Carp, or golden carp, ( Cyprinus carpio carpio) is a subspecies of ray-finned fish from the carp family. The ancient Chinese began to breed this fish, taking carp as their “genetic material”. For a long time, as a result of persistent and painstaking selection, the body of the carp became shorter, the scales became larger, and the shape of the head also changed somewhat.

Description of carp

Carp is big fish brown or yellow-green. Although the color of the carp may vary depending on the habitat. The body of the carp is elongated and covered with large golden-brown scales. There are carps with almost no scales. The head of the carp is large, the mouth is retractable. On the upper lip are two pairs of mustaches. The dorsal fin of the carp is long and has a small notch, the anal fin is short. The dorsal and anal fins have a serrated spiny ray. The sides of the carp are golden in color, the back is dark.

Types of carp

In addition to scaly carp, there are mirror carp and naked carp. In the mirror carp, the perifin, caudal parts of the body and middle line, and the scales are much larger than those of common carp. A naked carp is really practically naked, “dressed” only at the base of the dorsal fin and sometimes pectoral fins. By the way, an aquarium goldfish is nothing more than a dwarf form of carp.

Gradually, carp penetrated Europe: both independently (through Asian rivers) and as a result of purposeful delivery by travelers, since everything that was connected with China was fashionable in Europe, and carp fish among Chinese nobility considered a delicacy.

From the Greek language, the word “carp” is translated as “fruit”, “harvest”. Carps are really unusually “yielding” - the male carp fertilizes about a million eggs laid by the female. In combination with unpretentiousness in food and habitat, this was the reason for the incredibly rapid spread of carp in all European water bodies, from where it was brought to the British Isles, and in the 19th century - in North America.

What do carp eat?

The lifespan of a carp is about 30 years. By this time, the fish can reach 50 kilograms of weight. Its omnivorous nature contributes to rapid growth (carp fry gain up to 0.5 kg in six months) and a special “gastric” device of the digestive system, that is, in favorable climatic conditions, the fish feeds almost continuously. Probably, this feature makes us compare carp with a pig in a playful form - anglers know that this fish constantly rummages in the silt in search of food, like a pig in the mud, and reveals its presence with large, about 10 cm in diameter, air bubbles.

Carp fish keep mainly along the edge of underwater thickets, where they feed on crustaceans, microorganisms, and young shoots of reeds. Large carps prey on crayfish, tadpoles and frogs, even fry own kind. Young carps, in order to more successful hunting and confrontation with predators, stray into flocks, adult carps are single. However, with the onset of freeze-up, fish gather in groups for wintering in pits.

Where does the carp live?

Carp fish inhabits almost any, even a polluted body of water, however, it is thermophilic, therefore it is not found in the north of Europe. Prefers lakes, oxbows and backwaters on rivers with a small current and a moderately silted bottom.

carp breeding

Wintering usually ends during the spring flood, when the water warms up to 10 C 0 . Mature, 3-5 summer carps are sent for spawning, for which they choose relatively shallow (up to 2 m) overgrown areas. Such sites are in short supply, so they are used more than once, and each female is fertilized not by one, but by 3-5 males. Interestingly, the age of the carp is not a sufficient condition for reaching sexual maturity. Here, with good reason, we can say: "Size matters." The body length of males should be at least 29 cm, females are larger and reach 35 cm. Rapid spawning of carp begins at sunset and lasts up to half a day.

Most entrepreneurs are men. Most men love fishing. It turns out that your own fish farm is a dream business. Is it so in reality? What kind of fish is better to breed in Russian conditions, and what are the secrets of this business?

Andrey Semenov, the director of the largest in the Moscow region Biserovsky fish factory, says

What is more profitable - carp or trout?

Anyone who decides to start his own "fish" business, first of all, needs to decide what kind of fish he will breed. You will have to choose one thing - either carp or trout. Only these two types of fish grow well and are in constant demand from buyers. Actually, the technology of the economy will depend on this choice.

Of course, if opportunities allow, you can go in for carp, trout, and much more - for example, like us. Every year our farm sells about 1000 tons of live fish, of which only 500-600 tons we grow directly in the Moscow region - the rest we import for overexposure and subsequent sale from other fish farms. In addition, we breed fish in rented reservoirs in the southern regions, arrange paid fishing, we are engaged in fish processing - smoking, canning, etc. But such a scale, of course, is not available to a novice fish farmer.

The easiest way to grow carp. He is tenacious, unpretentious, most reservoirs suit him. To understand the technology of carp breeding, you do not need to graduate from the Timiryazev Academy with a degree in fish farming, just read textbooks. But on the market, at almost the same cost, capricious and sensitive trout is almost three times more expensive. True, in this case, one cannot do without hiring a qualified fish farmer: both experience and education are needed here.

This season, the Moscow market has very low wholesale prices for live fish. Trout has fallen in price since last year from 175 to 140 rubles per kilogram, a kilogram of carp costs 50-63 rubles. However, the business continues to be profitable. The profitability of our plant today is 8-9%. However, the average farmer, who does not have to pay for the maintenance of such a huge infrastructure as ours, can have an even higher rate of return. This business is also attractive because this year agricultural enterprises, which include all fish farms, have switched to a single agricultural tax. Now we pay the state only 6% of income reduced by expenses, exempt from VAT, income tax, unified social tax and property tax.

