Katranas in the Black Sea. Our sharks don’t bite, Black Sea dog shark

It is one of the most common shark species and is safe for humans. This is a Katran shark, one of the small ones, whose Latin species name (Squalus acanthias) comes from the Greek word ἄκανθα, which translates as “thorn” or “thorn”. Indeed, it has very sharp spines at the base of each dorsal fin.

By carelessness, while sorting the catch in nets, a person can be injured by the thorns, at the base of which there are glands that produce a weak poison. But such wounds are not too dangerous.

What do we know about katran

The Katran shark has many other names related to the presence of spines, for example, the common spiny shark. It is sometimes called the marigold and the sea dog. There is also a name associated with the small size of the dorsal and pelvic fins - short-finned spiny shark.

Appearance and size

The body of the katran has the most perfect shape for fish - streamlined. But it is very elongated and therefore resembles a spindle. Thanks to this body shape, this shark easily develops high speed. The photo of the Katran shark clearly shows its slender body and spines in front of the dorsal fins.

Features of the external structure:

Small placoid scales cover the skin.
The color of the sides and back is dark gray, sometimes with small whitish spots.
The snout is a typical “shark” - pointed.
The eyes are located midway between the first gill slit and the tip of the snout.
The spine in front of the first dorsal fin is very short, and the second spine is almost as tall as the second dorsal fin.
The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first.
No anal fin.
The pectoral fins are short, but compared to the rest they look large.
There are five gill slits and no operculum (like all sharks).

In the photo of the Katran shark you can clearly see the location of the eye and gill slits.

Data on body length in different sources differ slightly: from one meter to a maximum size of two meters. There is information about the maximum length being one and a half meters. Males are slightly smaller than females.

Place in the fish system

The katran shark is a cartilaginous fish and belongs to the subclass elasmobranchs, the superorder sharks and the order katraniformes.

This order includes sharks without an anal fin and with two dorsal fins, in front of which there may or may not be spines. Only in the family of dogfish sharks there is a spine (spike) in front of each dorsal fin, such as we saw in Squalus acanthias. The second feature of this family is that small sharks are collected here.

Distribution and lifestyle

According to ichthyologists, the shortfin spiny shark Katran forms several subpopulations in different parts world ocean. For example, a subpopulation of Squalus acanthias acanthias lives in the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In the Pacific Ocean, it is distributed along the North American coast from California to Oregon, and off the coast of Eurasia: in the southern regions of the Sea of Okhotsk, the neighboring Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. In the Atlantic Ocean, it inhabits its northern part, entering the Mediterranean and further the Black Sea. In the video you see a katran from the Sea of Japan.

In general, the common katran shark is very widespread in both hemispheres of the Earth, where it inhabits both moderately cold waters of the World Ocean and moderately warm ones. This species is absent in warm and cold regions: equatorial and subequatorial, high Arctic and Antarctic.

In Russian waters, Squalus acanthias is normal look in the Black Sea, it is called katran here. In the Barents and White Seas, it is also often found under the local name marigold or nokotnitsa. The waters of the Far Eastern seas - Japan, Okhotsk and Barents - are also rich in the katran shark, where it is numerous.

Lifestyle Features

The Katran shark is a schooling fish. Lives at the bottom, sometimes rises to the surface layers of water. Prefers to be at water temperatures between 6 and 14 degrees.

The depth at which Squalus acanthias occurs depends on the habitat and time of year. For example, off the coast of the Primorsky Territory (the capital of the region is Vladivostok), it appears in April at depths of 35 - 135 meters, and a massive arrival is observed in June - October. In winter, it prefers deeper layers of the sea - 110 - 190 m. There is data on catches of katrans from depths of up to 1640 meters.

Katrans are not usually found in open ocean waters; only individual individuals are likely to move away from the shores. There was a case of catching a spiny shark near Japan with a mark on its body made 7 years ago in California. To cross Pacific Ocean, perhaps she made a long journey along the American coastline north to the Bering Strait, and then descended to Japanese shores. It took her 7 years for such a long journey.

Large, dense schools of spiny sharks undergo migrations that are seasonal and associated with the movement of their food.

