New Yi Luoma Lake Whitebait

New Yi Luoma Lake Whitebait

　　Luoma Lake whitebait is a specialty of Luoma Lake in New Yi City, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. The whitebait of Luoma Lake are snow-white and translucent like fine jade, shaped like slender silver threads. Their flesh is tender, delicate, and delicious, earning them the reputations of "silver from the water" and "ginseng from the water."

　　Luoma Lake is bordered to the north by the Longhai Railway, to the east by the picturesque Ma'ling Mountain, and to the west and south by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. With a water area of 375 square kilometers, it is one of the four major freshwater lakes in Jiangsu Province. The lake area is rich in aquatic plants and abundant in natural bait, making it a typical seasonal, grassy-type lake. It breeds numerous fish species, among which the whitebait is the most famous.

　　Originally, there were four types of whitebait in Luoma Lake, but now large whitebait and few-spined new whitebait dominate the population. Among them, the large whitebait holds the highest economic value and the greatest development potential. During their spawning period, they emit a cucumber-like fragrance, which is why local fishermen also call them "cucumber fish." Biologically, these whitebait belong to the class Actinopterygii, order Salmoniformes, and family Salangidae. The large whitebait has a flat, triangular head, a row of fine teeth on the upper jawbone, a slender body that is entirely transparent, and a row of black spots on both sides of the abdomen. They mainly feed on plankton such as rotifers, nauplii, green algae, and cryptomonads.

　　The spawning season of the large whitebait in Luoma Lake is from the end of December to early January of the lunar calendar, making them a small species of winter spawners that live only one year. The eggs spawned in the same year reach sexual maturity within that year and die after spawning. The spawning period of the few-spined new whitebait is mid-April. Whitebait have strong reproductive abilities and thrive in overcast, rainy conditions. They grow rapidly between June and July, during which time the large whitebait typically reach a length of about five centimeters. Once the large whitebait grow beyond seven centimeters, they meet export standards and can generate foreign exchange. Their price is more than ten times higher than that of ordinary fish, hence earning them the name "silver from the water."

　　Luoma Lake whitebait are rich in nutrients. Scientific analysis shows that the large whitebait contains 86.8% protein and 6.95% fat. In terms of protein composition, the amino acid profile of the large whitebait is highly favorable, with an amino acid content of 48.73%, compared to 48.29% for Taihu Lake whitebait. Additionally, because the whitebait have soft bones and no spines, they can be eaten whole without gutting, making them very convenient to consume. The Japanese enjoy eating whitebait and often consume them raw after a hygienic treatment to preserve their nutrients. Taiwanese use whitebait to make porridge for infants who have just been weaned. Whitebait are also rich in various essential trace elements needed by the human body, which is why they were considered a tribute in ancient China and are hailed by modern food experts as "ginseng from the water."