The vast majority of people over forty years old recall with nostalgia the delicious Iwashi herring - fat, tender, with a unique aroma. This fish was the perfect snack for any feast - whether it was a home dinner with the family or a crowded celebration. In the 90s, it somehow suddenly disappeared from the shelves, and even now, when the range of fish products is large enough, we do not see it on sale. Where did the Iwashi go?
To begin with, Iwashi is not a herring at all, as many believed. This fish has an indirect relationship to herring - it simply belongs to the Herring family. In fact, she is a sardine, and her name in Latin sounds like this: Sardinops sagax melanostict, that is, Far Eastern sardine. Why "Iwashi"? In Japanese, sardine is pronounced ma-iwashi.
Well, well, where did this sardine disappear to? And will we ever see her in the fish departments? Scientists-ichthyologists console - yes, we'll see. And, most likely, in the near future.
The fact is that the development cycle of the Far Eastern sardine is still not fully understood. It is known that this fish can be found in the vast water area from the coast of Taiwan to Kamchatka. She spawns in warm waters south of Japan, and then swims to feed north, to the shores of Primorye. Here, Iwashi feeds on plankton crustaceans and gains weight quickly. With the onset of cold weather, shoals of sardines migrate south again.
Before the war, in the 30s and 40s, Far Eastern fishermen caught a huge amount of ivashi. Then this fish abruptly disappeared from our seas. 40 years later, in the 70s and 80s, she returned again and took the lead in catching. Up to 600 thousand tons of ivashi per year have been mined by our fishermen for almost 10 years. And here again - a sudden disappearance. Iwashi simply did not enter our fishing area.
Ichthyologists associate this cyclicity with the specificity of fish reproduction, with changes in the direction of underwater currents. Their predictions for the return of this delicious sardine to our seas are quite optimistic. Judge for yourself: 30-40 years, then after 40 years - 70-80 years. Add another cycle at 40 and you will see that soon the Iwashi population should begin to grow. According to ichthyologists, the migration of the Far Eastern sardine in Primorye should begin in 2015-2020. A gradual timid approach of Iwashi stocks to the shores of Kamchatka is already beginning.
Well, we will hope that the predictions of scientists will turn out to be correct, and we will look forward to the appearance of this delicious fish on our tables.