What do Katrans have for lunch?

According to the type of feeding, the Katran shark is a benthivorous-predatory fish. It eats a variety of bottom inhabitants:

Various pelagic and bottom fish (herring, cod, sardines, mackerel, flounder and others).
Numerous invertebrates (crustaceans: shrimp and crabs); cephalopods: squid and octopus); coelenterates (anemones and even jellyfish); annelids(polychaetes).
Seaweed.

Katrans follow schools of fish that they feed on. They often make significant feeding migrations over long distances. This is especially observed off the coast of the United States (Atlantic Ocean) and in the Sea of Japan (eastern waters).

Katran and man

Where there are many spiny sharks, they are capable of causing significant damage to fisheries: they eat fish on hooks and in nets; They chew through gear and tear apart nets.

There have even been proposals to assign the spiny shark the status of a harmful fish and to issue a reward upon its catch (as is practiced in situations with wolves).

A person in the water is not under the threat of attack from spiny sharks. Therefore, in areas where there are many of them, for example, in the Black Sea, you can safely swim. But it is not recommended to pick up a katran unless necessary. When trying to free itself, the fish can cause wounds with its thorns, and quite deep ones. The danger of wounds is that the mucus covering the thorns contains a toxic substance.

Commercial significance and protective measures

The Katran shark differs from its other counterparts in the properties of its meat, which does not have an ammonia smell (characteristic of many sharks). Therefore, it is an object of fishing. In some countries it is valued even higher than herring. Particularly large production volumes were recorded in England, China, Japan, and Norway.

In pre-war times, shark meat was used to prepare pickled and smoked products called “ conger eel", and were in great demand, especially on the German market. Balyks are prepared from the Black Sea katran, the taste of which is similar to the same product from sturgeon. Katran liver is used to obtain medical fat containing large number vitamins A and D.

The katran fishery is most active in the northern part Atlantic Ocean. Massive harvest, late puberty, and long gestation are factors that create the threat of overfishing. Therefore, shortfin spiny sharks caught as bycatch are often returned to the sea and thrown overboard. This is normal for them: they are very tenacious.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assigned the status of "Vulnerable Species" to the katran. To prevent the populations of these sharks from losing numbers, there are quotas for their catch in the United States.

How do they reproduce?

Like most, Katrans are ovoviviparous. Eggs develop in special capsules located in dilated oviducts. One capsule contains 3 - 15 fairly large eggs (diameter 4 cm). Katrans are kind of record holders among sharks for the duration of “pregnancy” - from one and a half years to almost two years (22 months). A female gives birth to from 3 to 32 babies. The length of a newborn baby shark is from 20 to 26 centimeters.

Having learned that there are sharks in the Black Sea, they begin to splash around on the beach with fear. The stories that the imagination draws in the minds of vacationers are imposed by terrible legends and fantastic films about ferocious ocean predators. Katran, as our predator is called, is the friendliest and most well-mannered shark in the world’s oceans, and is absolutely safe for swimmers.
Katran has other names that local residents have given to the Black Sea predator. Sea dog, prickly or dog shark, marigold - all these nicknames refer to the sea dogfish.

Shark appearance

Like most sharks, Katran has a gray tint of skin and a white or grayish belly. On the back there are two well-defined fins with sharp spines at the bases. The tail is strong, equipped with a serious fin, for good maneuvering under water. The snout is pointed, at the end of which there are nostrils. The eyes are large with prominent pupils. The body shape and proportions are ideal for a sea hunter.
The usual size for the Black Sea Katran is 1.3 - 1.5 meters, with females being larger than males. The sea dog belongs to the class cartilaginous fish, i.e. her body consists only of cartilage. Only strong and sharp teeth consist of bone tissue.
Katran's lifespan is about twenty years, although there have been cases of capture of more ancient relatives of the sea dog.

