws without slowing down. The reason for such rolls may be fright or chasing prey in a state of hunger. In this case, the fish jumps out of the water and can jump a long distance. Sometimes they come out of the water to jump over various objects that are on the surface of the water. For example, a boat or raft may be such an obstacle.

The danger of jumping garfish for humans

When any obstacle on the water surface is in front of the garfish, or it will be frightened bright light lights on the ship (at night), he jumps out of the water at high speed. His jump can be dangerous for passengers. And there are several cases of dangerous injuries to fishermen when a fish hit this person on the fly.

Crocodile garfish August 5th, 2016

So, what kind of "crocodile-like" have we already considered? Of course, everyone knows, but how do you like this. There were all sorts of course and even with or

And today we will 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 into the light, it jumps out of the water and can severely 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, young 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 the hunt, the garfish can become so excited that it jumps out of the water after fleeing prey. It also makes high candles when caught by anglers.

Photo 3.

Sargan is a valuable commercial fish species. On an industrial scale, it is caught in shallow water in a net. Fishing with spinning from a boat or boat is also popular. Most often, garfish are served to the table in a fried or baked form. The bones of the fish are green, due to biliverdin (a green bile pigment), which deters 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 canine-shaped teeth, distinguish them well from related families - semi-finned, flying fish, mackerel. In the course of individual development, the fry of some garfish go through the “semi-snout stage”, which undeniably 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 live, however, in the moderately warm water area, 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 (Strongylura), other representatives of which live in marine coastal waters and sometimes enter estuaries; 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 garfish (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 silt 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 garfish (Ablennes hians), quite common in the tropical pelagic zone.

Photo 7.

Garfish are the largest representatives of the order of garfish-shaped fish. The giant crocodile garfish (Tylosurus crocodilus), common in tropical waters of all oceans, reaches, for example, 150-180 cm in length. True, there are also smaller species, the size of which does not exceed 30-40 cm. Garfish usually swim with the help of wave-like bending of the body, but they 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 big 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 cases when such jumps led to dangerous injuries to fishermen.

Photo 8.

All garfish belong to the number edible fish, although in some countries there is a certain prejudice towards them due to the strange green color of their bones. Most of the garfish are harvested only for local fresh consumption, and only a few serve as an 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 common in moderately warm waters off the western and southern coasts of Europe and North Africa from Cape Verde to Iceland and Norway (some 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). It's a flock predatory fish, whose main food in the Black Sea is various small fish, mainly anchovy, after which garfish enter the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov in spring. Spawning of the common garfish takes place in the coastal strip, and the eggs, equipped with sticky filaments, 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 even a proposal was 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 off the coast of Southern Primorye. This garfish, which is up to 90 cm long, is sometimes found in fixed nets in Peter the Great Bay, but due to its small number it has no commercial value.

Photo 10.

Photo 11.

Photo 12.

Photo 13.

Photo 14.