Where is the “climate” for fish?

The health and growth of fish is determined by two main factors - the temperature of the water and its saturation with oxygen. In addition, the state of the entire biological system of the reservoir, acidity (pH) and much more is important. To determine whether the pond you rented is suitable for fish farming, only specialists can do it. Therefore, before stocking the reservoir with fish, I advise you to do the so-called "fish-breeding biological justification." It is advisable to conduct this examination several times a year - in summer, winter, spring, autumn. In the Moscow region, it is best to involve specialists from the Fisheries Research Institute from the city of Dmitrov, Moscow Region. You can also contact us for advice. Those wishing to start a fish-breeding business regularly come to the Biserovsky plant, and our specialists give qualified advice.

For trout optimum temperature water is 16-19 degrees Celsius, but if the pond warms up to 24 - the fish will be on the verge of death and will certainly stop feeding. For example, we keep trout in a quarry 15 meters deep, because already at a depth of four meters the water temperature never rises above 16 degrees even in the summer heat. That is why many trout farms are located on cold flowing rivers or take water from rivers or artesian wells.

When breeding carp, everything is much simpler. The main thing is that the pond should not be polluted with oil products, manure and decaying organic matter, and preferably warm up well (the optimum temperature for it is 24-25 degrees). Its depth can be small - up to 1.5-1.8 meters. At this depth, the natural forage base develops most actively.

The whole of Russia is divided into fish farming zones. The Moscow region belongs to the first and second zones. The southern regions - for example, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories - to the fifth or sixth. It is much more profitable to breed fish in them, since the vegetative period during which it actively feeds and grows is longer. That is why for some time now we have begun to rent ponds in the Rostov region. Although, if you build all the technology correctly, as well as choose a suitable reservoir, then the business can be made quite profitable in the middle lane.

A 5 ha pond is enough to produce 10 tons of carp. Interestingly, the larger the reservoir, the easier it is to breed fish in it. A small reservoir is difficult to operate, because it quickly cools down and quickly warms up, and it has a tense hydrochemical regime. In a large reservoir, the temperature regime is more even, which is favorable for all fish.

It is desirable that the carp pond be drainable: this will greatly facilitate the process of catching in the fall. To do this, you can build a dam if, for example, a reservoir is formed by damming a river.

Many mistakenly believe that it is enough to put the fish into the reservoir, it will grow on its own, after which it only needs to be caught and sold. Nothing like this! Fish farming is a complex and very risky business. After all, you are dealing with a “live product” with which anything can happen at any moment.

Enhanced nutrition

The main item of expenditure for each fish farm is feed. They account for 50-60% of all costs. Of course, you can put the carp into the pond and wait until it grows up, feeding on a natural base. But the wait will be too long. At the same time, no more than 120 kg of fish can be obtained from 1 ha of water surface. We manage to get 22 centners of carp from one hectare, because we grow fish using a high-intensity method. Its main components are a high stocking density plus the use of high-protein nutritious feeds from the Reflex feeders with a protein content of at least 26-28% and fat - 5-7%. They are the most effective, although they are 20% more expensive than conventional compound feed. And the average price of food for carp is 7-8 rubles per kilogram.

Feeding trout is more difficult: for it you have to buy high-quality German feed, which costs 0.7-1 euro per kilogram. We have only one plant in Sergiev Posad that produces extruded feed of this level. But we still prefer proven imported ones. If you buy cheap compound feed for trout, then it will have white meat. The consumer is used to red. And it can be obtained only by using special feed additives - kartonoids obtained from krill.

A significant difference in the price of carp and trout feed is offset by the amount of feed that is needed for their fattening and the final selling price. Having spent only 1 kg of feed on trout, you can get an increase in fish weight of almost the same kilogram. In a kilogram of weight gain, carp will have to swell almost 3.5-4 kg of feed. Therefore, in the end, the cost of feed for growing one kilogram of carp is 26 rubles, and for trout - only a little more.

When feeding fish, the main thing is to know the measure. If you add too much feed, the fish will not eat everything, but the hydrochemical regime of the reservoir may change. And as a result, the fish will stop growing. On average, carp should be fed daily in the amount of 1.5-3% of the estimated weight of all fish in the reservoir, depending on the water temperature. The colder it is, the less food is required, since the carp's body temperature depends on the temperature of the water. In cold water, his metabolism slows down.

If the carp is kept in the reservoir itself, then the trout spends its whole life in special cages three by three meters, made of nylon mesh, and 5 meters deep. They are installed in cage lines - long welded structures. Similar lines are produced by the Stavropol Experimental Mechanical Plant. But they are quite expensive - the price of a line per 1000 sq. m - about 3-3.5 million rubles. Therefore, we prefer to make such, in general, simple constructions on our own.