Habits

The Black Sea Katran prefers to live in cold water. Sharks spend most of their life at a depth of more than one hundred meters. Katran can approach the shores in case of danger or in the event of a rise in the level of hydrogen sulfide in various parts of the Black Sea.
The predator's favorite and main dish is horse mackerel, red mullet, anchovy, schools of which are hunted by small groups of sharks. There are legends that hungry dog sharks attack dolphins. So far such facts have not been confirmed, because Dolphins are larger than sharks and are not inferior in speed to aggressive fish.
The female katran reaches sexual maturity at the age of 17; males are several years earlier and can start underwater romances. Marital courtship begins in the spring. The shark continues to bear fry for one and a half to two years.

Katran is an ovoviviparous creature; their embryos develop not in the placenta, but in special capsules with nutrient fluid. Little sharks are born immediately in an active state and are almost ready for adulthood. The fry feed on shrimp and small fish, learning the habits of a predatory existence.

The Black Sea shark has long been valued not only for its taste qualities, but also for a unique skin. The structure of the katran skin is like dense and perfect sandpaper. Moreover, if you move your hand in one direction it will be silky, like velvet. Cabinetmakers polished their products with the skin of the Black Sea katran.

The second secret of the local shark is the ability to cook meat correctly. In order for the dish from a predatory animal to be a success, upon capture, you must immediately release the blood and separate the body from the head and tail. Otherwise, the meat will have an ammonia smell. It should be noted that shark meat is rich in protein and is very beneficial for the body.

When talking about sharks, few people perceive them not as cruel predators, but as a fish delicacy, but this is true - most species are caught and eaten. The most popular among gourmets is the Katran shark, which rarely reaches a length of more than 1.5 m and weighs 20 kg.

Katran practically does not stand out among sharks in speed or maneuverability. Like her thermophilic brothers, she constantly moves in clear water and is one of the main objects of catching for shark oil, which is produced from their liver.

Species name

The Katran shark belongs to the family of spiny sharks called Squalidae, the main characteristic feature of which is the presence of fairly sharp thin spines located in close proximity to the dorsal fins.

The body color is mostly dark gray, but there are white round spots on the back and sides, due to which this species was given the name - spotted spiny shark.

The skin is covered with small scales, so dense that its structure resembles emery. The teeth are small and arranged in several rows.

This shark is quite widespread, as a result of which it has received a large number of names, the most common of which are:

Squalus acanthias.
Spiny and blunt-nosed shark.
Shortfin and spotted shark.
Marigold.
Sea dog - the katran received this name for its ability to penetrate fishing nets, tearing them along with the caught fish.

Despite the variety of names, almost all of them are based on external features characteristic of this species.

Features of the catch

The Katran shark in the Black Sea (photo below) begins to react most actively to bait during the approaching autumn cold, when the water temperature off the coast drops to 20 degrees.

It readily bites on live bait, preferring sprat, sprat or small gobies, in the absence of which you can use a regular worm. In the morning the bite is usually weak, intensifying only in the middle of the day. Catran fishing from a boat at night, in bays with slow and clear water, is considered the most effective.

Habitat

Katran is found almost everywhere, but it is most often caught in the Black Sea, where it is found all the way to the coastal zone. Most comfortable this type feels in water areas with a warm and temperate climate, but individual populations are found even in the northern seas.

Dimensions and Power Features

The Katran shark compares favorably with its dimensions among others predatory fish, being one of the most large varieties among representatives of the Katranova family and is quite small compared to killer whales or white sharks. For the most part, the size of the caught katrans does not exceed 1.5 m.

Her teeth are arranged in several rows, and if for any reason they wear down or fall out, new ones begin to grow in their place. Thanks to this feature, it literally grinds the food it catches.

If the hunt was unsuccessful, it can even eat algae. Katrans attack schools of fish in small groups, chasing them until they are completely saturated.

External data

I must say that characteristic features The behavior and appearance of modern sharks are not much different from their predecessors who lived in the seas and oceans more than three hundred million years ago. The Katran shark, the photo of which is presented below, is a typical predator whose lifespan often does not exceed a quarter of a century.

The structure of her body resembles hers appearance a spindle ending in a multi-lobed tail. The muzzle is pointed, the mouth is located transversely, and in front of the two dorsal fins there are sharp spines covered with poisonous mucus, with which it can injure not only prey, but also humans.

