 the huchen  or danube salmon (hucho hucho) is a large species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order salmoniformes. it is the type species of its genus. the huchen is endemic to the danube basin in europe where the remaining population is threatened by overfishing and habitat loss. it has been introduced elsewhere on the continent and in morocco, but most of these populations are not self-sustaining. in historic times the huchen has also been found in the dniestr basin. sometimes it lives in big dam reservoirs on mountain rivers such as czorsztyn lake in poland. ==appearance and behaviour== the huchen reaches about  in length and more than  in weight. the average length is about . the huchen has a slender body that is nearly round in cross-section. on the reddish brown back are several dark patches in an x or crescent shape. smaller fish feed on the larvae of water insects or on insects dropped into the water; the larger individuals are predators of other species of fish and other small vertebrates such as mice crossing rivers. ==reproduction== this largest permanent freshwater salmonid spawns in april, once water reaches a temperature of . for spawning, the huchen migrates up the river, where females excavate depressions in the gravel into which they deposit their eggs. larvae hatch 30 to 35 days after fertilization. ==commercial breeding== there is a considerable commercial effort to produce huchen fry to reintroduce the species into the wild. this requires catching the adults just before spawning and keeping them in special tanks. fry are released in appropriate places once they have reached . ==record catch== the world record huchen was , caught in january 1938 by bosnian angler halil sofradÅ¾ija at dragojeviÄa rapids on the drina river, near th
Fish_of_Europe Freshwater_fish_of_Europe Hucho IUCN_Red_List_endangered_species