In the cities of European Russia, red fish is an expensive delicacy. But anyone who has ever been to Chukotka, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, notes: sometimes they just throw away pink salmon carcasses! Even seagulls, dogs and bears do not eat it! And what can I say – they are impudent. A real delicacy. The fact is that this strange phenomenon does not always happen, but precisely when the fish appear in large numbers in the rivers to spawn. Pink salmon (like other salmon) is anadromous fish, lives in the sea and spawns in rivers, especially in the upper reaches. The fish is protected by the state – it is a valuable resource. However, the local population of Chukotka and Kamchatka has been fishing for salmon since time immemorial, and this tradition cannot be destroyed overnight by a decree from above. They do not do this – such strictness is not needed. In this case, we are not talking about poaching. Poachers exist, yes. But they are only sought out, caught and severely punished. But several days are specially set aside for salmon spawning, when fishing is officially permitted. Local residents set up tents (Chukchi – chums), barrels for salting, and set nets in the sea right on the beaches. Experienced fishermen who earn extra money in this trade (and not just catch fish for themselves) buy cape trailers on the shore as a base – right within the city. The fishing process is as follows. Nets are set out in the sea. Fish fall into them, and then the fishermen go straight into the water, get the catch and crush it with a wooden hammer. And then they get the caviar – only the caviar. It is marinated on the spot. And everything else is chopped into pieces and fed to dogs, or even thrown to seagulls or back into the sea. The whole process takes several days. Fishing is sometimes poaching, since the fish have to “pass” and spawn in rivers for most of the spawning period. Otherwise, its reserves will be undermined. But why do they still throw away the corpse? You can take both the caviar and the fish! It turns out you can, but you shouldn’t. The Heavy Cross of Parenthood The fact is that salmon are protected and never reproduce en masse, because parenthood is an important responsibility for them, associated with a direct risk to life. And because of the enormous strain of all forces directed at reproduction, the fish changes irrevocably. Pink salmon are called pink salmon because of their appearance during the reproductive period. It is then that the shape of their jaws and body changes, and this very hump is formed. The fish changes color and becomes covered with unhealthy spots, slightly reminiscent of mold. Spawning, it slowly “rolls” down the rivers and most often dies. Therefore, among the mass of dead salmon that accumulate annually on the shores of Chukotka and Kamchatka, many have died a natural death. And those caught by fishermen (including fishing clubs) go there because it is really impossible to eat them. The meat of the running and especially “rolling” salmon is no longer red, but whitish! It becomes loose and tasteless, similar to some kind of bran. The better, the more mature the caviar, the worse the fish meat is – this is an immutable rule. In general, such salmon are of little use as food. The Chukchi, Kamchatka and other northern peoples traditionally used them as winter food for sled dogs (in dried form – this is called yukola) – and nothing more. And it is easy to understand why even animals quickly get full of low-quality fish when there is a lot of it. Even bears that catch salmon that spawn in rivers eat its caviar and head (robot-footed fish look like fish brains). and throw away everything else. Why chew something tasteless when there is a continuous stream of fish, and you can catch another and eat the tasty parts. Such salmon carcasses are often used as fertilizer? Even such production was once developed; it is said that it is a fertilizer for salmon, called tuk, which once attracted the Japanese to Sakhalin and became one of the reasons for the Russo-Japanese war in the early 20th century. They are also given away to those who want it. People take substandard salmon for animals. So, perhaps, it is worth talking about the advice to resume mass production of fat from “rolled” salmon, but it is wrong to blame the fishermen who throw away the carcasses. They quite rightly do not want to sell fish that is unfit for human consumption. For humans, salmon is caught separately, and it is easy to notice that store-bought pink salmon does not have humps. As for the Chukchi themselves and the inhabitants of Kamchatka and Sakhalin, they do not like pink salmon in principle. Although they like salmon – chum or coho. They are tastier.
Why fishermen in Chukotka and Kamchatka are getting rid of pink salmon carcasses – Russia today
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