Features of body structure

It is noteworthy that the katran does not have a swim bladder, and since their weight is much heavier than water, they must constantly be in motion, because they can stay on the water only as long as they move at least their tail, otherwise they simply drown. In addition, movement on high speed also serves as one of the main factors in their well-being, because only during it does a sufficient amount of oxygen enter the body through their gills. This shark is extremely difficult to take root outside. natural environment, since at the limited distances of aquariums it is very difficult to reach their inherent speed of 50 km/h.

In order to find out at what depth the Katran shark is found, you should carefully study the vital functions of this predator. For example, during the period when newborn sharks appear (late April - early May), females and males prefer to be on great depth- from 40 to 100 m.

An interesting fact is that these sharks are hunted not only by other, larger underwater predators, but also by seagulls, which pull small Katrans out of the water and then drop them from a height to the ground, where they die from the impact. After this, the seagulls calmly eat the prey.

Reproduction of katran

This type of shark is also notable for the fact that it is viviparous. After fertilization is completed, special capsules are formed in the female’s body, which contain up to 12 eggs, from which small sharks are eventually formed. After their length begins to exceed 20 cm, they leave the mother’s body and learn to hunt fry, mussels and small crustaceans. In this case, a female’s bearing babies can last from 1.5 to 2 years.

To provide children with the most comfortable conditions for development, katrans are moved to warm waters, closer to the shore.

The mating period of individuals lasts throughout the winter. Young individuals are considered mature enough for reproduction after their length reaches 1 m. Such dimensions are usually formed between the ages of 10-12 years.

Due to its extreme mobility associated with biological features, the Katran shark makes long migrations, constantly searching for more favorable feeding places. During the day he prefers to sink to the bottom, and at night he prefers to rise closer to the surface.

It is also noteworthy that the katran, like other sharks, has an extremely developed sense of smell and practically no nerve endings, due to which it almost does not feel pain.

Useful properties

Katran meat has a significant percentage of fat content, while maintaining a delicate structure and pleasant taste, especially when smoked.

Katran fillet is often used in the manufacture of fish sticks, but the greatest value is not even the meat, but the liver, sometimes reaching up to 25% of the total body weight. It contains more than 70% fat, thanks to which the fish is kept on the surface without a swim bladder.

The Katran shark, the photo of which is presented in this article, when caught in industrial scale almost completely recycled. The fat contained in the liver is rich in vitamins A, E and D and is successfully used to obtain medicines. The skin is used as an abrasive on valuable wood, cartilage and fins are used to make glue, and the jaw is used to make impressive souvenirs.

Katran shark: preparation

The taste properties of the meat of this shark were discovered a long time ago, and although strong skin shark makes cutting it up for cooking a very difficult task, katran has not yet lost its popularity.

To facilitate the process, it is customary to peel it off by dousing it with boiling water. Such preparatory measures significantly simplify the process, but they only work if the fish is fresh enough and has not had time to dry out.

Katrana shark dishes contain a large amount of useful substances due to the high content of vitamins. In addition, its meat has a unique taste, thanks to which it is highly valued throughout the world. Various dishes are prepared from this shark, in most cases boiling it and seasoning it with various sauces.

Another noteworthy fact is that, despite the way in which the katran shark is prepared, recipes for its preparation require certain knowledge. The fact is that, since it does not have a bladder, when removed from the water, all the specific liquid spills into the insides of the predator, which is why the meat of the katran acquires a specific taste.

In order to restore its original taste, cut fish must be washed with special care. a large number flow-through cold water or soak in milk. Another, no less effective, method is freezing, after which all foreign flavors disappear from the katran meat.

Despite the variety of cooking methods, the most delicious dish This shark is considered a roast, for the preparation of which it is customary to use exclusively young individuals.

Danger to humans

The katran treats humans quite passively at sea. Injury can only be caused by careless handling during fishing.

In addition to a prick on the dorsal spine, the main danger to people is the glands located at the base of the fins, which small quantity produce poison.

