Sturgeon is not only rare, but also large fish, which in size significantly exceeds other varieties of marine, river and lake inhabitants. The article discusses the external characteristics of the fish, its habitat, as well as the benefits and harms. Recommendations for breeding and rearing sturgeon are presented.
Description, structure and characteristics
Sturgeon is a big fish. The body length of large species can reach about 6 meters. The maximum weight of the fish is 816 kilograms. It was this kind of body weight that the world's largest white sturgeon had. But the average commercial fish weighs 12-16 kilograms.
The fish has a small head and an elongated snout, which has a shovel or cone shape. Retractable mouth, 4 antennae at the end of the snout. Fleshy lips, lower lip torn, no teeth. Small teeth grow in fry, but eventually disappear. The gill openings of sturgeons are the same as that of sharks; ordinary gill stamens are located on their inner surface.
In sturgeon, the skeleton consists of cartilage, there are no vertebrae, the chord is maintained throughout the life of the fish. The body has a fusiform shape, very elongated. The fish does not have scales, but its body is covered with five rows of special scutes-bugs - diamond-shaped bone scales. Each sturgeon species is characterized by a certain number of bone bugs.
The sturgeon has a hard pectoral fin, its front ray, similar to a thorn, is especially thick and pointed. As a rule, the age of the fish is determined by the transverse cut of the front beam. The dorsal fin provides from 27 to 51 rays. The anal fin may contain from 18 to 33 sharp rays.
Sturgeon most often has a gray color. The color of the back can be light gray, light brown, grayish black, with yellowness or green. The fins are characterized by a dark gray shade, the sides are brownish, the belly is white, gray with blueness or grayish with yellowness.
Sturgeon is one of the long-living fish. On average, fish live 40-60 years, while the life expectancy of some fish can reach 100 years.
Population and species status
In the 21st century, sturgeon is especially threatened with extinction, the reason for this is human activity: environmental degradation, overly active fishing, which lasted until the 20th century, poaching.
The tendency to reduce the number of sturgeons became apparent as early as the 19th century, but only in recent decades began to take active measures: to fight poachers, raise fry on fish farms and then release them into the wild. Today in Russia it is strictly forbidden to catch almost all types of sturgeon.
Types of sturgeon
In Russia, sturgeons live in places from the White Sea to the Caspian. There are fish in the basins of Siberian rivers, in the east - in the Pacific Ocean, sometimes in the west in the Baltic Sea.
Amur
It occurs in the Amur river basins, including in floodplain lakes: Kizi, Bologna, Orel-Chle. The Amur sturgeon is distinguished by the presence of smooth gill stamens with 1 vertex. Endangered species. The length of the Amur sturgeon reaches 3 meters with a weight of about 190 kilograms, the average weight does not exceed 56-80 kilograms.
Representatives of sturgeons are distinguished by a pointed snout of elongated shape. Fish feeds on larvae of mayflies, caddis flies, lampreys, various crustaceans, and small fish. During the spawning season, schools of fish go up the river to the area of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
Kaluga
Fish belonging to the genus Beluga. It is a large fish, the length of which reaches more than 4 meters and weighs up to 1000 kilograms. Kaluga is considered a long-liver, because with a weight of about 600 kilograms, it can live up to 50 years. The diet includes fish: pink salmon, silver carp, common carp, chum salmon. Small individuals feed on gudgeons and lampreys. Puberty comes late - to 18-20 years.
It lives in the Amur basin along its entire length. Found in Lake Orel, Ussuri. It does not go to the Sea of Okhotsk.
Atlantic (Baltic)
Large fish, the length of which can reach 6 meters. Moreover, the maximum recorded weight of the fish is 400 kilograms. The Atlantic sturgeon has large bugs, on the tail there are three pairs of large fused shields. The color of the back of the Atlantic sturgeon is grayish-olive, the sides are lighter than the back, the belly is white.
The habitat is the Black Sea and the Bay of Biscay, where there are no more than 300 individuals. A small number of fish are found only in France in the Garonne River.
Atlantic sturgeon prefers to eat small fish (gerbil, capelin, anchovies), worms, crustaceans and mollusks.
Stellate sturgeon
Large fish, the length of which reaches 2.2 meters with a weight of about 80 kilograms. It is characterized by an elongated, narrow, slightly flattened snout. The back of the sturgeon is black-brown, the belly is white, the sides are lighter than the back.