Fight for health

Size matters

The larger the fish, the more in demand it is in the market. For carp optimal weight- 1.2-1.7 kg, for trout - from 800 g to 1 kg. To reach this weight, the carp grows for three years. For the first summer, he gains up to 25 grams, for the second - up to 200 grams and for the third - up to a kilogram.

The trout growing cycle is 2.5 years. True, trout can be sold in a year and a half, when it reaches a weight of 300 grams. But such a fish is in demand only among restaurateurs - it is a 300-gram fish 30-35 cm long that neatly and beautifully lies across the plate.

The carp growing cycle ends in autumn, when all farms lower (or catch) ponds. That is why in autumn carp appears in all stores and markets, and prices for it fall. At this point, the business is on the verge of profitability. But you can do smarter if there are appropriate opportunities for this. For example, overexpose carp until the New Year and even until March, gradually putting it on sale when prices stabilize. We keep up to 200 tons of fish in this way. True, in this case it is necessary to lay down 20% for losses: 10% - due to the fact that the fish is losing weight, and 10% - for the sea. We process the surplus fish: we smoke it, make aspic dishes and produce other food products.

Fish economy

Trout planting material can be purchased at a price of 250-400 rubles per kilogram, depending on the weight of the fry - from 1 to 50 grams. The smaller the trout, the more expensive it is, because as a result, more adult fish will be obtained from a kilogram of low-weight fry. About 10% should be set aside for losses. The remaining fry in 2.5 years will turn into 800-gram fish, which can be sold at 140-160 rubles per kilogram. It is most profitable to buy already fertilized eggs, incubating them yourself. We order caviar in Adler, where 100,000 fertilized eggs cost about 20,000 rubles. True, if the farm is a beginner and there is no relevant experience, it is better not to take risks and buy ready-made fry.

Annual planting material for carp is much cheaper - from 60 to 120 rubles per kilogram. The mass of fish is from 14 to 25-40 grams.

The biggest disadvantage fisheries- Long payback period. But there is an opportunity to make the money start to “fight back” much earlier. To do this, you can buy two-year-old fish weighing up to 200 grams. It will cost more. But in one season, carp can be fattened up to a marketable kilogram.

And it is very profitable to grow trout in winter at the state district power station, where the most optimal temperature regime is in the cooling ponds. They bring it there in the fall, and catch it in March-April. During this time, the mass of fish increases by two to three times.

When fishing carp ponds, another, “weedy” fish comes across with it. For example, we annually catch 30 tons of crucian carp alone. It is unprofitable to breed it: it grows too slowly. But when fishing on an industrial scale, crucian carp can be sold for 15-20 rubles per kilogram or transplanted into ponds for paid fishing. For example, Moscow Vietnamese take whole barrels of crucian carp from us - to prepare their national dishes.

If there are opportunities - cage lines, links with trade, as well as fish carts - you can buy fish (trout, carp, sturgeon) for overexposure. For example, just last year we imported and sold 500 tons of fish from other regions where it is cheaper. True, for this you need to have your own cars for transporting fish, which can cost 100 thousand euros. Although you can equip the car on your own: for this you need to install a tank or barrels with an oxygen supply system on the trailer.

Another good opportunity to replenish the budget of the economy is to arrange paid fishing. It gives us 5-6% of turnover (through it we annually sell 30-40 tons of fish). And small farms in general can sell most of their products in this way. This excludes the costs of logistics, fishery of the pond. That is, you actually sell fish “right in the water”, only at a price slightly lower than the market price.

Depending on the pond, availability and species composition fish, the cost of fishing ranges from 120 to 1500 rubles. But now the fisherman has become demanding, and for him we have to specially buy some types of fish that cannot be grown in our zone, for example, sturgeon or silver carp.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU EARN?

Check	USD, cf. per cycle*	%, on Wednesday. per cycle
Gross revenue
Expenses
Including:
To buy a baby
For staff salaries
For feed
other expenses
Profit (excluding taxes)

A farm that has grown 50 tons of carp and sold it at a price of 60 rubles per kilogram can count on such a result.

The carp growing cycle is three years.

SALES ISSUES

The market will not eat a lot of fish

Sales problems are now experienced by all fish farms near Moscow, including the Biserovsky fish processing plant. There are two reasons for this. First, the competition is quite strong. Secondly, compared to the past, the demand for live fish in Russia has fallen markedly. This product has become available not to all buyers, which is clearly seen in the example of the richest city in the country - Moscow. If in the early 1990s the capital consumed almost 10 thousand tons of fish in just three months (August-October), now all fish farms near Moscow together sell only 3.5 thousand tons in a whole year. Another three thousand tons are imported to the capital from the southern regions. This is more than enough for Moscow.

Another problem for fish breeders is the complex relationship with the trade, especially with supermarket chains. As you know, almost all of them ask for money for placing goods on their shelves. Plus, many retailers simply do not want to mess with live fish. For its maintenance, it is necessary to arrange an aquarium: clean it, change the water. And the volume of sales of live fish is not so big. For example, in one large mall, such as "Ashana" or "Metro", no more than 30-70 kilograms of trout or 200-300 kilograms of carp can be sold per day.

