57 New European Freshwater Fish Species

57 new freshwater species was discovered in the rivers and lakes of Europe, which is more than previously thought. Thus European list of freshwater fish lengthens to 522 species now.

The new species were discovered during a seven-year assessment of the conservation status of freshwater fish in Europe that was conducted in collaboration with the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The new species come from all over Europe. The new freshwater species might have remained undiscovered for so long because until now, scientists had not compared fish closely enough across countries' boundaries. "Fish are a massive part of our fauna, but people don't tend to notice them because they are out of sight," said Kevin Smith of the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit.

The new species include various types of fishes. One of them is the world's smallest known fish cisco, which is a type of whitefish. It was found in Germany's Lake Stechlin, north of Berlin. This fish, silvery pink in colour, was found to be distinct from a much larger cisco species from the same lake.

Another remarkable discovery was of two new species of trout like Charr in alpine lakes in Germany and Switzerland.

The study team also named eight new Sculpin, a type of small, squat river fish often found under stones. One of these freshly named species, Cottus perifretum, had been labeled as another European sculpin, Cottus gobio. The two species are relatively easy to tell apart. The skin of Cottus gobio is very smooth, but perifretum's is like sandpaper. There are many molecular markers which also distinguish the two species.

Another species which were even harder to tell apart were members of a group of lake fish from Central and Eastern Europe called Shemayas. But the study team was able to identify four new Shemaya species. At first glance, they appear like herrings. But you really have to look at them in detail. Shemayas have a wide distribution, but they are highly localized and are usually difficult to collect. There are very few of these species in the museum collections.

A recent research also determined that more than a third of Europe's 522 freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction and that 12 species are already extinct. Regions where freshwater fish face the highest risk of extinction include the lower reaches of the Danube, Dnister, Ural, and Volga rivers in Eastern Europe.

ANI

Peacock Bass Fishing Tackle

Fishing Reels at affordable prices!

Today I suggest to dwell on a question of the most appropriate peacock bass fishing tackle. This fighting fish, as I already told in peacock previous post, is distinguished by ferocious temper and explosive force. Of course in the first place it concerns speckled peacock bass whose size is really stupendous. This is the key moment, it is clear that peacock bass tackle must have an additional factor of safety. Meanwhile, the tackle need not cost an arm and a leg to be highly effective, durability and quality of construction must be placed before their price tags.

Be the tackle ever so strong, it would be nice to take along at least a backup rig or two. It is not necessary if you are planning a peacock bass fishing trip to Amazon, Rio Negro basins or other popular peacock trip destinations. On like occasions fishing trip organizers are commonly supply anglers by rods, reels and lures free of charge. To tell the truth, I wouldn't make book on it. Not that their fishing tackle unfit to fish for, on the contrary, it's quite good as a rule. Just I prefer my own, use-proved fishing tackle. It's up to you!

So you are going to take a peacock bass fishing trip. What type of fishing tacke will you take along? It's better to ask what are your preferences in fishing tackle, because baitcasting rigs and spinning tackle are both fit for peacock bass. What are you good at? When do you really feel in your element? The answers to these questions can help you discover the most appropriate peacock bass fishing tackle. Each type can perform satisfactorily alone, but a mix is even better. Thus if you are comfortable with both types of gear, bring and use them both to optimize your fishing comfort and effectiveness. As far as possible take a heavy rig of one type and a lighter rig of the other. Rotate them to select the most appropriate tackle for the specific lure you are using and the circumstances you are fishing in.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What is the right reels for peacock bass? It must be admitted that it is the straight question. I would like to see that queer fish who can give the equally straight answer :) As a matter of fact, the most of largemouth bass reels will do for peacok bass too. But there are two things to consider when shopping for a peacock bass reel:

1. durable gears
2. extremely smooth drag

Select baitcast reels with level-wind mechanism that have a rather large spool size, it is desirable no less than 120 yard capacity to handle 20 lb mono diameter for large surface baits (by the way, large topwater baits and lures are the most suitable to start fishing for peacock bass).

For example, look closely at the low-profile Shimano Curado 300DSV Casting Reel. This reel blends great line capacity with high gear ratio (120 ya / 20 lb test). Deep spool allows you to use some heavier braided lines and the High Efficiency Gearing give you the speed you need. This reel cast like a dream and the drag is silky smooth. Shimano Calcutta series of baitcasting reels is also observable. Shimano Calcutta 400B, Shimano Calcutta 700B and Shimano Calcutta TE400 reels also meet the foresaid requirements in full. I would recommend these Shimano products to any one needing reliable reels for pecock bass fishing.

Spinning tackle can be very effective for peacock bass fishing too. You can use spinning tackle for peacock more opportunely when hook small or medium-sized topwater lures, spoons, jerkbaits and bucktail jigs.

I will try to drill down into this issue next time.