As the deepest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal has a deepest point of 1,637 meters and a total water storage of 23.6 trillion cubic meters, which is equivalent to about one-fifth of the world's freshwater resources. So how rich is Baikal's fish and how big is the largest fish in it? Today we will reveal the secret together.
Lake Baikal is rich in freshwater resources
In the Book of Han, there is an allusion called Su Wu Muyang, which tells the story of a man named Su Wu who was exiled to Beihai by the Xiongnu for 19 years because he was resolute in refusing to surrender to the Xiongnu. The North Sea in this allusion is Lake Baikal in the territory of today's Buryatia Republic in Siberia, Russia.
For thousands of years, there have been many opinions about the reasons for the formation of Lake Baikal. But a generally accepted view is that 25 million years ago, during the Mesozoic Jurassic period, earthquakes from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates formed a lake basin. And at that time, in the area east of this lake basin, there was a vast Transbaikal Sea, and due to changes in the earth's crust, the sea overflowed into the lake basin.
Since then, Lake Baikal has been formed, with a length of 636 km, an average width of 48 km, and an area of 31,500 square km. After the formation of Lake Baikal, 336 rivers, including the Selenge River, flowed into the lake, and with the continuous addition of rainwater, the salt water of Lake Baikal turned into fresh water.
And the total water storage of Lake Baikal has reached a staggering 23.6 trillion cubic meters, which is equivalent to the total volume of the five Great Lakes of North America. And the absolute reserves of clean water it contains account for one-fifth of the world's freshwater resources, making it the largest and deepest freshwater lake in Eurasia. With such abundant freshwater resources, how can there be few fish?
What fish are in Lake Baikal
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 50 species of fish in Lake Baikal, including viviparous lake fish, salmon, Baikal whitefish and sturgeon. Abundant fish resources are the main source of income for local fishermen, and at its peak, 3 billion tons of fish were caught annually from Lake Baikal.
Among them, Baikal oilfish is the most abundant species, accounting for 80% of the total number of fish in the lake. This fish is rich in fat and protein, and the fish soup made from it can quickly replenish energy, so it is regarded as a treasure of fish in Russia. It's just that because this oily fish lives in deep water, it is difficult for humans to catch, so its production is not high.
The most widely caught fish is whitefish, which is the best-selling species in Russia because it is rich in protein, vitamins and essential metals. But after years of overfishing, the Baikal whitefish population has seriously declined and has become an endangered species.
In addition, salmon is also the most commonly caught fish in Lake Baikal, this fish generally weighs only 7-8 pounds, but in Lake Baikal this fish can grow to 40 pounds, body length can also reach 1 meter.
However, this is not the largest fish in Lake Baikal, the largest species in Baikal is a migratory fish called the Siberian sturgeon. We all know that the sturgeon itself is a large freshwater fish, such as the Chinese sturgeon, which can grow up to 4 or 5 meters long and weigh up to 600 kilograms.
The Siberian sturgeon is a little smaller than the Chinese sturgeon, growing up to 2 meters and weighing up to 200 kilograms. If you can't feel how big this fish is, then imagine putting a Siberian sturgeon and Yao Ming together.
And amazingly, as the world's largest freshwater lake, Baikal is home to seals, sharks and other marine animals.
Why are marine animals living in the lake?
It turns out that when Lake Baikal was first formed, tens of thousands of marine creatures entered the basin of the Baikal Sea during the flow of sea water into the basin of Lake Baikal. Since then, in the process of desalination of Lake Baikal, a large number of marine organisms began to die, but some more adaptable organisms survived through evolution.
For example, the Arctic Ocean ringed seal that swam into Lake Baikal in search of food evolved into the Baikal seal with its strong adaptability, and it is currently the world's only freshwater seal. Lake Baikal is so large that exploring it is only the tip of the iceberg. I believe that with the advancement of science, we will definitely be able to discover more species.