Wheat fish

Maiyu Maiyu is a small and precious aquatic product, which belongs to the same species as the famous Lushan stone fish at home and abroad. It is named because it is small and looks like a grain of wheat, and it is rich in this fish in the wheat harvest season. There are two kinds of wheat fish in dongzhi county: kiss tiger fish and kiss tiger fish, the former is the main one, accounting for more than 85% of the total output. Wheat fish like to live in rivers and lakes with gravel and sandy soil as the substrate. Their food is mainly small fish and worms, and they also eat siliceous tillers in water. Wheat fish is a traditional specialty in the county, with tender meat and fresh taste, which is "treasured by people in the village" (Dongliu County Records in Xinjiang, twenty-third year of Jiaqing). It can be eaten fresh or processed into dried wheat fish. The drying method is: put the fresh fish in a pot, add a little vegetable oil and seasoning, bake it with slow fire, turn it frequently, take it out when it turns yellow, and expose it to the sun for one day to dry it. Wheat and fish producing areas are located in shengjin lake, Qili Lake and the Huanggan River and Yaodu River connected with them. Zhangxi and Yaodu are the main producing areas of wheat and fish. Historically, the county's annual output of fresh fish was 50,000 kilograms, and there were still 35,000-40,000 kilograms until 1974, which was known as the "hometown of wheat and fish". Since then, the output has decreased sharply. At present, the annual output is only about 500 kilograms, and most areas are on the verge of extinction. The main reasons are as follows: First, in the late 1970s, soaking jute polluted the river and harmed wheat and fish; Second, reclamation, new gate stations, and blocked rivers; The third is pesticide residue pollution.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)