A seventy-year-old poisonous spiny katran shark lives in the Black Sea! Katran (translated from Greek as “spiny”) - Squalus acanthias belongs to the family of spiny sharks. They got their name thanks to the sharp spikes that are located at the beginning of the first and second dorsal fins. These thorns do not emit poison, as most fishermen believe, but they represent real threat. The thing is that they can be covered with mucus, in which various microorganisms miraculously multiply. At the moment of the injection, bacteria enter the wound and cause infection, with characteristic redness and pain. So these injuries are very, very dangerous. Although the bite of the katran is much worse than the pricks of the thorns. By the way, in the old days people used the “spines” of fins as toothpicks, without any fear of getting poisoned .

Another legend is associated with the “survivability” of these fish. In fact, the maximum age for them, according to different sources, 25-30 years old. The age of the katran can be determined approximately by the rings on the spine of the second fin. Light rings are formed in the summer, when the fish grows faster, dark ones are “winter” rings. The most “wild” legend that we were able to find is the story that due to the absence of an anus, excrement is excreted in the katran through the pores of the skin. Indeed, they heard the ringing, but they don’t know where it is! Yes, Katrans do not have a separate anus. The fact is that the cloaca - the part of the hind intestine that opens outward - in hagfish, rays, sharks, pipefish, all amphibians, reptiles and birds, performs the functions of both the rectum, the urethra, and the birth canal. But the cloaca still has a hole, and it is located on the stomach of our “hero”. This spiny shark, unlike its other relatives, does not have a nictitating membrane (“third eyelid”). One more distinctive feature is the absence of an anal fin. Well, and of course, the aforementioned spines are a feature characteristic only of spiny sharks. Katran, nokotnitsa, sea dog - different names the same shark. The katran is widespread everywhere and its habitat is very wide.

Dog fish become sexually mature at the age of ten and the fry are carried for up to two years, or more precisely, 22 months (the longest “pregnancy” among all known sharks). The dogfish shark is viviparous. They mate in the Black Sea in the spring, and by early summer they appear off the coast.I'm a fry. Mating games occur at a depth of about forty meters. In the north, fry appear in mid-spring, and in the Sea of Japan - in August, that is, closer to autumn.Katrans living in open seas, breed in subtropical waters, but in the Vladivostok area the appearance of katran fry was often noted. In the Black Sea, the sea dog goes to a depth of up to 40 meters to mate. And the maximum depth at which the katran was encountered was 230 meters.

The body length of the nokotnitsa is one to two meters. Most often - 120-160 centimeters. This small shark belongs to pelagic fish, i.e. lives in the water column or near its surface. The main food items are fish, shrimp, and crabs. Katrans live in small flocks. According to some scientists, in the open seas, schools of sharks migrate after the fish they feed on.

They are packaged in two special gelatinous capsules. The number of eggs in capsules varies and can range from two to 13 pieces. And when one “batch” of eggs is already preparing for birth, new eggs are already maturing in the ovaries. At the time of birth, the fry are 20-26 cm long. At first, the fry feeds on yolk sac, storing stock nutrients. By the way, the katran, like all other sharks, is extremely voracious. This is due to the fact that in order to breathe, they, that is, sharks, need to constantly move, spending a lot of energy. To replenish lost energy, sharks have to constantly eat. In some countries they are a real disaster for fishermen, so measures such as rewards for catching these fish have even been introduced .

QATRAN (Squalus acanthias) or spiny shark

One of the subspecies of the spiny shark, the katran, is widespread in the Black Sea. The Black Sea katran shark does not attack humans, although the size of the largest individuals could well allow them to do so.

