Yellow Croaker

Yellow Croaker

　　　　Product Name: Yellow Croaker

　　　　Product Origin: Taizhou, Zhejiang

　　　　Product Season: The spawning season of the large yellow croaker occurs in both spring and autumn. During the breeding period, fish schools migrate in batches from offshore overwintering areas to inshore spawning grounds

　　　　Growth Conditions: Optimal growth water temperature is 22–26°C. Salinity 1.8%–2.5%, dissolved oxygen above 5 ml/L.

　　　　Product Introduction: The large yellow croaker is commonly known as yellow croaker or large fresh. It has a bluntly pointed head, a large terminal and oblique mouth slit, non-protruding lips, and the outermost row of teeth on the upper jaw are enlarged into canine-like teeth, with the front teeth being larger but more sparse, and no teeth in the central front area. The upper half of the body’s flank is purplish-brown, while the lower half is golden yellow, with orange-yellow luminous particles. The dorsal fin is light yellowish-brown, the caudal fin is light yellowish-brown with a blackish-brown margin, and the anal, pelvic, and pectoral fins are bright yellow. The inside of the mouth is white, with a light red margin. The large yellow croaker is similar in appearance to the small yellow croaker, but can be distinguished by the following: there are 8–9 rows of scales between the starting point of the dorsal fin and the lateral line in the large yellow croaker, compared to 5–6 rows in the small yellow croaker; the second dorsal spine of the large yellow croaker is longer than or equal to the eye diameter, whereas in the small yellow croaker it is shorter than the eye diameter; and the ratio of tail stalk length to tail stalk height in the large yellow croaker (3.4–3.7) is greater than that in the small yellow croaker (2.7–3.4).

　　　　Product History: In the past, there was also a legend that claimed yellow croakers turned into wild ducks in autumn, because wild duck heads also contain stones. The origin of this legend is likely related to the ancients' lack of understanding that the yellow croaker is a migratory fish. Yellow croakers arrive in large numbers in spring for their reproductive migration, and then migrate far to the southeastern offshore waters to overwinter in late autumn and early winter. Our ancestors did not know about the migratory characteristics of the yellow croaker, so when they suddenly disappeared in late autumn and early winter, and at the same time, migratory wild ducks — which also happen to have stones in their heads — arrived in large numbers, people assumed the yellow croakers had transformed into ducks. Regardless, this legend allows us to imagine how abundant wild ducks were and how pristine the ecological environment was in the Suzhou, Zhejiang, and Shanghai areas back then.