Stellate sturgeon prefers to feast on mysids, crustaceans, various worms and small fish. Stellate sturgeon lives in the basins of the Black, Azov, and Caspian seas. During the spawning period, the fish leaves for Kodori, Volga, Inguri, Ural, Southern Bug, Kuru, Dnieper, Kuban, Don.
Sterlet
The natural habitat of the sterlet is the rivers of the Baltic, Black, and Azov Seas. There are fish in the following rivers: Ural, Dnieper, Sura, Upper and Middle Kama, Yenisei, Irtysh, Ob, Volga, Don. Previously, sterlet was found in Onega and Ladoga lakes. Fish is considered a vulnerable species.
Sterlet is a medium-sized fish. Puberty occurs early: males are ready to spawn at the age of 4-5 years, females - by 7-8 years. Another difference between the sterlet and other sturgeons is the presence of a fringed antennae and a large number of side bugs: there are more than 50 of them.
Sterlet is a fresh-water fish, but there are few semi-passage forms. The maximum length of the sturgeon variety reaches 1.25 meters with a weight of 16 kilograms. The average size of a sterlet is 40-60 centimeters. The snout in the fish is sharp or blunt, the color varies from brownish-gray to brown. The belly is white with yellow.
The sterlet feeds on insect larvae, leeches, other bottom organisms, small fish in small quantities. A valuable hybrid form of sterlet and beluga is the bester.
About breeding sterlet at home - read here.
Spike
The advantage of the sturgeon is that it feels equally good in both fresh and salt water, due to which the habitat extends for many kilometers. Representatives of this species are found in the Black, Caspian, Azov, Aral seas, in river basins adjacent to these reservoirs. Many individuals live in the Sefidrud river, the Urals, the Kura.
Adult fish spikes can reach more than 2 meters in length, but many representatives of this species are smaller. The spike is characterized by an elongated body with cone-shaped spikes on the back. Unlike other representatives of sturgeon, the spike has fringed antennae located near the lower lip.
The color of the thorn varies from light gray to a greenish tint, the belly is light. There are star-shaped flakes on the surface. Spike - a fish listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Lake
Lake sturgeon is a large fish with a blunt snout. The maximum size officially registered is 2.74 meters with a mass of 125 kilograms. In sturgeon, the body color may be greenish brown, black with a gray tint. The belly is white or slightly yellow.
All kinds of bottom microorganisms are included in the diet of lake sturgeon, and sturgeon eats less frequently with fish. The fish habitat is the Great Lakes system, Lake Winnipeg, the basins of the Saskatchewan, Mississippi, and St. Lawrence rivers.
Russian (Caspian-Black Sea)
A valuable species of sturgeon, gained popularity due to the exceptional gastronomic qualities of meat and caviar. The fish have a dull short snout and antennae growing closer to the end of the snout. The maximum length of an adult reaches about 2.36 meters and weighs 115 kilograms. But usually the weight of the Russian sturgeon is 12-24 kilograms with an average length of 1.45 meters. The color of the back is grayish-brownish, the sides are with a yellow tint, the belly is white.
Russian sturgeon lives in all major water places in Russia. It is found in the basins of the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas. For spawning, fish go to Mzymtu, Psou, Volga, Rioni, Terek, Danube, Don, Dnieper, Kuban, Samur and other rivers.
Depending on the habitat, the diet of representatives is composed of worms, mysids and amphipods. Russian sturgeon prefers to eat fish: shemai, mullet, herring, sprat. Under natural conditions, sturgeon gives hybrid offspring with a thorn, stellate sturgeon, sterlet and beluga.
Persian (South Caspian)
Persian sturgeon - a passing species, which is a close relative of the Russian sturgeon. Guard status: on the brink of extinction. The maximum size of the sturgeon is 2.42 meters with a weight of 70 kilograms. Representatives are characterized by a large, long, slightly bent down snout and gray-blue color of the back, blue with metallic tint sides.
The fish diet consists of benthos and small fish. Sturgeon is found in the middle and southern regions of the Caspian Sea, the Caspian and the Black Sea coast. At the time of spawning, they leave for Rioni, Volga, Inguri, Ural, Kuru.
Beluga
A large fish, whose weight can reach 1,500 kilograms, and a length of more than 4 meters. Snout fish looks similar to a pig's face. The mouth is large, sickle-shaped, lips are thick. The eyes are small, blind. The body is covered with large scales. The back is grayish-brown, the belly is light, almost white.