Katranas, or as they are sometimes called, sea dogs, usually grow no more than 1.5-2 meters in length (usually within one meter in the catch). Sometimes you come across specimens slightly larger than two meters. Spiny sharks usually hunt in small groups, following schools of fish at a depth of 30-150 m, rarely rising closer to the surface. The main prey of the katran is schooling small and medium-sized fish: anchovy, horse mackerel, mackerel, herring, sprat. At the same time, the sea dog is not averse to eating sea mollusks(for example, squid) and various crustaceans. And yet, the main and favorite prey of the spiny shark is pelagic (living in the water column) schooling fish. Therefore, fishermen know that it is usually possible to catch a katran where large schools of horse mackerel or herring appear. There is an opinion that the katran can hunt dolphins in schools. This is hard to believe. Still, the dolphin is too large, strong and fast prey for the spiny shark, whose weight usually does not exceed 15 kg. In addition, it is known for certain that they themselvesdolphins sometimes attack sharks that are larger than the Black Sea Katrans. However, dolphin meat is sometimes found in the stomachs of caught katrans. Most likely, sea dogs attack sick or wounded bottlenose dolphins and white-sided dolphins in flocks (just as their terrestrial “namesakes” can attack a larger, weakened animal in a flock).

Katran prefers cool water, so it rarely swims into shallow water. The Black Sea has its own unique features, which are no longer available in any other place globe. Here, all the main life is concentrated at depths of no more than 150-200 meters, and below is the kingdom of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur bacteria that secrete it. In coastal northern regions the water often gets very hot, and also has a fairly low salinity due to difficult exchange with Mediterranean Sea and large river flow. At the same time, strong currents often bring rather cold masses of water to coastal areas even in summer. Therefore, very unpretentious fish species live in these places, which tolerate sharp fluctuations in temperature and salinity of water well. The same can be said about katran. The Black Sea shark has perfectly adapted to local conditions, wandering after herds of fatty anchovy or mackerel. The offspring of the katran are born immediately ready for the harsh underwater life. The sea dog has a very long gestation period - from one and a half to almost two years. During this time, the fry “hatched” from the eggs grow into quite large sharks measuring 20-30 cm. Once in marine environment, they immediately begin to hunt small animals and reach sexual maturity after about 13-15 years.

Sometimes fishermen manage to catch a katran while catching other fish from a pier jutting deep into the sea or from a boat. This happens when the spiny shark approaches the shore following migrating schools, usually in the fall, in October-November. At the same time, the katran is specifically hunted using special gear. Tyrants are most often used. This is a long tackle, with a supply of fishing line on a reel of up to 200 meters, at the end of which there are up to one and a half dozen leashes with hooks. You can “fool” fish both from a stationary boat and on the move. It usually happens that if one shark has bitten, then in the same place you can pull in several more. This is due precisely to the fact that Katrans hunt in small groups, sometimes, however, accumulating in quite numerous flocks. They catch a katran and industrially. Sometimes it is caught in nets along with herring or anchovy, but more often it becomes prey when fishing for predators such as kalkan flounder.

Katran has a large liver, from which you can extract very healthy “fish oil” rich in vitamins and fatty acids. The meat gives off ammonia and is bitter, so it is advisable to immediately drain the blood after catching a shark. But there are absolutely no bones! Before cooking, pieces of meat must be thoroughly washed. Katran makes excellent steaks, which can be fried or stewed in tomato and vegetable sauce. Balyks made from this fish are also quite good. If katran is prepared correctly, its balyk tastes difficult to distinguish from sturgeon. In general, the sea dog once again confirms that it is not so much people who should be afraid of sharks, but rather the underwater predators who should be afraid of humans. And almost the only danger that can await us from the katran is its sharp poisonous spines, which are located on the back next to the fins. And, of course, you shouldn’t check the sharpness of a sea dog’s teeth. And you shouldn’t “stroke” the katran, especially “against the grain.” Its scales are the same teeth, although very small, but very sharp. Dried katran leather is used for wood processing (grinding and polishing).

This is the most widespread predator in the Black Sea, and its role in the local ecology is very great. Especially considering that there are fewer and fewer dolphins every year, and local residents have already forgotten when they saw seals.

The Black Sea katran is a small spiny shark that in schools chases schools of small fish moving in search of food in the bottom layers of the sea.

Katran is found both in the water column and on its surface, most often at night. If there is a lack of food, the katran can come close to the shore. But this usually happens at dusk.

Until recently, among the local population, both in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, katran was considered an inedible fish. But today there is a demand for katran meat; now you can often see this fish on the shelves of seaside markets - by the way, it is not sold so cheaply.

