Salaul | Facts & Information

Origin

In Romania, salaul is the most valuable representative of percids (Percidae) and at the same time one of the Most Noble Fish and also the most tasty in our waters. It is a fairly widespread fish, but especially in the Danube, in the overflowing ponds of the river and in the Delta, then in the waters of the Prut, Siret, Arges, Jiu, Somes, Mures, Olt, as well as in those of Crisuri, but it is not missing in Tisa, Timis or Bega and their tributaries.

Also, salaul lives in the lagoons near the Black Sea coast, of which it can be found in the largest number in the Razelm-Sinoe Lake Complex, with its 80,000 hectares, which is why these lakes are also called typical or representative lakes for walleye.

Of the other large lakes in the coastal perimeter, it can also be found in Tasaul, Siutghiol and Mangalia, where it also appears quite numerous, in terms of the lakes inside the country, there are walleye in Snagov and Caldarusani lakes, Cernica etc. (Bucharest), in Jirlau (jud. Galati), in Bezid (Mures), as well as in Babadag Lake (jud. Tulcea).

However, it is not widespread in fish farms, but can be found in relatively large numbers in the CEFA ponds. Bihor), where it devours small fish, competing for food of the valuable species of fish grown here, which is why its presence is beneficial.

Until the extremely frosty winter of 1953-1954, the hall was also present in the loft of Zau De Campie (jud. Mures), as well as in many other lakes in Transylvania and Moldova where it is now found less often or not at all.

Walleye Food

The biology of Sala food has been studied by many specialists. Walleye fry feed first on small planktonic organisms, then gradually switching to the consumption of crayfish of lower species (Misidaceae), bream and insects.

At the age of 4-5 months, the walleye brood already leads a Raptor way of life, feeding mainly on small fish, such as oblets or Bream brood.

The young walleye does not stand to choose; the important thing for him is to ingest a sufficient amount of food. More mature specimens, however, do not hunt anything, choosing only the species they appreciate as "delicacies".

They do not spare either the tomato or the Frog, but the most valuable food is gingirica, which has a rather fatty meat, in the lagoons close to the sea shore, Salai feed primarily on gobies and other species of the genus gobiidae. Cannibalism is a phenomenon that can also be observed in Walleye.

The larger specimens eat the smaller ones without "remorse". The Salaul boldly attacks any creature that has aroused its appetite, swallows frogs, crayfish, worms, insects and other aquatic creatures that come in its way.

Instead, they do not attack birds that swim on the surface of the water, as sleep does. It has a good, fast digestion, because its stomach produces strong acids, which break down food efficiently, but it causes the fish a continuous feeling of hunger, because of which the hall makes great efforts to always have a full belly.

Walleye Features

The Salaul can be easily recognized by the specific shape of the body, because it bears on the "back" the mark characteristic of all representatives of the percids the two dorsal fins, separated from each other only by a small space.

The body of the Sala is long, almost cylindrical, slightly compressed laterally, covered by small, rough scales (ctenoids), which is why the fish seems rough when touched.

The head is long, slightly flattened laterally with a large mouth, elongated forward, whose heads reach to below the eyes. Both the upper and lower jaws are provided with a string of sharp teeth, characteristic of Raptors.

On both jaws there are two "canine" teeth that serve to grab the fish they catch. The operculum is covered with scales. Of the two dorsal fins (separated, as I pointed out, by a small space), the first has 14 ossified radii with spines, and the second, placed further back, has a spade and 20-22 soft radii.

The way in which all the constituent parts of the body are arranged illustrates that the hall is adapted to perform rapid movements, suitable for the way of life of Raptors.

The coloration of the hall is beautiful, discreetly adapting to the colors prevailing in the natural environment in which it lives. The back of the fish is green-gray, less often yellow-gray, the sides are gray-silver, with 8-9 darker stripes, arranged transversely. The abdominal region has a lighter color.

On the caudal fin, as well as on the dorsal, on the skin covering the bone radii, can be seen many black dots, arranged in 4-5 strings. The rest of the flippers are yellowish, sometimes yellowish-blue. The iris of the eyes is silvery, with several black dots.