Beluga lives in the Black, Azov and Caspian seas. It is rare in the Adriatic Sea. Goes to spawn in the Dniester, Volga, Dnieper, Don, Danube. Slightly less often lives in the Terek, Urals or Kura.
Beluga fry feed on river plankton, caddis flies and mayflies, caviar and fry of other fish. Having matured, fish eat young sturgeon and stellate sturgeon, crustaceans, mollusks, gobies or sprats, cyprinids and herring.
Sakhalin
A rare species of sturgeon. The average length of adults reaches 1.5-1.7 meters and weighs 35-45 kilograms. The largest individuals can reach up to 2 meters and weigh about 60 kilograms. In adult Sakhalin sturgeons, a large, blunt snout, greenish-olive color.
Sturgeons feed on various bottom dwellers: snails, insect larvae, small shrimps, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish.
The habitat covers the cold waters of the Japan and Okhotsk seas, the Tatar Strait. To spawn, the sturgeon goes to the Tumnin River, located in the Khabarovsk Territory.
Habitats, Migration, and Distribution
Sturgeons are freshwater, migratory and semi-migratory. Passing fish are those that live in the sea, and then in the rivers. During spawning, they migrate from the sea to rivers or vice versa, which is much less common. Semi-passage fish are a group of fish that lives in the coastal zones of the seas or in sea-lakes. During spawning migrate to the lower reaches of the rivers.
The natural habitat of sturgeon passes through the reservoirs of the Northern Temperate Zone of Europe, northern Asia and North America. Over millions of years of evolutionary development, the sturgeon has adapted well to existence in a temperate climate zone, fish tolerate low water temperatures and can starve for a long time.
Sturgeon is a bottom fish swimming at a depth of 2 to 100 meters. Passing sturgeon species live in the coastal waters of the seas and oceans, but they spawn in fresh river water, where fish enter, swimming upstream, passing impressive distances. After breeding schools of fish go back to the sea.
Semi-benthic species of sturgeon live in the salty coastal waters of the seas and oceans, spawn in estuaries, without rising upstream. Many freshwater sturgeon species do not undergo prolonged migrations; they prefer to lead a settled lifestyle in the waters of rivers and lakes, where they feed and breed.
All sturgeon spawning occurs in the spring and summer, but migrate to spawning grounds at different times. Because of this, sturgeons are divided into seasonal races - winter and spring. Spring leaves go to breeding places before spawning in the spring. Winter crops - in the autumn period, when the eggs have not yet ripened.
Spawning
Sturgeon puberty occurs between the ages of 5 and 21 years. Females spawn about once every 3 years, several times during their lifetime, males more often. Spawning of various sturgeons can take place from March to November. Spawning peaks in the middle of summer.
A prerequisite for a successful process of reproduction and further maturation of offspring is fresh water and a strong current. In stagnant or salt water, sturgeons will not be able to breed. The temperature of the water is also important, the warmer it is, the worse the caviar will ripen. Embryos will not be able to survive when heated to 22 degrees.
For one spawning, females of sturgeons are capable of throwing up to several million eggs, the diameter of which varies from 2 to 3 millimeters, in weight - up to 10 mg. Females throw eggs in crevices of the river bottom, in cracks of large boulders, between stones. Sticky eggs adhere firmly to the substrate, due to which they are not carried away by the course of rivers. Embryos develop from 2 to 10 days.
What does sturgeon eat?
Sturgeon prefers to feast on various bottom organisms and fish. The composition of the diet depends on the age of the fish and its habitat:
- Sturgeon fry prefer zooplankton (Daphnia, Bosminia, cyclops), but can feed on very small crustaceans and worms.
- Young individuals they feed on insect larvae, small shrimps, snails and crustaceans. Inedia particles are often found in the stomachs of fry, most likely absorbed from the mud bottom.
- Adult 85% eat protein foods. Sturgeons become especially voracious before breeding: they eat almost everything that they can find at the bottom, including various crustaceans (often amphipods) and representatives of the cladocera. They like to eat larvae of insects, caddis flies, pusher mosquitoes. They treat themselves to mollusks, mussels, leeches, shrimps, and worms.
