Caspian Sea the east often changed course to empty into the Caspian through a now-desiccated riverbed called the Uzboy River, as did the Syr Darya farther north. The Caspian also has several small islands; they are primarily located in the north and have a collective land area of roughly . Adjacent to the North Caspian is the Caspian Depression, a low-lying region below sea level. The Central Asian steppes stretch across the northeast coast, while the Caucasus mountains hug the western shore. The biomes to both the north and east are characterized by cold, continental deserts. Conversely, the climate to the southwest
Black Sea sprat Used for food; it has around 12% fat in flesh. It is one of the most abundant fishes in the Sea of Azov. It is important prey for other fishes, particularly the pikeperch. The Caspian tyulka "Clupeonella caspia" has been long considered a subspecies of "C. cultriventris", "C. cultriventris caspia", and a common name "Black and Caspian Sea sprat" was then applied to the whole. Black Sea sprat The Black Sea sprat, "Clupeonella cultriventris", is a small fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. It is found in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and rivers of its basins: Danube,