In February 2021, the List of Wildlife under Key Protection changed, and a variety of fish species were included in the Key Wild Protected Animals, which also requires a little more homework for many anglers, as they may face heavy penalties if they accidentally catch these wild fish in violation of the law.
Among them, there is a special fish that lives in the Pearl River system, the sesame sword, which has also become a second-class protected animal, prohibiting anyone from illegally fishing, processing and eating.
Especially for fishing friends in Guangxi, sesame swords may be familiar. It was once a specialty of Guangxi and is an extremely precious freshwater fish, which can grow up to more than 20 catties. Because of its delicious taste, the market price was as high as hundreds of yuan a catty, until it was eaten as a "protected fish"!
Sesame sword, scientific name spotted trout, mainly lives in the Hongshui River Basin in the upper reaches of the Pearl River system, because of its sesame grain-like spots, so named. Since this fish was listed as a protected animal, many anglers have also expressed their position that if they are caught by mistake in the future, they must be released at the first time, and must not be sent to the circle of friends to show off, otherwise they may face heavy penalties.
However, many northern anglers express doubts about the sesame sword living in the Pearl River system, and many anglers often catch this fish, which is covered with black spots, but it is not caught in the Pearl River system. In the yellow river basin in the north, this "sesame sword" with spots has also been caught.
But the sesame sword is only distributed in the Red Water River of the Pearl River system, when did it run into the Yellow River? Moreover, this fish cannot be artificially bred, so the number is extremely limited.
In fact, the "sesame sword" in the eyes of northern anglers is to mistake another kind of fish for a sesame sword, that is, the spotted "fork-tailed catfish". The forktail catfish is very similar in appearance to the sesame sword, and the body is also covered with gray-black spots, so many anglers often mistake it.
Forktail catfish (tail is scissor-shaped)
"Forktail catfish" is an exotic fish species native to North America. Due to their rapid growth and relatively easy cultivation, they have gradually multiplied in some natural waters after being introduced into the country, so it is not unusual for anglers to catch them.
But after the sesame sword was upgraded to a second-level protected animal, many anglers were also afraid, these two kinds of silly and unclear fish, how to distinguish after catching? In fact, for northern anglers, there is no need to worry at all, because it is impossible to catch this kind of fish, but it is an angler in Guangxi, who needs to popularize science well, and if it is illegal to fish, it will be heavily punished.
Anglers catch "forktail catfish" in the Yellow River
The more obvious difference between the forktail catfish and the sesame sword is the shape of the tail. The sesame sword is the "fan-tail", while the fork-tailed catfish is the "scissor tail". In addition, it is the color of the beard, the whiskers of the forktail catfish are mostly black, and the sesame sword is white.
After understanding the above two more obvious characteristics, it is not difficult to distinguish. For the anglers in Guangxi, it is necessary to make up for it as soon as possible, and stop mistaking the famous "sesame sword" for a "fork-tailed catfish", which will not only make jokes, but also make trouble.
However, from the perspective of the "fear" reaction of many anglers, it is also a presentation of the protective effect, which is not a good thing.
Protect these rare fish, and sometimes it may be you who protect yourself. If there are still anglers who can't distinguish between these two kinds of fish, it is better to learn it quickly!