When limiting the amount of protein food, sturgeons eat algae. The fish diet consists of gerbil, herring, kilka, bull-calves, anchovies, sprats, pike-perch, silver bream, mullet and other small and medium-sized fish species.
During the spawning period and after the breeding process, the sturgeon ceases to eat and switches to eating vegetation. Within a month, the fish recovers, its appetite returns, after which it again goes in search of food for further survival.
Sturgeon caviar
Sturgeon caviar is one of the most elite and expensive delicacies in the whole world. The cost of 1 kilogram of the product often reaches up to 6 thousand dollars. The high price of fish is due to the annual decline in their population. Taking into account that commercial fishing is prohibited in many countries, the main suppliers of the product are artificial “breeders”.
Real black caviar has a refined, slightly salted taste with a light aroma of algae. Caviar color ranges from light gray to dark brown. Due to the high cost of the product and its peculiar coloring, the caviar was called "black gold".
Delicacy is used as a cold snack to sparkling wine, vodka and dry champagne. The delicacy is served pure in crystal vases or in the shell of turtles with small silver spoons. Many people prefer to cook sandwiches with butter and caviar. Also, the product is combined with onions, hard cheese, vegetables, eggs and herbs.
To prevent caviar from losing its unique taste and attractive appearance, it is served to the table 15 minutes before consumption. Until this moment, the snack is stored in the refrigerator. In addition to excellent gastronomic properties, sturgeon caviar is especially appreciated in natural medicine. It contains at least 30% easily digestible proteins, 12% fatty acids, 6% vitamins and mineral salts.
It is useful to consume caviar for such problems:
- atherosclerosis;
- iron deficiency anemia;
- disorders of the nervous system;
- chronic fatigue;
- osteoporosis.
It is useful to eat sturgeon caviar for pregnant women and mothers who are breastfeeding, due to vitamin E and choline, which are part of the composition. It is recommended to consume the product in the post-rehabilitation period (after operations) - it has a general strengthening effect.
To get the maximum benefit from the product, consume only high-quality caviar.
Breeding and growing
In nature, many species of sturgeon easily form hybrids, due to which a hybrid of sterlet and beluga - bester is artificially bred for commercial cultivation. Today, many people are increasingly resorting to breeding sturgeon at home. At observance of all stages of the technological process, it is realistic to obtain products that will be no worse than the quality of the livestock caught in natural reservoirs.
Growing Features:
- To grow sturgeons, you will need to select a plot of land, the area of which will be at least 30 square meters. It is recommended to choose a room away from highways, because sturgeons are shy fish. It is very important to take care of heating in the winter.
- Large-scale professional sturgeon cultivation requires about 5-7 pools, where adult fish will be sorted. But novice breeders can use one small tank, with a diameter of 2-3 meters, and a depth of at least 1 meter. Such a pool will allow you to grow about 1 ton of fish.
- For good fish growth, filters, pumps, compressors, piping are installed in the pools. It is advisable to purchase an automatic feeder and incandescent lamps. When using a water supply pipe to supply water to a fish farmer, make sure that no residual chlorine enters the pool. It will be possible to eliminate the volatile connection by installing a charcoal filter.
- Look after the fish regularly. Be sure to observe cleanliness in the pool: 10% of water is changed daily, sludge is removed from the walls, the temperature regime and the health of the equipment are controlled. The optimum water temperature in colder time should be at least 17-18 degrees, in the summer - 20-24 degrees.
- When purchasing fry, it is difficult to calculate the rate of their future growth, weekly they sort fish in different pools. Moreover, the cultivation of strong specimens is not more than six months, medium - 7 months, strong - up to 9 months.
Successful sturgeon breeding directly depends on the nutrition of individuals. They are fed a nutritious high-calorie feed, which should contain the following components:
- protein - not less than 45%;
- raw fats - 25%;
- dietary fiber - 2%;
- phosphorus and lysine - 1%.
When choosing food for sturgeons, it is recommended to give preference to waterproof foods that swell and drown in water. Fries are fed 5-6 times a day, adults - 4 times a day. In this case, between feedings it is required to adhere to equal time intervals, otherwise the fish may refuse to eat.
Read more about breeding sturgeon fish here.