In addition, live fish is a delicate commodity. Anything can happen to him and on the way to the store: for example, if the oxygen supply suddenly stops or the temperature in the back of the car rises. Then the merchants will return the entire "defective" batch to the fish farmers.

It is not surprising that wholesalers do not deal in live fish. Shops also do not want to take on such a burden. And all goods are shipped outlets the fish farms themselves. To do this, they have to maintain a fleet of their own cars. For example, the Biserovsky plant converted 12 GAZelles into “fish carts”, installing welded tanks on them, making thermal insulation from foam plastic, placing a couple of cylinders with oxygen and equipment for spraying it in water.

Complicating the sale is the fact that, for example, in Moscow, for example, there are aquariums for selling fish in no more than 10% of grocery stores. And the fish farms cannot take over their construction: it is too expensive. A good aquarium with an oxygen supply system, water purification, and an accompanying refrigerator (the latter is especially necessary for trout) costs about $6-10 thousand. The most primitive plastic tank with a water treatment system costs 17-18 thousand rubles.

Plus, now all stores, without exception, pay for live fish only upon its sale. Deferred payment is on average from 7 to 30 days. As a result, fish farms always have accounts payable. For example, at the Biserovsky farm, it is from 3 to 6 million rubles per month.

The conclusions for a novice fish farmer suggest themselves: building a business based on the stable sale of caught fish is too risky. It is better to start with the organization of paid fishing.

Breeding crucian

Often they grow crucian carp as an additional fish in carp ponds, but sometimes they also breed it in monoculture. For this, the relatively fast-growing silver is most suitable, although it is somewhat less common than gold. Carp breed it is possible in such ponds where the breeding of carp and other fish is impossible, since it is unpretentious and not susceptible to carp diseases such as rubella and branchiomycosis (Branchiomycosis , an infectious disease of pond fish caused by a microscopic fungus). causing great damage to carp farms. In addition, in terms of the quality of their meat, crucian carp is not inferior to carp.

Farms engaged in breeding crucian carp come with a two-year and three-year turnover. This requires the same categories of ponds as in the carp farm.

Production processes for breeding silver carp begin with the selection of producers. For this, females of silver carp and males of gold carp, carp or carp are used (as noted earlier, only females are often found among silver carp).

Goldfish females are selected with the highest body. As observations have shown, the number of gill rakers on the first gill arch is greater than in the more runaway ones, and juvenile goldfish with a large number of gill rakers grow better.

Before spawning, males and females are kept separately. Although female goldfish become sexually mature in most cases in the second year of life, it is better to use fish of 3-6 years of age for breeding. The number of females of goldfish is determined based on the receipt of 10-15 thousand fry from one female.

Spawning of silver carp is carried out in the middle or end of June; in very warm weather in early June. As spawning ponds, carp spawning grounds are used (given that silver carp spawns later than carp) after transplanting carp fry into nursery ponds or wintering areas in which crucian carp willingly spawns. Ponds intended for spawning of silver carp are flooded 1-2 days before the producers are planted in them. At 100 m 2 area of ​​the spawning pond, five females of silver carp and five males of golden carp, carp or carp are planted for spawning. At the same time, males of carp, carp or golden carp are chosen with flowing milk.

If there is little natural substrate in the form of green meadow vegetation in spawning ponds, then artificial spawning grounds are installed - the same as for carp or tench.

Hatching of goldfish larvae occurs on the 3rd-6th day after spawning (depending on temperature). In spawning ponds, hatched juveniles of goldfish are left for 15-20 days. To improve the growth of juveniles, as in carp breeding, spawning ponds are fertilized by adding a mixture of peat, humus, slaked lime, superphosphate and slurry before filling them. per 1000 m ponds contribute about 100 kg peat, 300 kg humus, 20 each kg lime and superphosphate and 10-15 buckets of slurry.

After 16-20 days, the fry are transplanted into rearing ponds. The methods of transplantation and counting of silver carp fry are fundamentally no different from the methods indicated for carp. It should only be noted that spawning ponds are drained slowly. With the rapid descent of the ponds, a significant part of the fry is clogged into the grass and remains uncaught. Calculation of the planting of goldfish fry in rearing ponds is carried out according to the formula that was given for carp. The yield of underyearlings of goldfish is taken equal to 70–75% of the number of planted fry, the average weight of underyearlings is 15–25 G, and natural fish productivity - according to the actual data obtained from the rearing of underyearlings of silver carp. If the cultivation of fingerlings of goldfish is carried out for the first time, then approximately it is taken equal to the natural fish productivity for fingerlings of carp or even somewhat higher. Control over the rearing of underyearlings of silver carp in rearing ponds is no different from what was indicated for carp.

If silver carp hibernates in special wintering ponds (the same as carp), then other fish are not planted there. In such cases, 1 ha In a wintering pond, up to 1 million underyearlings or up to 500,000 two-year-old goldfish can be planted. In time, the transplantation of silver carp for wintering coincides with the transplantation of carp. Methods and techniques for counting goldfish fingerlings when transplanted into wintering ponds do not differ from those described for carp.

The yield of goldfish yearlings after wintering is 80-90% of the number of yearlings planted.

Silver carp can also overwinter in stagnant nursery ponds with a non-freezing water layer of at least 70 cm with well-organized mechanical aeration of water in winter. In such cases, 1 ha in the non-freezing part of the pond, up to 500 thousand yearlings or 200 thousand two-year-olds are allowed to be planted.

Caring for ponds and wintering fish in them is no different from those described for carp.

Further cultivation of table goldfish is carried out with a two-year or three-year turnover. At the same time, production processes are no different from those in carp farming.

The calculation of planting goldfish in feeding ponds under monoculture conditions is carried out according to the same formula as for carp, but with the only difference that the final weight of a two-year-old goldfish is taken as 200-250 G, and three years old - 300-400 G. The output of two-year-olds from feeding ponds is 85-90%, three-year-olds - 90-95%. The fish productivity of feeding ponds, in which table goldfish are grown, is taken equal to 70-80% of the fish productivity for carp. According to some reports, it can be taken equal to the fish productivity of carp. But this cannot be recommended, since in such cases the crucian turns out to be too small (two-year-olds are not more than 150 e, and three-year-olds are about 200 G).

http://ribvod.ru/rybolovstvo/razvedenie-karasya

Catching burbot on a stalker is considered to be quite an interesting and dynamic process that requires activity from the fisherman. Catching this fish requires patience. Therefore, in order for the angler not to freeze, he should take care of his equipment in advance, including preparing warm suits For fishing. What is a knocker?...

Features of winter hunting - from equipment to methods of extraction

Choosing a wobbler for a smart chub

Gradually, catching a chub on a May beetle, locust or grasshopper goes into oblivion. Yes, and spinners, which were not so long ago favorites in the chub spinning fishing, are used in smaller quantities on this predator. Let's not touch the fly fishing that conquers everything more fans, but let's turn our attention to various chub wobblers.

Some sources claim that even the famous Lauri Rapala, with his first model, cut from spruce bark and pasted over with foil, made exactly a wobbler for trout and chub. Since then, the competition of various companies for the manufacture of these artificial lures has begun.

Translated into Russian, the word "wobbler" means "wobbling", and most models behave that way. Over time, the range of baits expanded and now all chub baits are divided into several independent types.

Types of wobblers

Before describing a specific model of a wobbler for a chub, let's figure out what types of wobblers are used as bait when catching this white predator.

Wobblers with a blade are designed for deep lure fishing, the speed of the bait going into the depth depends on the angle of the blade. Such wobblers are divided into:

Wobblers for chub without blades are used for fishing on the surface of the reservoir or directly below it. Types of bladeless wobblers:

Other types of baits with medium immersion, such as rattlin, jerkbait, darter, are almost never used when catching chub on a wobbler.

Top 10

Now let's dwell on the top 10 best wobblers for chub according to fans and professionals of spinning - Internet users. Own classification 10 the best lures we will tie the chub to the fishing season, we will indicate which models of wobblers are best to catch in spring, summer and autumn.

Spring and early summer. Malek has just hatched from an egg, its size is small, and therefore the wobblers should be the smallest:

Summer. Chub natural hunting objects are growing, wobblers should also “grow up”:

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn amaze with the number of large insects. Hence the models of baits for chub, the tops of which are imitations of various spider bugs:

Of course, this list is not an axiom. Each fisherman has his own list of top 10 chub lures, but a novice hunter of a handsome river fish needs to rely on something.

Self-manufacturing

Looking at all the motley variety of wobblers, one only wants to admire how beautiful and geometrically verified they are. It seems that it is impossible to create such a bait with your own hands. After all, there are no production facilities, like those of reputable firms, and computer geometric shapes of models are inaccessible to a simple Samodelkin.

In this case, one would like to say about Lauri Rapala. When did he create his first wobbler and how did he carve it? Recall, for the sake of general education, that the legendary Finn carved his first blade model with his own hands from spruce bark in 1936. Why are we worse? What to do on long winter evenings?

In order to make bait with your own hands in winter, in the fall you need to prepare segments of linden, bird cherry branches or buy pieces of foreign balsa somewhere. It is also necessary to purchase several knives of different configurations for wood carving and arm yourself with perseverance. You also need to take care of a strong, but flexible wire for mounting equipment and buy sharp tees. For the manufacture of blades, you will need plastic or metal of the appropriate thickness.

Carp life during spawning - what habitat does this fish prefer

For the first time, carp hit the dining table in China, and it happened long before our era - in 1000. Carp came to Europe through Japan. It is known that the king of the Ostrogoths Theodoric at the turn of the 5th-6th centuries ate carp. In the 13th century in the Czech Republic, carp began not only to be eaten, but also artificially bred in special ponds.

The carp came across the ocean much later. In the 70s of the XIX century in the United States there was a decline in the agricultural and food sectors and in 1877, by decision of the Presidential Commission, carp was brought to America in order to eat it as the cheapest product.

Carp is usually divided into two main types: river carp and pond carp. River carp - also known as carp - has a more powerful and strong body than its pond counterpart. In the pond carp, the body is rounded and somewhat humpbacked, covered with large scales - in the river carp, the scales are smaller. The color of the carp is yellow-green or brown, and the carp that lives in ponds is darker than the river carp. The only thing that is the same in both species is the whiskers on both sides of the upper jaw.

In life, carp is one of the peaceful fish, but not too cautious. Although the river carp is considered more cunning and stronger than the pond carp.

In general, fishermen love to catch this fish and here's why:

• Carp willingly goes to the bread crumb or undercooked potatoes;
• Carp is considered big fish: there are specimens weighing more than 20-30 kg and more than 1 meter long;
• Carp meat is considered nutritious and tasty.

Carp is one of the long-livers of the underwater kingdom. He can easily live up to 30 years or more.

Interested in catfish spawning? In the article you will be told and shown how this fish behaves during spawning.

This article will help you choose inflatable boat for successful fishing.

Habitats and feeding of carp

Carp lives in freshwater rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other bodies of water. It can also be found in the brackish waters of the lower reaches of the rivers flowing into the Black Sea. Carp settles in places where there is stagnant or weakly flowing water and a hard clay bottom with a touch of silt. Adult carp live separately, choosing places rich in plant and animal food, but sometimes carp can stray into small gangs.

In general, carp belongs to the order of stomachless fish, which makes it not too picky in the choice of food. Eats carp almost non-stop. The main diet of carp includes small mollusks, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae, seeds of aquatic plants, and bulrush sprouts.

Temperature preferences

Carps are thermophilic fish. Only 7 °C is enough for carp to feed, and for a comfortable life, it needs a water temperature of 22-27 °C with an oxygen content of 5-7 mg per liter. Under such conditions, and with enough food, carp gains 5-7 g of live weight per day. But in winter, the carp practically does not eat: it sinks to the bottom, where it hibernates in the deep pits of the main channels, under the cliffs.

In order not to freeze from the cold, the carp is covered with hardened mucus (slen). In winter, carp need less oxygen - 3-4 mg per liter is enough. However, if its content in water drops to 0.3-0.5 mg per liter in winter or to 0.5 mg per liter in summer, the carp will simply die.

In this article, you will see how salmon spawn and how this fish behaves during this period.

And this article will tell you how to properly grow maggot for fishing.

spawning carp

Sexual maturity of carps occurs in the third year of life. Due to the fact that carp is a heat-loving fish, for spawning it needs well-warmed water - up to + 15-20 ° С. Therefore, carp spawn later than other fish (for example, catfish, tench or crucian carp) and begin to think about it, at best, at the end of April, but most often carp spawn in May or even June.

Despite the late dates, carp spawning is always stormy and noisy. For this important event, the carp chooses shallow water, warmed by the sun's rays and overgrown with algae. This place can be coastal reeds, water meadows, river floods and even puddles. There are times when a carp chooses a place for spawning where there is so little water that the carp itself lacks it. The descent of water dooms the spawned carp to death, because. these micro-reservoirs become a trap for him and he cannot get out to clean water.

Carps go to spawn in small groups of one female and several males. It is not difficult to distinguish them from each other: male carps are much smaller and thinner than females. Such group spawning is due to the peculiarities of the structure of carp caviar, which is very different from salmon caviar. The fact is that salmon eggs or, for example, trout eggs have a thick shell with many holes.

Not so with cyprinids. In their eggs, the yolk is covered with sticky mucus, there are no currents, and therefore a lot of milk is needed. That is why there are more boys than girls here.

Carp spawning takes place according to certain rules and in several stages: first, young individuals spawn, then medium ones, and at the end - large ones. Carp spawn in several steps with intermediate breaks, but most of the eggs are spawned for the first time.

In river carps, a trip to spawning sites resembles a military operation: ahead of the main group, several individuals conduct reconnaissance on the ground. If everything is in order, then the next day the main forces will arrive here. On this difficult path, carps are able to overcome significant obstacles. For example, a river carp can jump as much as 2 m above the surface of the water! Spawning occurs only at dawn, early in the morning.

Having overcome all the hardships of the way, the female spawns greenish eggs in the thickets, the male immediately fertilizes it with milk - and that's it! After that, the mother and several fathers of future carps lose all interest in laying and they go home.

On average, one female and two male carp produce from 180 to 300 thousand fertilized eggs. However, from this number of eggs, more than 3,000 fry will hardly hatch, of which, by the end of the first year of life, approximately a tenth will survive. This is not only due to cold water, but also the drying of spawning sites, as well as predatory squints and small perch and birds, which significantly reduce the number of carp fry.

At lower temperatures, this process can take up to 20 days. At the dawn of their lives, the fry feed on zooplankton, gradually switching to more substantial food: chironomid larvae, molluscs, and oligochaetes.

A few interesting facts:

• Even Aristotle in his writings mentioned barren, i.e. barren individuals of carps - they have the fattest and most delicious meat. A distinctive feature of such a carp is a shortened body, thick lips and a small belly. There are also hermaphrodite carps with caviar bag and milk.
• Caught carp should be handled with care: once on the hook, the carp feels a sense of horror.
• For its culinary preferences and gluttony, the carp has earned comparison with a pig and the nickname "omnivorous water".
• In addition to the two main types of carp, a number of pond carp have been bred: king carp, mirror carp and naked carp.
• Due to the good taste and nutritional value of meat, carp occupies a leading position among all other inhabitants of Russian ponds.

We offer you to watch carp spawning in this video.

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The cost of buying live carp in Russia fluctuates on average from 70 r/kg for industrial fish, up to 1500 r / piece(for ornamental koi), with the exception of pedigree rare tancho and shova will cost 10 000 r / piece.

Product description

Carp is a kind of freshwater domesticated fish - carp.

Depending on the purpose when buying live carps, they can conditionally be divided into two standard groups:

• Industrial- for consumption in food (scaly, mirror, naked);
• Decorative- for decoration in landscape design less often at home (Japanese koi carps - sometimes referred to in the "common people" as goldfish for a pond).

Also, a mixed, hybrid species - carp carp - can be attributed to carps. This species is resistant to frost and not whimsical in feeding, so these fish are beginning to attract more and more attention, but they also have breeding limitations - the carp is completely sterile and does not give offspring.

By weight, carps can reach from 2 to 12 kg, and life expectancy from 20 years (forage) to 50 years (koi).

Purchase in Russia

You can buy carps at breeding farms by directly contacting them by phone or through the website, various websites also offer a simple and understandable buying procedure, or simply by going to an Auchan-type supermarket in your city (a knowledgeable seller will also be able to pick up a pair for you to breed !). Ornamental fish are easy to find at any pet store.

Like any other product, live carp can be ordered from abroad. Most often, this service applies to koi bought in Japan. But the cost of such fish will be several times higher than that bought in Russia or neighboring countries (Belarus, Ukraine). The color scheme of individuals is absolutely similar to that grown in our country, and the fishery inspection will also require appropriate paperwork and animal health checks for various diseases. Unlike other live goods imported into the country, carps cannot be vaccinated in any way and require a thorough check before being released into the water to other animals.

The price of a product, what does it depend on

When pricing, the following parameters are taken into account:

The purpose of the product plays a role:

1. industrial grades from 70 to 150 r / kg.
2. Ornamental varieties (koi) from ~ 100 to ~ 10,000 r / piece.

It also matters:

• The size(the greater the body weight, for forage fish or the body length, for ornamental fish), the higher the purchase price. For example: a white butterfly (koi) 6.5 cm ~ 580r/pc, for 7.5 cm they are already asking ~ 700r/pc; mirror carp up to 1 kg will cost ~ 80r / kg, and starting from 1.1 kg the price will rise to ~ 120r / kg.
• Type of fish, for example, a seam (10,000 r) will be more expensive than red and white (~ 300 r), but outwardly it is difficult to distinguish! Among forage breeds, the cheapest is scaly (although the difference in price per kilogram for these fish is not significant, about 10 rubles).
• Geographical location and delivery: as in the case of other goods, Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the added price for this product is not much different from other cities.

fish species

Approximate prices for rubles per kg, for industrial and rubles per piece, for decorative.

Industrial:

• scaly ~ from 30 to 250 r.
• Mirror ~ from 30 to 500 r.
• Naked ~ 100 r.
• Karpokaras ~ 100 r.
• Carp (wild) ~ 500 r.

Decorative:

• White gold ~ 1000 rub.
• White butterfly ~ 600 rubles
• Red and white ~ 300 rub.
• Gold ~ 700 rubles
• Butterfly ~ 1300 RUB
• Blue back ~ 1500 RUB
• Platinum ~ from 5,000 to 13,000 rubles.
• Tancho ~ 10,000 rubles
• Kohanka ~ 10,000 rubles
• Seam ~ 10,000 rubles
• Sanke ~ 10 000 rubles
• All possible assorted options ~ from 1,000 to 2,500 rubles.

* All prices in the section are approximate, because most sellers make concessions when selling and the prices listed on the sites can vary greatly even within the same site.

Examples of price differences for marlin-shop (koi) and mosfishtrade (mirror):

• Platinum (koi) 25 - 30 cm ~ 5700r and 9300r.
• Mirror 4-5 cm ~ 30r and 32-35 cm ~ 500r.

How, where and from whom to buy

The simplest and most accessible places are supermarkets (Auchan, Pyaterochka, Metro), ordinary markets, where local fisheries and private farmers bring a lot of their products, as well as pet stores.

In the case of Internet services, general search engines, such as avito and olx, will not work very well here, and you need to look every time for individual farms and companies involved in the delivery of the goods you are interested in. But several sites of breeding farms and firms can be identified as the most common.

Food Carp Suppliers:

1. MosFishTrade
2. Zywiec
3. flagma
4. The forum where you can find and contact carp suppliers is called forumhouse

Decorative carps are sold by such companies:

• Marlin shop.
• carp-koi.
• MosFishTrade.

In general, there are quite a lot of companies involved in the supply of live carps in Russia and the CIS countries. Here only examples of the most reliable and large enterprises are given, but this does not mean that the products of small fish farms will be something worse! The main thing to pay attention to with any purchase is that the wholesaler has all the documents and appearance animals.

Carp appeared in Asia, first of all in China, and was used as food as early as 1000 BC. From China, he came to Japan, and later to Europe, both as an ornamental fish and as food.

Carp breeding occupies an important place in fish farming. Carp grows quickly if the temperature in the reservoir is favorable, and the fish receives the necessary amount of food. Carps take root well in warm-water ponds, are not demanding on water quality and easily tolerate short-term periods with some oxygen deficiency. In winter, carps fall into a state similar to hibernation, and only begin to worry when there is a strong lack of oxygen - they can die with a long lack of it.

In economic terms, carp breeding is profitable due to its rapid growth and low demands on living conditions. The commodity weight reaches 1.5 - 2.0 kg at the age of two. It grows to a mass of 20 kg at the age of 15-20 years. Carps live for a long time (according to some sources, more than 200 years). They can reach considerable sizes and weights. The natural productivity of carp in ponds is up to 2 kg/ha. Carp has good fleshiness, meat High Quality. It is bred both naturally and artificially. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years. Fertility up to 1.5 million eggs.

Carp inhabits the waters of the basins of the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Seas. It is found in the rivers Danube, Dnieper, Don, Kuban, Ural, Kura and Volga. Distributed in the basins of the Amur and some rivers in China. The carp has a strong, long, not very high body, thickened in the front and covered with large scales. In the elongated dorsal fin, all rays are soft, except for the anterior, serrated, bony ray. Carp has three-row pharyngeal teeth with a well-developed chewing plate.

Carp are extremely hardy. It withstands well in poorly oxygenated water. In the cold of winter, when rivers and lakes are covered with thick ice, carp falls into a real hibernation. Having settled in the recesses, on the pits, he "dresses" in a kind of "fur coat" from a thick layer of mucus. All winter carps are in a daze. Carps do not feed in winter. The number of respiratory movements of the gill covers decreases from 40-45 to 3-4. Slows down, and then completely stops digestion, the metabolism is greatly reduced.

Carp breeding at home

Carps occupy a leading position in freshwater aquaculture in terms of the number of fish produced. Ponds, fish farms and other water bodies, including rice paddies, are used for carp breeding. The following breeds are bred: scaly carp, mirror carp (with scales scattered over the body), linear carp (with scales located along the lateral line), naked carp (without scales), Ukrainian framed carp and Ukrainian scaly carp. Carp can be cultivated both separately in monoculture and together with associated species(white and gray silver carp, grass carp, tench) and predators (catfish, zander and pike). Depending on the type of food and the application of ichthyological measures, there are three breeding systems for carp: - extensive, semi-intensive (or semi-extensive), intensive

Extensive carp breeding system

The extensive system involves breeding carp on the basis of natural food (zooplankton and bottom fauna). The advantage of this system is low production costs. The disadvantage is a slight increase per unit area (from 300 to 700 kg), which leads to a constant reduction in the production of carp using this system.

Semi-intensive carp breeding system

The semi-intensive system is based on the provision of most of the protein components in carp feeds from natural feeds, the development of which is stimulated by various agrotechnical measures, while the energy requirement is mostly met by carbohydrate supplements to feeds (wheat, barley, corn, etc.). .). The productivity achieved with the use of carbohydrate additives varies from 700 to 1400 kg/ha. The advantage of this system is, first of all, the best use of available water areas. The lack of this system is evidenced by the fact that during periods of optimal temperature conditions (June - the first half of October) in the feed for the growth of carps (natural feed and carbohydrate additives to feed) there is not enough protein due to the natural depression of natural feed. The best way to solve this problem is feeding carp with complex feeds (mixed feeds).

Intensive carp breeding system

In the intensive system, the main emphasis is placed on complex feeds (compound feeds) with a higher protein content (from 30% to 40% of proteins). In addition to the requirements for complex feeds, a high stocking density also means additional aeration of the water in the fish pond or ensuring the flow of water through the pond. The productivity in earthen objects, provided by this method of breeding, ranges from 3 to 20 or more tons per hectare of water surface. The advantage of such production is the maximum use of the available area for fish breeding and high productivity per unit surface. The disadvantage is a greater risk of spreading diseases, as well as increased contamination of the water in the pond, and, as a result, the water in the receiver.

A special type of intensive production is the carp breeding system in cage complexes (cage type) . Such a system of breeding provides low start-up investment for the manufacture of cages, a small number of workers, a high productivity of fish per unit of volume and profitable production. The disadvantage is the easy spread of diseases and increased pollution (which can be eliminated by embedding a protective system) of the aquatic ecosystem in which the cage complex is installed.

And at the end of the article, we invite you to watch a video about catching carp, which you can catch in your pond, enjoy watching!

Catching Carp with a Float Rod.

We hope breeding carp at home will bring you great benefits.