Xujiahe Silver Fish

Xujiahe Silver Fish

　　Xujiahe Silver Fish is a specialty of Xujiahe Reservoir in Guangshui City, Suizhou, Hubei Province. The reservoir is abundant in silver fish. These fish are transparent, boneless, and spineless, earning them the nickname “ginseng of the water.”

　　Silver fish are freshwater species, typically seven to ten centimeters long, slightly round in body shape, delicate and translucent with a silvery hue—hence their name. They are commonly called “noodle fish.” China is the origin and main distribution area of the world’s silver fish (short for the family Salangidae). Among the world’s 17 species of silver fish, 15 are found in China, distributed in coastal waters and estuaries of major river systems in eastern China, including six endemic species. Silver fish are highly nutritious and economically valuable, making them an important commercial fish species.

　　The Neotaihu New Silver Fish was identified and named as a new species in 1987, belonging to the family Salangidae and the genus Neosalanx.

　　The Neotaihu New Silver Fish has an elongated, laterally compressed body that tapers toward the rear. Its head is short, slightly flattened, and triangular in shape. The snout is short and blunt, with both jaws being of equal length or the lower jaw slightly longer than the upper. The body is mostly bare, with only the base of the male’s anal fin having scales. The fish is white and semi-transparent. Mature males have enlarged anal fin rays that are twisted in the middle, giving the entire fin a fan-like appearance. Females have shorter, triangular anal fins. The pectoral fins are rounded with muscular bases. The caudal fin is forked, with the lower lobe slightly longer than the upper. The adipose fin is located above and behind the base of the anal fin. The belly features two rows of black spots, and both the upper and lower lobes of the caudal fin are black.

　　The Neotaihu New Silver Fish is mainly distributed in the tributaries, associated reservoirs, lakes, and rivers of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, especially in Hubei Province. Xujiahe Reservoir in Hubei Province has 57,600 mu of aquaculture water surface, with an average depth of six meters and a maximum depth of 30 meters, serving as a breeding ground for the Neotaihu New Silver Fish. This species is a mid-to-upper water column fish that feeds on plankton throughout its life. It has a one-year life cycle, with only one spawning group during spring and summer. The breeding season runs from March to June each year, with optimal spawning temperatures between 9–25°C, and the peak spawning period occurring from early April to early May. The ideal time for catching Neotaihu New Silver Fish is during autumn and winter.

　　In recent years, Guangshui City has strengthened ecological protection of Xujiahe Reservoir and established fishery cooperatives, enrolling over 12,000 fishermen from 33 villages around the reservoir as shareholders to engage in comprehensive silver fish farming and development. Fishermen receive regular dividends, eliminating the practice of overfishing. In 2012, the silver fish yield of Xujiahe Reservoir exceeded 50 tons, with exports to countries such as Japan and South Korea. Currently, Xujiahe Reservoir has become one of the country’s major silver fish production areas.

　　Hubei Guangshui Yinqilong Group Co., Ltd. was established in November 1996. Its main products include frozen silver fish, green shrimp, paddlefish, freshwater fish, and crocodile, with annual sales revenue of 9 million yuan and profits and taxes of 1.1 million yuan.