Wild fishing, often amazed, you never know what the next fish you catch is. It is precisely because the fishing process is full of variables, full of hope, and at the same time full of excitement, so wild fishing is more and more popular. However, not all fish can be caught, and some fish must be released when caught, otherwise there will be great trouble. There is a saying in the fishing world that goes, "Judge strange and fast, judge ugly for a long time, and release those you don't know as soon as possible."
On November 8, Huizhou, Guangdong, a man in Huizhou was idle and loved fishing, so he opened his rod early in the morning to fish. Due to good luck, he soon caught a catfish with a "white beard". At first, I thought it was an ordinary catfish, but after looking closely, I was immediately shocked when I noticed that it had a "white beard". Fortunately, this brother has certain common sense and has a certain understanding of fish. When he saw the familiar pair of "white beards", he knew that it was a protected fish. Instead, immediately take photos and video recordings as evidence, and immediately release the white-bearded catfish to return to nature.
Many anglers expressed their incomprehension about the release of catfish, "Why release catfish that you have worked so hard to catch?" "In fact, this catfish is not an ordinary catfish, it is a sesame sword known as "sitting in the bottom of the prison"! As can be seen from its long "white beard", it is a special catfish. Sesame sword, may not be known to many anglers, after all, its wild number is getting smaller and smaller, and many waters are almost extinct. It is precisely because it is becoming less and less wild that it was listed as a protected fish on February 5, 2021. If you catch a sesame sword after this date, you will be legally responsible.
Sesame sword, scientific name is spotted fish, is a species of the genus of mackerel, also called mackerel, sesame fish, white whisker, in rural Guangdong also called swordfish, pincer fish. Large individuals, generally common individuals are 1-2 kg, large individuals also have 5-10 kg, the largest can reach 15 kg, mainly inhabiting the bottom of rivers. It mainly eats crustaceans, insects, fish, link animals, plant debris, etc., such as aquatic insects, small fish, shrimp, etc., and also eats a small amount of higher aquatic plant debris.
According to statistics, the frequency of crustaceans is as high as 78.6%, and the frequency of aquatic insects is 45.8%, and the food it feeds will change with the change of seasons. Breeding occurs in April-June each year, but mature individuals are also found in June-August.
The biggest feature of the sesame sword is its iconic "white beard". There are also spots all over the body, and the fins under the stomach are also special. The fins of other catfish grow all the way to the tail, while the ventral fin of the sesame sword is only a small section and does not grow to the tail area. This is also the most obvious difference from other catfish.
The sesame sword is an authentic mainland native fish that has lived in mainland waters for thousands of years. There is some controversy about its distribution on the mainland. The distribution of sesame sword is mainly distributed in China's Qiantang River, Jiulong River, Han River, Pearl River, Yuan River and other water systems, and the Mekong River Basin in South Asia and inland rivers in Malaysia and Indonesia.
However, in China, it is mainly distributed in the Liangguang region, Hainan, Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi parts of the waters, but not much, other provinces almost all. Personally, I think it mainly lives in the Pearl River and Hanjiang River systems, among which the Hongshui River system has the most (the most sesame swords in three places in Guangxi: 1, Swan (Hongshui River), 2, Hechi (Longjiang River), 3, Liuzhou (Liujiang)), and basically none in other water systems.
As a qualified angler, you should have a little common sense of fish, know what fish can be fished, what fish are not allowed, and which fish should be released. Otherwise, there will really be prison food, this is no joke. For example, this fishing friend in Huizhou, he has a certain common sense, after catching the catfish, he can quickly identify that this is a second-class protected animal sesame sword, and immediately release it. It not only protects the species of sesame sword, but also avoids its own unnecessary trouble.
This is the fork tail, look at the difference
Many people will say, I don't know what the fish I caught is, I don't know if it's to protect the fish, what is the crime of taking it home?
Indeed, there are many anglers who have a poor understanding of fish identification, and do not even know what kind of fish they catch. However, when fishing, this cannot be used as an excuse for yourself, and it is used as a shield for your own breaking the law. What do you do when you catch a fish you don't know? Release is the only option! Otherwise, it is still the saying: "Judge strange and fast, judge ugly for a long time, and release those you don't know as soon as possible." The law does not mean that you can get through without knowing it, so don't take chances.
In fact, people who catch fish protected by the state abound, and there are many of them. But most people release them and let them go back to nature. Only a small number of people want to use caution and luck to muddle through. At a time when there is no shortage of material things, there is no need to risk luck and ruin your life. There are many cases where sesame swords are caught and sold secretly or eaten by themselves, and then sentenced to prison, and there are many that can be found on the Internet.
By the way, the state protects fish, in fact, not only the sesame sword, but also many protected fish. For example, a few days ago, Luya fishermen in Yueyang City fished with earthworms and caught finless porpoises. Unexpectedly, he took photos to show off in the WeChat group, not only did not release the life, but also killed the finless porpoise. Now that he is in trouble, the man has been arrested, waiting for the punishment of the law, and maybe a few years in prison is waiting for him to eat.
In short, I advise all anglers not to be greedy, when you catch a fish you don't know, release is the best choice. Learn more from Huizhou anglers and try to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Final advice: As an angler, you need to fish civilly. Moreover, environmental protection is the responsibility of every angler! Please take your garbage with you and create a wonderful fishing environment! If you have a different point of view or the author is wrong, you can correct it in the comment area. I'm Fishing Bell, remember to follow me!