Salaul grows to relatively large sizes. From Tasaul, Sititghiol lakes and in the razelm-Sinoe lagoon system, on the Black Sea coast, walleye specimens of 10-12 kg are caught quite often. The most common size is 40-70 cm in length and 1-4 kg in weight.

Salaul is a fish with a relatively rapid development, especially in the first 4-5 years of life, that is, until the moment when the fish reaches sexual maturity. Such a rhythm can be explained by the very high appetite of the hall and the active life of the Raptor fish. Its characteristics The Shape of the body and its various parts, the teeth and the configuration of the mouth, the way it moves, the color, etc.all demonstrate the way of life of the kidnapper of the Hall.

The space in which the salaul lives is constituted by clear fresh waters, where it can easily observe the prey, but it also likes slightly saline waters (Brack waters). They usually prefer deeper and deeper waters. It lives with pleasure and in the backwaters, the bottom of which is covered with gravel or sand.

He doesn't like puddles with bad bottoms. In the rivers it is maintained in the portions where the currents are not too fast, but not too slow, where smaller vortices are formed. Salaul can be found most often in the river portions where the bed is covered by gravel or clean sand and where the bottom of the river is varied.

He stands on the prowl near the riverbed or lurks near the banks of the river. In lakes it usually hides near the various larger objects on their bottom, but if the shore and the portions near the shore are covered by reeds and rushes, the salaul hides near their submerged stems, without penetrating among them; it lurks near them, in the portions released by vegetation near Reeds and papuris.

He also likes the meeting places of two rivers, where their currents bring and deposit shoals of clean, washed sand, or the places where the swirls make the river seem to flow in reverse, in the portions near the shore. In all these places, the fish they feed on float along with the water currents, not suspecting that there awaits them a fearsome enemy, salaul. Often he lies hidden in the deeper pits of the river, lurking towards the fish that swim in the shallower portions, other times lurking in the places of overflowing channels in the river, waiting to see what luck brings him.

It also shelters near Stone embankments, larger boulders or tree trunks in the water, near the foot of the bridge or under the banks washed by the river, from where it attacks victims quickly, climbing lightning from deep up and usually in the direction of the bank.

From the position of relaxation in which it awaits its prey, the salaul passes extremely quickly to the attack, crossing the water like an arrow, never making a mistake on the target. He is able to develop an extremely high swimming speed during the attack and his bite is the safest compared to all other species of prey fish from us, which is primarily due to the pairs of canine teeth he has, from the grip of which no prey can escape.

The Salaul is extremely sensitive to the shore. Especially in the case of standing waters and especially in Lake Razelm, storms cause a strong agitation of the water, which in turn disturbs the sand on the riverbed. This sand is then deposited on the operculae of the halls, blocking them and thus endangering their respiratory system and, as a result, their very existence.

That is why, in such weather, the salaul seeks shelter in the areas with a lot of rushes or reeds, where the respective plants prevent excessive disturbance of the sand on the bottom. The Salaul therefore strives to avoid as much as possible the turbulent waters after storms or river overflows.

Walleye Breeding

Salaul reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years, usually males a year earlier than females. The breeding season of the Sala begins in late March, ending towards the end of April.

For breeding, the Sala needs a water of at least 10 degrees celsius, but it is even better if the temperature rises to 12-14 degrees celsius. Salaul is a fish that lays its eggs in the" nest", that is, and usually puts them on the washed nodes of the willow roots in the water.

A breeding female 50-60 cm long can lay 300000-500000 grains of Roe. The number of eggs laid by very large specimens can even exceed the figure of one million. The eggs deposited are sticky, with a diameter between 0.8 and 1.5 mm, yellowish in color.

Salaul is a fish that requires a lot of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is why, once removed from the water, it dies shortly in winter, while in summer it does not last more than a few minutes.

Its flesh is white, tender, with excellent taste and without too many bones. Its fat content is reduced, which is why salaul is on all menus.