Bichique
Bichique is the name for the juvenile fish that are caught at the estuaries of rivers on various islands in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of the southern summer.
description
Bichique are the name of the young fish of two closely related fish species from the Gobiidae family , the gobies. This is again to Sicyopterus lagoscephalus and secondly Cotylopus acutipinnis . The two species live on the tropical coasts of Madagascar , Mayotte and the Mascarene in the local river mouths and in the fresh water of the islands.
The eggs of the fish are laid and fertilized in the upper reaches of the rivers and then carried away by the current into the open sea. There the larvae and young fish develop from the eggs (French: Bichiques). The Bichiques try to climb the rivers again in summer and are caught by the inhabitants using the conical pots called vouves .
The news of the beginning migration of the Bichiques spread like wildfire among the population on the east coast of Réunion . With the call bichique la monté , entire batteries of fish traps are set up at the estuaries. The bichiques are a sought-after local specialty, for which a price of up to € 50 per kilo can be achieved. A typical dish on Réunion is Cari bichique , a dish prepared with curry spices and tomatoes.
Danger
Due to the popularity of the Bichique with the population of Réunion, there is a risk of overfishing. The government of the French overseas department estimates that up to 10,000 people practice traditional fishing in brackish water from the estuaries with fish traps, but only 800 fishermen have a fishing license.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Center eaux douces ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Divas are not to be trifled with in FAZ of February 5, 2015, page R5
- ↑ Cotylopus acutipinnis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