The benefits and harms of sturgeon
Sturgeon is rich in easily digestible proteins, due to which the product is quickly digested and is often recommended by nutritionists for various diets. The composition of sturgeon meat is rich in rare beneficial acids, including glutamic, as well as vitamins A, C, PP and group B. Sturgeon meat is a delicious product that contains useful macro- and microelements: potassium, fluorine, phosphorus, iodine, calcium, nickel , magnesium, molybdenum, sodium, chromium, iron, chlorine. The calorie content of sturgeon is 160 calories per 100 grams of product.
The calorie content of 100 grams of sturgeon caviar is about 200 calories. The product is rich in healthy proteins and lipids. It is useful to eat caviar for people who have poor health after a serious illness and those who have undergone aggressive treatment.
Regular consumption of sturgeon, which contains beneficial fatty acids, strengthens blood vessels and heart muscle, which helps to lower cholesterol in the blood, reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. Caviar has a beneficial effect on the growth and strengthening of bone tissue, improves skin regeneration.
The consumption of sturgeon caviar and fish meat has a beneficial effect on human health and well-being:
- Sturgeon fat helps to improve brain function and strengthen the cardiac and vascular systems.
- When consumed, fish fight stress and depression.
The caviar of stellate sturgeon, beluga and Russian sturgeon is considered the most valuable. The product is distinguished by color and size.
A danger to humans is that caviar and sturgeon meat itself can be infected with botulism. Because of this, fish is purchased only from reliable suppliers. Upon purchase, a visual inspection of the goods is carefully carried out.
Caution, in order to eliminate the risk of poor health, fish should be consumed by people with diabetes and obesity.
Sturgeon fishing
Sturgeon fishing begins immediately after spawning. Sturgeon is often found in the mouths of tributaries, large shallows and spits, sandy coastal areas with stumps and boulders, gaps between dams, extensive elders, places with a slow flow, artificial coastal dumps.
Given the rarity of sturgeon, and taking care of the conservation of species, it will be more correct to use the services of paid reservoirs. They will not be able to get trophy fish, but to catch medium-sized individuals is quite realistic. In paid reservoirs they launch fish weighing 1-4 kilograms. Active biting is observed in the fish released on the eve.
It is necessary to prepare tackle for sturgeon fishing based on its bottom lifestyle. Often used all kinds of donks, jig spinning with rigid blanks, feeder gear. Bologna fishing rods will not work, because the fish can simply break them. Choose a rod with the required length, depending on whether the fish will be caught from the shore or from a boat, with distant castings or in the near zone.
Most fishermen prefer to use barb-free hooks to less injure the soft sturgeon mouth. Be sure to cook a wide carp landing net and gloves that protect your hands from sturgeon spikes. For fishing, it is recommended to use fish fillet, smoked capelin, large shrimp, and bunches of earthworms.
It is believed that sturgeon fishing will be successful when using pearl barley or toothless meat, because in the natural environment sturgeons are happy to suck out these mollusks from the shell.
Sturgeon bait is prepared on the basis of pellets for carps - it will be large enough so that small fish do not pull it apart, slowly dissolve and spread a pleasant aroma. Sturgeons do not have good eyesight, but they smell good, for this reason it is not worth using extra flavors. And to feed strongly this fish is also undesirable.
To capture the sturgeon, you will need to immediately respond by hooking, even if the bite is barely noticeable. Sturgeon fish are able to compress the bait gently without swallowing a hook. Caught sturgeon sharply crushes to the bottom and zealously resists. Exhaust him quickly and confidently. Sturgeon can be thrown, thrown out of the water, therefore, you can not hesitate.
Interesting Facts
Sturgeon is one of the oldest and most popular fish on earth. Archaeological finds that date back to 3 thousand years BC indicate that even in those days, sturgeon caviar was successfully used by seafarers in canned form. In the army of Alexander the Great, sturgeon caviar served as feeding for soldiers.
In the 20th century, a Frenchwoman managed to notice that the women who process sturgeon caviar, despite hard work, have very beautiful and smooth skin on their hands. After that, they began to study the miraculous properties of black caviar and launched a line of cosmetics, which was incredibly successful. Today they stopped producing such cosmetics, due to the fact that it does not bring benefits.
In the middle of the 20th century, an Atlantic sturgeon weighing 213 kilograms was caught in the Neva, and 80 kilograms of caviar were obtained from it.
Sturgeon is a unique fish that has gained popularity for its large size, elongated body and amazing exterior. All sturgeon fish are in great demand, because the value of their healthy meat is very high. You can earn a huge fortune not only by selling meat, but also sturgeon caviar.
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