The one who buys fish in the store usually does not ask the question what kind of fish it is. The commodity experts have already determined everything, and the necessary information is on the price tag. The market is a different matter. Fishermen often sell what they caught themselves. Before buying fish from them, try to determine what exactly you are going to take, because the method of preparation depends on the type of fish.
Instructions
Step 1
Examine the fish's mouth. Note if there is a suction cup in there. This mouth shape occurs only in representatives of the lamprey family. Other fish do not have a sucker, but a jaw.
Step 2
Examine the skin of the fish and count the dorsal fins. If the specimen you like has five rows of bone beetles, then it belongs to the sturgeon. Different fish of this family can be distinguished by several characteristics. These are the shape of the snout, the number of antennae, the ratio of length and height. A distinctive feature may be the presence or absence of stellate plates, which are found in stellate sturgeon, but absent in other sturgeon. The Baltic sturgeon has diamond-shaped plates.
Step 3
Examine the shape of the body. It can be flat, arrow-shaped, fusiform, laterally compressed, serpentine. Eels are serpentine.
Step 4
For a flat-bodied fish, examine the eyes. If they are asymmetrically located, then this is a fish from the flounder family. The type of fish depends on the color. The presence or absence of spines, the location of the dorsal fin and lateral line are also important.
Step 5
Count your fins. See how they are located. Assess their shape and size. Note if the fish has an adipose fin and an adipose eyelid. Count the number of antennae at the mouth. An adipose fin is a characteristic feature of salmon, grayling and smelt fish.
Step 6
Pay attention to the shape and size of the scales. Count the number of rays in the dorsal fin. Pay attention to the structure of the jaw. The number of rays in the anal fin is also important. Count the transverse rows of scales.
Step 7
A characteristic feature of cod and mackerel is the number of dorsal fins. Cod has 3 of them, and mackerel usually has more. Different types of cod fish have a different number of antennae, their head and jaw shape differ. The color of the lateral line is also an important sign.
Step 8
If the fish has only 2 dorsal fins, see if it has a lateral line. It is absent in mullets.
Step 9
In a two-finned fish with a lateral line, inspect the first dorsal fin from the head. In perches, it will be firm. Goby fish have a soft and flexible first dorsal fin. In order to determine the type, look at the color, the shape of the jaw, and the features of the head.
Step 10
Fish with one dorsal fin may or may not have a lateral line. If not, the fish is classified as herring. Look at the shape of the abdomen and the structure of the dorsal fin.
Step 11
Fish with one dorsal fin and a lateral line can be carp or pike. The second family has one very characteristic feature - teeth. Therefore, inspect the jaw first. To determine a specific species, look at the shape of the scales, color, head size.
Step 12
Memorize or write down the signs that you have identified. Find in the determiner, the link to which is given below, the required family and, by smaller signs, establish the type of fish.
