Do you Like Bombay Duck?
If you are Asian or Indian, or if you live in Asia or India, you probably know what a duck is from Mumbai. If you are American, probably not. This creature, despite its name, has nothing to do with birds. It's a fish and a curious.
Fish are often caught and eaten by people in India, China, and other Asian countries. Sometimes called Bummalo, Bamoloh, Bombil or Loretta, but independent of the common name, the scientific name Harpadon nehereus and is caught in tropical waters. It is also often eaten in the areas where it is found, even if it is not exactly the most beautiful fish.
Bombay Duck is a strange fish, to say the least. The head is big, the eyes are well positioned forward in the head and the body is quite aerodynamic. Most traps are about 10 inches long, although it is known to double that length.
The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw and both jaws have long pointed teeth. The fins are long, but the caudal fin of three lobes and deeply bifurcated is small in comparison with other fins. The general image of this fish resembles a lot of deep sea fishing, which is one of the curiosities because it is usually acquired near the surface.
Little is known about the life cycle and dietary habits of this fish. It is very possible that it is a deep-water fish, which is found in the Indian Ocean in large quantities. The fish has the ability to live in brackish water, although it has also been found in fresh water, miles from the mouth of the river.
In fact, a large number of fish were collected during the monsoon season because the monsoon leached minerals into the ocean, limiting the number of plankton and small fish that feed on plankton. Bombay ducks are said to be aggressive predators and are increasing, likely to gather in large numbers for food. At present, there are some concerns because the amount of fish caught has been declining for several years. The problem is that very little is known about how difficult it is to say for sure if it is too exploited.
This fish is often well known in India but is rarely mentioned in the United States. Have you ever heard of Bombay Duck?