Properly cooked katran meat differs little from sturgeon. The Black Sea katran can reach a length of 2 m and a weight of up to 15 kg. But usually, much smaller specimens are caught on hook tackle. Since for the average fisherman the katran is an exotic fish, the first question that arises is: in which areas of the Black Sea and when to look for it?

Katrana are most often caught at depths of 25-60 m, usually at a distance of several hundred meters, or even several miles from the coast. Katran comes across everything Black Sea coast and the coast of Crimea, but since this predator migrates after a school of forage fish, the search for the latter plays a decisive role.

The fishing season in the coastal zone lasts from May to early December, although in my practice there have been cases when during a whole month at sea I was not able to catch a single katran. However, when it was possible to make long journeys by boat and an intensive search for fish was carried out, everything ended successfully.

So, in September 2000, in the Utrish area (near Anapa), I regularly caught smarida and horse mackerel, schools of which could most often be found a mile from the coast, but katran gear did not give any results. After asking fishermen from the local team, who often went to the Taman region for a good catch of mullet, I learned that from time to time they come across small katran fish there in their nets.

I quickly put together a team of several exotic fishing enthusiasts, we rented a boat and set off to those parts. Having taken us to the place, the experienced boat captain, using an echo sounder, quickly discovered an underwater bank familiar to him, and near it a good school of fish and suggested fishing here. The tyrants came across large horse mackerel.

But fishing with a katran line above the bank itself (the depth above its flat top was 28 m) did not give any results. We asked the captain to drop the anchors so that it would be possible to lower the gear from different sides along the edge of the bank to different depths. The first katran took the horse mackerel baited on a longline hook as soon as it was at the very foot of the bank, at a depth of 38 m (Fig. 1).

A few minutes later, the rod of a comrade standing next to me bent into an arc. When two more fishermen came on board, their gear started working as well. On that short trip we managed to pull out ten katrans ranging from 5 to 8 kg. A few words about the tier. They are caught on a long line with two or three hooks No. 12-14, baited with mackerel, small haddock, emerida, small herring, goby or other fish.

It is advisable to use metal leashes with soft braiding. When fishing at great depths, use a heavy (150-300 g) sinker. The stake is attached to the main line using a carabiner and a swivel (Fig. 2). It is better to cut off the tail of the bait so that the tackle is less twisted; you can also make several cuts on the sides so that the predator can smell the fish better.

They are often caught near the bottom or in the lower layers of water. The fishing technique is the same as for vertical trolling: the sinker is lowered to the bottom, slightly raised above it and a short smooth swing of the rod is made. After loosening, the sinker should stop just above the ground, but not lie on it, so that the turbidity does not scare away the fish.

Katranovy tyrant. I got the impression that the Katran gathers in schools according to the size of the individuals; it was rarely necessary to catch “different-sized” predators in one place. This was the case last year, when at the end of June I short time came from Anapa to visit my friend, a resident of the village of Lazarevskoye.

In a telephone conversation, Volodya mentioned the successes of his acquaintances, who are “cutting” hake with all their might and even caught one small fish, and they go to sea for fish on a pleasure boat that departs from the pier every day at eight in the morning. It so happened that from the gear we They took only two tyrants.

The captain of the ship, apparently, was well versed in the choice fishing spot, because we immediately found a school of hake near the bottom at a depth of 40 m. At first we fished without bait on bare shiny hooks, but after a couple of fish were caught, we cut them into fillet pieces and made bait. The hake pecked superbly at the meat of their fellow fish!

We already had half a bucket of fish, when suddenly the bite stopped, and Volodya seemed to have a snag - the rod bent into an arc and at first it didn’t move. But soon he began to bring the fish to the surface. The leashes were quite strong, so he was able to lift a small dog weighing about 2 kg over the rather high side of the boat. Many curious people gathered around, one fisherman grabbed the katran with his hands, but immediately released it, painfully pricking himself on a fin thorn.

When he unclenched his palm, blood flowed from a deep, knife-like wound. Then Volodya said that this vacationer’s hand did not heal for a long time, apparently because the mucus of the poisonous glands located at the bases of the two dorsal fins got into the wound. Following the first, within half an hour, three more katranchikas of almost the same weight were caught, after which they were cut off. Information on fishing for Black Sea bluefish -

By the way, the hake bite did not resume either, so the captain had to look for a new place. The fact that with the appearance of the katran, another schooling fish moves away is a common thing. To make a universal tyrant, suitable for catching haddock, hake, smarida, and for small Katrans, the following equipment is used: the main line with a diameter of 0.5 mm, the thickness of the line for the stake is 0.4 mm, leashes made of monofilament line - 0. 3mm.

A sinker weighing from 200 to 400 g is tied to the end of the stake so that the tackle can quickly sink to a depth of 70-80 m; the supply of fishing line should also be appropriate. Six to eight leads are attached to special washers that rotate on the main line, clamped by two stoppers (Fig. 3). The distance between the leashes is 25-30 cm, starting from the sinker.

Feathers can be tied to the hooks, then they can catch quite effectively without a bait. It is important that the leashes sag as little as possible (their length is no more than 7 cm), and the feathers puff up. Hooks No. 10-11 with a long shank. You can take light, dark, reddish and variegated feathers, but the best bite is on blue ones.

After the sinker has touched the bottom, the tyrant is raised higher by 15-20 cm. Then, with a smooth swing, they are raised about another half meter and sharply lowered down. Flashing. Katrana are usually caught at great depths from a vessel. If you expect to catch a large specimen, then it is advisable to have a metal leash.

The bait is a heavy spoon, such as a herring jig, or a tackle with a fish (mackerel mackerel, smarida, small hake, etc.). On artificial baits and on the tackle, treble hooks No. 10-11 or a single hook of the same size as on the longline, or a couple of numbers larger, are placed. For the rig, you can use a rig with a sliding sinker (Fig. 4).

They lure both vertically and at a slight distance from the boat, when the bait moves in steps, alternately taking off and touching the bottom (Fig. 5). Sometimes the katran approaches the shore and at shallow depths chases schools of small fish. In this case, they usually fish with a spinning rod using various wobblers, narrow oscillating spoons and modern soft baits in combination with a jig head.

The best fishing time is early morning and late evening. The bite of the katran is powerful. You always need to be on your guard so you can start fishing right away. At the initial stage of lifting the tackle, the katran seems to hang with a heavy load or is strongly pulled down, and at the surface it begins to rush from side to side and, in general, behave unpredictably. Sometimes loosening the line a little helps.

At this moment, the katran calms down a little, and you need to try to quickly pull it into the boat. The scales of the katran are rough; you need to remove it from the hook carefully so as not to injure your hands. Bottom tackle and float rods. In spring, summer and autumn, katran can be periodically caught near the shore.

You need to choose areas under rocks where there is great depth, or fish from piers, breakwaters and similar structures that extend far into the sea. Usually several bottom rods are left overnight. The leashes, from two to five on one tackle, are fixed with pellets in a sliding position, a float is placed near the hook, which does not allow the baitfish to hide in bottom shelters (Fig. 6).

Thus, my friends and I were quite successful in catching katrans near Sevastopol. Sometimes the gear remained untouched for several days, but it happened that we caught a fish from all three to five bottoms. The katran comes across float tackle mostly by accident. I have witnessed a couple of incidents where two fairly large dogfish (each over a meter long) were caught with a float rod from the piers.

One happened in Turkey with my friend Alexander, a karting coach. Towards nightfall, he left a fishing rod with live bait on the very edge of the pier, and it was not dragged into the sea only because the shark wrapped the fishing line around the piling. Another happened late autumn in Gurzuf. Quite a lot of fishermen gathered on the pier, opposite the House of Writers - then a large school of smarida came to the shore, and the fish fought briskly until the evening.

Already at dusk, when there were only three anglers left on the pier, and I was one of them, one local guy got something solid on his hook. After a long struggle, he managed to pull out a 3-kilogram katran using a 0.25 mm fishing line. I hope you have received sufficiently complete information about catching katran, and if now, while sitting over a glass of beer in a cafe on the embankment of some seaside resort, you hear: