Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Sturgeon family - Acipenseridae

Migratory fish. Enters rivers to spawn. Leads a bottom-dwelling lifestyle.

Distributed in the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas. In the Volga, in addition to the entrance, there is also a residential form.

Signs. The gill membranes adhere to the interbranchial space without forming a fold under it. The snout is short and rounded. The lower lip is broken. Antennae without fringes, do not reach the mouth; being bent forward they reach the end of the snout. The body between the rows of beetles is usually covered with star-shaped plates arranged in several rows. The back is gray-brown, the sides are gray-yellow, the belly is light. The sturgeon of the Caspian basin has a length of 200–210 cm and a weight of 25 kg; individuals weighing 75–76 kg are very rarely found. Males live up to 32 years, females - up to 47 years. The Azov sturgeon lives up to 43 years, while its length is 205 cm, weight 65 kg.

Fledglings in the Caspian Sea feed on crustaceans (mysids, gammarids, amphipods). Fish appear in the food of juveniles with a length of at least 26 cm. The food spectrum of adults consists of crustaceans, mollusks, polychaete worms and fish. Crustaceans are represented by gammarids, sea cockroaches and crabs; Among mollusks, abra predominates; Among the fish there are sprat, herring, silverside, shemaya, and mullet. Sloping fry in the Don feed mainly on mysids, less on cumaceans, in estuaries on chironomids, and in the coastal zone of the sea on placers on amphipods. The diet of two- to three-year-olds in the Taganrog Bay is dominated by gobies (57%) and crustaceans (35%). In the sea, food consists mainly of mollusks (75–97%) and worms (up to 20%).

Sturgeon in the Caspian basin make spawning and feeding migrations, directed in the spring to the north and to the coastal strip, and in the fall - to the south and to deeper areas of the sea. For spawning it enters the Volga, Ural, Terek, Kura with Araks, Sefidrud. The main sturgeon river is the Volga.

In the Volga, above the delta, sturgeon travel en masse in July (in the lower reaches of the Volga, the peak of the run occurs in June); in the Urals, two peaks are noted: in the spring (April - May) and in late summer - autumn (in the second half of August - early September). Fish of the spring and partly summer runs spawn in the year they enter the river; the bulk of sturgeon that enter the river in summer and autumn winter here and spawn in early spring next year. After spawning, sturgeons slide into the sea, where they fatten up until the next spawning. After the construction of a hydroelectric power station near Volgograd, the length of spawning migrations decreased, and it uses not only the small remaining spawning grounds, but also new spawning biotopes - dense clays, artificial stone embankments, hard cartilaginous and sandy soils, etc. Reproduction occurs at 9–15° C. Sturgeon broodstock, transplanted to the upper reaches of the Volzhskaya HPP, spawn on the spawning grounds of the upper reach of the Volgograd Reservoir, and some rise higher along the Volga.

In the Urals, sturgeon spawning grounds are located over a long distance - from 65 to 1000 km from the mouth. Sturgeon of the summer and autumn run spend the winter in the river and spawn in areas located far from the mouth. In the Azov basin, spawning migrations of sturgeon to the Don have been preserved. Before the regulation of the Don (1952), the main spawning grounds were located 400–500 km from the mouth. After regulation, about 80% of the spawning areas were lost, and the bulk of sturgeon began to spawn below the Tsimlyansk dam. Spawning here is effective only in very high-water years.

The fertility of Russian sturgeon is 59–806 thousand eggs. The eggs are sticky, laid on the substrate, but can also develop unadhered between stones. IN modern conditions juvenile sturgeon almost do not stay in the river, and in the Volga their intensive migration occurs in late June - early July. The size of downstream fry in the Volga is 21–50 mm. Males mature at 8–13 years of age; females are 8–20 years old, but about 80% of the generation matures at 13–17 years.

The basis for the reproduction of sturgeon in modern conditions is the hatchery rearing of juveniles, which has been carried out in the lower reaches of the Kura since 1954, in the lower reaches of the Volga since 1955. By 1975, 7 sturgeon hatcheries with a total capacity of 35 million specimens were built in the Azov basin. young In fish hatcheries, eggs, after degluing, are incubated in Yushchenko apparatuses, larvae and juveniles are raised in pools and ponds.

Literature

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Sturgeon is a delicious long-living fish. The only exception is sterlet. Some species of sturgeon live up to 100 years. Or rather, they would have survived if they had not been hampered by the human factor that forces people to catch this fish and profit from its sale.

The structure of the sturgeon

Uniqueness and high price a representative of this family is associated with its origin and structure. After all, a family of fish of this breed lived in reservoirs back in those days. ancient times, when bony waterfowl did not appear.

This is evidenced by the basis of the axial skeleton of the sturgeon, called the cartilaginous chord. Individuals of all ages lack vertebral bodies. Their internal skeleton consists of cartilage, and is completed by the skull.

External features of sturgeon

Most people can only judge what a sturgeon looks like from the representatives they see in the aquariums of large stores. The sturgeon has a special body shape – elongated and fusiform. The dorsal and anal fins are significantly displaced towards the tail. The lack of scales is compensated by bony strips called “bugs” that stretch from the head to the tail. In this case, one of them is on the back, and the other two are on the sides. Between the bugs there are bone plates. Two of them stretch along the belly, connecting at the tail.

The snout, depending on the species, can be either spade-shaped or elongated conical with four antennae located transversely in the lower part. The mouth is located at the bottom. Although he is completely devoid of teeth, he distinctive feature is the ability to move forward.

The coloring of fish of this family does not look so original, but it may vary depending on the habitat of the fish, nutrition and other factors. But in most cases, the sturgeon has a white or gray belly, as well as light brown sides.

Sakhalin sturgeon (Acipenser mikadoi)

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Where does sturgeon live?

Representatives of this family can be either anadromous or semi-anadromous fish, or freshwater fish. They live in North America and Europe, as well as in north-temperate Asia. Some of them are found in salt or lightly salted water, and some are found in fresh water.

The place of residence of some fish species is the sea, but each of them goes exclusively to rivers to spawn. Those species that live in lakes also go there to spawn.

Types of sturgeon

All representatives of sturgeon breeds are divided into 4 genera, which, in turn, are divided into 25 species. Of these, 3 genera and 13 species are concentrated in the territory of Russia and the former Soviet republics.

The most common types of sturgeon breeds are:

• sturgeon;
• stellate sturgeon;
• sterlet;
• beluga;
• Kaluga;

The only freshwater fish on this list is sterlet. All the rest are passable.

Russian and Siberian sturgeon

The Russian sturgeon, reaching a length of 2 meters, is found in the Caspian, Black and Azov seas. Its weight ranges from 12-24 kg. But there have been cases of catching individuals weighing 80 kg. Its lifespan is long and is about 100 years.

To valuable commercial fish also applies Siberian sturgeon, whose habitat is the rivers of Siberia. This representative does not leave to spawn, since it lives and reproduces all its life in the same body of water. Its largest quantity is concentrated in the Ob and Yenisei. On average, its weight is 9-22 kg, but depending on the number of years, its weight can reach more than 100 kg.

Sevruga is found in the same places where Russian sturgeon is found. And its distinctive feature is a long sword-shaped snout and the presence of light plates on the sides, the shape of which resembles stars.

Although average weight This fish is small and weighs about 7-8 kg; its main value is meat, which has high taste qualities. For life, stellate sturgeon is given less years than for its previous brothers.

Sterlet is the smallest representative of sturgeon breeds, since its weight is only 250-700 g. But sterlet is very different from other representatives of this family by the presence of the largest number of side plates and antennae, reminiscent of fringe.

In addition to the seas mentioned above, the thorn can be found in the Aral Sea. Its average weight varies between 12-15 kg, although in fishing practice there have been cases of catching individuals weighing about 100 kg.

But given the uncontrolled fishing of fish, they very rarely grow to this mass. A distinctive feature of the spine is its pointed snout and large first dorsal plate. Thorn is also a long-liver and can live as many years as the largest representatives of this family.

Beluga

Beluga lives in freshwater bodies and is largest representative sturgeon breeds. Not so long ago, there were cases when it was possible to catch individuals whose size reached 4-5 meters and weighed more than 1 ton. Naturally, the question immediately arose: how old is this giant fish? Studies have shown that she lived for at least 65-70 years.

This fish is the closest relative of the beluga, which is found mainly in the Amur River. These two representatives of sturgeon breeds can be distinguished by the first dorsal plates: if the beluga has it smaller than the others, the kaluga, on the contrary, has more. The life expectancy of this representative is the same number of years as that of its relative.

It should be noted that within each species of fish there are certain races, distinguished by the time of reproduction: some of them go to spawn in warm time years, and others, on the contrary, in the cold. This is due to the difference in the choice of places where the fish prefer to lay eggs.

Hybrids

Human intervention in nature associated with the construction of hydroelectric power stations leads to a reduction in the places where sturgeon can go to spawn. This factor favors the crossing of different species, resulting in mixed variants. Experts note that in reservoirs where favorable conditions for the deposition of eggs are created for fish, I accumulate different kinds fish in large quantities. Scientists do not yet know how many years hybrids can live.

Currently, in some rivers of America and Russia you can find shovel-nosed representatives of the sturgeon family. They choose rivers with strong currents as habitats.

Although the eyes of this fish are completely covered with skin, it perfectly orients itself in space due to the sense of touch, which is provided by its long whiskers. And its flat snout helps it resist strong currents while staying afloat, as well as pectoral fins, the special shape of which allows them to act as suction cups.

There are the following types of shovelnose;

• ordinary;
• white;
• pseudopathonos.

The first two species reach a length of 1 meter and live mainly in Mississippi. The last representative is somewhat different from its previous relatives in the reduced number of bone plates and a shorter body, reaching a length of only 58 cm. However, another distinctive feature of the pseudoshovelworm is its habitat: it successfully lives and reproduces in Russia, choosing the Amu Darya River as its place of residence and Syrdarya.

It should be noted that these species do not go to other bodies of water to spawn, preferring to remain in their familiar environment.

Features of the life of sturgeon

Anadromous species make up the majority of sturgeon species. In the spring, they enter rivers from the seas to spawn, and some of them hibernate here, waiting out the winter. Some of the species are freshwater species that live either in rivers or lakes, but enter rivers to spawn.

Sturgeon habitats are chosen fast rivers characterized by strong currents. They live mainly near the bottom, where they find food. Young animals for a long time lives in the same bodies of water in which it is born.

Sturgeon is a very prolific fish. The amount of caviar in it is often a quarter of the total body weight. It follows from this that the number of eggs in large individuals can be in the millions. Despite fertility, its types and quantity are inexorably declining, which is due to the same human factor.

Currently, sturgeon are listed in the Red Book, and therefore their catching in sea, river and lake waters is prohibited. And all the fish that goes on sale is grown in artificial reservoirs.

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Video: Dialogues about fishing - Sturgeon

We can say with confidence that the food business, with the right approach, almost always brings good profits. Entrepreneurs who decide to start their own business in this industry earn quite a lot. For example, Russian sturgeon is quite expensive and delicious fish, which is simply bred at home. Let's talk on this topic in more detail and we will deal with all the important points.

Sturgeon family: general information

Experts recommend introducing fish about 2 months after you fill the pond clean water. During this time, the algae will have time to grow, and there will be much more shellfish. It is necessary to launch fish during a warm period, this can be either late autumn or early spring. By the way, in some cases (during severe winters) the issue of wintering is acute. During frosts, to prevent the fish from simply freezing, try to move it to the pools.

Siberian sturgeon: features of feeding and care

This type of fish feels great in cool water (below 13 degrees). This makes breeding a little easier. It is worth noting that sturgeons are not picky about food. However, they need to be fed well and in a timely manner. Periodicity plays an important role. So, adult fish need to be given food 4 times a day at regular intervals, that is, every 6 hours. The fry need to be fed every four hours. This regime will prevent the fish from becoming stressed and refusing to eat. At the same time, you need to understand that sturgeon fry should not eat the same things as adults. In addition, the food must have impressive weight and fall to the bottom. This is due to the fact that sturgeon in wildlife feeds from the bottom.

When it comes to purchasing feed, you have several options. One of them is to use foreign products, which are characterized by having a high feed ratio. But there are also domestic analogues that are less expensive, but their QC is somewhat lower. Well, you can always make food yourself. In this case, only you regulate the CC. Do not forget that the rate of weight gain, as well as the condition of the fish as a whole, depends on quality nutrition. Therefore, if you want the Siberian sturgeon to grow quickly and give good offspring, you need to create proper diet. The amount of crude protein should be at least 50%, and crude fat at least 20%.

How to care for the fry?

To keep the mortality rate within acceptable ranges, it is necessary to properly care for the fish. As noted above, Russian sturgeon is not a picky fish, but this does not mean that there is no need to change the water in the pool. If the water comes from a tap, install a chlorine remover. Remove 15% of the water approximately 2 times a week.

The fish must be thoroughly checked every month. Thus, large individuals should be placed in a separate pool, and the fry should be left for rearing. Timely sorting has a very great importance. If you do not place the fish in time, the large individuals will begin to eat the small ones. In order for the business to be profitable from the first months, it is recommended to purchase fry in specialized stores. This way you can avoid many problems. Many entrepreneurs reduce the mortality rate among fish by crossing (hybrids). A striking example is the Russian-Lena sturgeon.

How profitable is sturgeon breeding?

The first thing that interests novice businessmen is the profitability of the business and its payback period. Let's calculate all the points in order. According to statistics, with 1,500-2,000 fry you can get a ton of sturgeon for sale. On average, one fry will cost 12-13 rubles, therefore, we will spend about 20,000 rubles on the purchase.

In addition, it is necessary to provide the fish with food. It is advisable to make a purchase for the entire growing period, which will cost about 70 thousand rubles. The amount of electricity spent may vary; as a rule, you should spend no more than 15 thousand rubles for the entire period. So, our costs are 105 thousand rubles. Based on this, we obtain a cost approximately equal to 105 rubles. For example, Amur sturgeon sells well to restaurants at 500 rubles per kilogram. From here we have a net profit of 395 rubles. Thus, in a year you can earn approximately 400,000 rubles. But you need to take into account that you will have to constantly spend money on food, electricity, water, additional equipment, etc.

Very important for a businessman!

It should be noted that sometimes females spawn faster than you can expand the boundaries of your pool. In this case, the acute question is where to put the caviar. Of course, the majority will sell it, and rightly so. This is exactly what is best for you to do. But you must understand that the female sturgeon dies after spawning. Consequently, the population of adults in your pool may decline significantly. But not so long ago, studies were carried out that made it possible to euthanize the fish, make a small incision on the belly and squeeze out the eggs. A small suture was then placed, causing one female to spawn more than 10 times. You can use this approach too. Remember that a live sturgeon is worth much more than a dead one.

Some interesting details

One of the richest rivers in the Russian Federation is the Ural. Russian sturgeon is available here in abundance. However, uncontrolled fishing is prohibited. But obtaining a license for a ton of adult fish is not that difficult. Believe me, the money invested will pay off with interest, since with about 10 females you will get more than you spend. Of course, this will not happen immediately, so you will have to wait.

Something else worth remembering is that fish tend to get sick. Often the cause is contaminated water. To prevent mortality from increasing, it is necessary that the Russian sturgeon, a photo of which you can find in this article, be separated from other species.

Conclusion

As you can see, sturgeon breeding is quite an interesting direction to open. own business. However, if you purchase fry, the costs will not pay off immediately. Of course, a lot depends on the conditions in which the fish are kept, but despite this, sturgeon develop quite slowly, remember this. A purchased adult Russian sturgeon, the photo of which is significantly different from the young ones, will pay for itself an order of magnitude faster, but the costs in this case will be higher. That's basically all helpful information on this topic. Sturgeon are easy and inexpensive to breed. The main thing is to create the appropriate conditions and just wait, devoting no more than 3 hours a day to fish. And once a month, devote a day to sorting fish.

, Samur, Sefidrud, Gorgan, Babol, Danube, Dnieper, Rioni, Mzymtu, Psou, Don, Kuban.

Migrations

In the Caspian basin, Russian sturgeon perform spawning and feeding migrations: in the spring they are directed to the north and to the coastal strip, and in the fall to the south and to deeper areas of the sea. The main sturgeon river is the Volga.

In the Volga above the delta, the mass movement of sturgeon occurs in July (in the lower reaches of the Volga the peak sometimes occurs in June), in the Urals two peaks are observed: in the spring (in April-May) and at the end of summer - in the fall, in the Kura the movement occurs throughout the whole year with a peak in March-April. The fish that arrive in the spring and partly in the summer spawn in the year they enter the river; Sturgeons that enter the river in summer and autumn winter there and spawn in early spring the following year. Having laid eggs, sturgeons roll into the sea, where they feed until the next spawning. In the Azov basin, spawning migrations of sturgeon to the Don have been preserved.

In October-November, there is a massive movement of sturgeon to wintering in the western part of the sea.

Description

The gill membranes are attached to the interbranchial space; there is no fold under it. The snout is short and rounded. The lower lip is interrupted. The antennae are fringed and do not reach the mouth; when bent forward, they reach the end of the snout. The body between the rows of beetles is usually covered with rows of star-shaped plates. The number of rays in the first dorsal fin is 25-51, in the anal fin 19-36, dorsal fins 8-18, lateral - 23-50, ventral - 6-13; gill rakers 9-31. The back is gray-brown, the sides are gray-yellow, and the belly is light.

Biology

The age of Russian sturgeon is up to 46 years. Average body weight is 15-25 kg. Maximum length body 236 cm, and weight - 115 kg.

Reproduction

Spawning occurs in the lower reaches of regulated rivers (Volga, Terek, Kura, Sefidrud) and unregulated Urals. After the construction of a hydroelectric power station near Volgograd, the length of spawning migrations in the Volga decreased, small-sized spawning grounds remained, and new spawning biotopes appeared (dense clays, artificial stone embankments, hard cartilaginous and sandy soils). Reproduction occurs at 9-15 °C. Before the regulation of the Don River in 1952, the main spawning grounds were located 400-500 km from the mouth. After regulation, about 80% of the spawning areas were lost; the bulk of sturgeon spawn below the Tsimlyansk dam. Effective spawning is possible only in high-water years.

Males become sexually mature at the age of 8-13 years; females - 8-20 years. Most females spawn for the second time at the age of 17-23 years (80%), the third time - at the age of 21-24 years (87%). The average age of females at the first - fourth spawning is 15, 20, 22 and 24.5 years, for males - 12.5, 16.2 and 18.8 years. Average weight in commercial catches in 1960-1968. 22 kg, in 1970-1975. - 12 kg.

Sticky eggs are laid on the substrate and can develop freely between stones. The length of the prelarvae is 11-12.5 mm. The period of feeding with yolk is 1-10 days, mixed feeding - from the 10th to the 15th day. At present, juvenile sturgeon almost do not stay in the river; in the Volga, intensive migration occurs in late June - early July, in the Kura - in July. The size of downstream fry in the Volga is 21-50 mm, in the Kura - 25-85 mm.

IN artificial conditions After de-sticking, eggs are incubated in Yushchenko apparatus, larvae and juveniles are kept in pools and ponds.

Nutrition

The basis of the diet of sturgeon aged 2-3 years in the Taganrog Bay are gobies (57%) and crustaceans (35%). In the sea, sturgeon feed mainly on mollusks (abras, carbulemia, lentifium, cerastoderma) - 75-97% and worms (up to 20%).

The main food competitors in the Caspian and Azov-Black Sea basins are gobies, stellate sturgeon and flounder. Juvenile Russian sturgeon are hunted by predatory fish. The laid eggs are eaten by silver bream, white-eye, gudgeons and other benthophagous fish. The larvae are preyed on by herring, sabrefish, and small juveniles - gobies, catfish, pike perch.

Sturgeon in nature forms crosses with beluga, sevruga, thorn, and sterlet.

In the form of hybrids it can serve as the basis for commercial sturgeon farming.

Human interaction

Most of the Russian sturgeon was hunted in the Caspian basin. Catches in 1936-1938 in domestic waters amounted to 7.7-11.8 thousand tons. In the Volga, Ural. Kure and Terek sturgeon production in 1971-1974. amounted to 7.7-8.8 thousand tons. In 1995, the domestic catch in the Caspian Sea was 1.19 thousand tons, in 1996 - 0.59 thousand tons.

The share of sturgeon in the total fish catch of the Azov basin was less than 1%. The highest sturgeon catches here were in the late 1930s - 1.73 thousand tons. The average catch in 1928-1951. was equal to 0.64 thousand tons, then - 0.35 thousand tons. In the Black and Azov Seas in 1995, Russian sturgeon catches amounted to 0.37 thousand tons, and in 1996 - 0.28 thousand tons .

The total/Russian catch of Russian sturgeon in the 90s of the 20th century was (thousand tons): 1993 - 2.48/2.48; 1994 - 1.56/1.56; 1996 - 0.61/0.48; 1998 - 0.77/0.65; 1999 - 0.41/0.36; 2000 - 0.29/0.25. Commercial fishing of this species in the Volga-Caspian basin was prohibited in 2005, and in the Sea of ​​Azov - since 2000

In the rivers of the Caspian basin, Russian sturgeon were caught mainly with mechanized cast nets and floating nets, in the Azov basin in the coastal zone of the sea - with fixed seines, in rivers - with cast seines.

Sturgeon meat is highly prized. It was prepared chilled and frozen. Dried and smoked balyks are prepared from it. Part of the catch is used to prepare canned food (natural and in tomato sauce). In terms of value, granular caviar of Russian sturgeon is in second place after beluga. Viziga is prepared from the notochord, canned food is made from cartilage, and fish glue is made from the swim bladder.

Security status

In the past, the Russian sturgeon was very common, its range was very wide: in the Don it rose to Zadonsk, in the Volga to Rzhev, in the Oka to Kaluga, it was found in the Moscow River, in the Klyazma basin. The sturgeon was larger than the modern one, while average age caught fish decreased, that is, the growth rate of sturgeon increased due to improved food supply due to a decrease in numbers, and under fishing pressure the average size decreased.

Currently, the remaining populations are almost entirely maintained through artificial reproduction. It was the Russian sturgeon that laid the foundation for industrial sturgeon farming in 1955; the maximum production volumes reached in 1986-1995, when the release of juveniles ranged from 40.8 to 42 million specimens. By the beginning of the 21st century, the share of fish of hatchery origin in the total replenishment of Russian sturgeon stocks amounted to 56%

Growing

Russian sturgeon became one of the first objects of cultivation in fish farms. This is due to its outstanding gastronomic qualities. Its caviar is also of exceptionally high quality; a number of experts rate it even higher than beluga caviar. since the grain of Russian sturgeon caviar is smaller, harder, stores better and longer, with a distinct, almost nutty taste.

These qualities have made Russian sturgeon a very popular object of cultivation throughout the world. Russian sturgeon is grown in Israel, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. In fisheries in the Hawaiian Islands, the growth rate of Russian sturgeon is 2.5-3 times higher than in natural conditions, the average weight of sturgeon raised over 3.5 years was 10 kg.

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Brandt, 1833
(synonyms, obsolete names, subspecies, forms: Acipenser sturio, Acipenser pygmaeus, Acipenser aculeatus, Acipenser guldenstadti, Acipenser gueldenstaedti)

Appearance and morphology. Body elongated, spindle-shaped. The snout is short and blunt. Mustache located closer to the end of the snout than to the mouth. The lower lip is broken. The dorsal fin has 27-51 rays, the anal fin has 18-33. Dorsal bugs - 8-18, lateral bugs - 24-50, ventral bugs - 6-13. The body between the rows of bugs is covered with star-shaped plates, sometimes small bone plates are scattered between the bugs. Coloring varies greatly. Usually the back is grayish-black, the sides of the body are grayish-brown, and the belly is white

Large sturgeon, which (in the past) in the Black Sea reached a length of 236 cm and a weight of 115 kg, and in the Caspian Sea, respectively, 215 cm and a weight of 65 kg. The maximum size of the Russian sturgeon, judging by the analysis of archaeological materials, is 300 cm, and its life expectancy can reach 50 years. Nowadays, the average fishing weight of Volga sturgeon is 12-16 kg, Kura sturgeon 22-24 kg and Azov sturgeon 15 kg.

Taxonomy. L.S. Berg (1948) identified subspecies: Acipenser gueldenstaedtii persicus Borodin, 1897 - South Caspian, or Persian, sturgeon and Acipenser gueldenstaedtii colchicus V.Marti, 1940 - Black Sea-Azov, or Colchis sturgeon. As a result of the revision (Lukyanenko, 1974; Artyukhin, Zarkua, 1986), they are combined into the restored species Acipenser persicus Borodin, 1897. Belongs to the 240-chromosome group of sturgeons.

Russian sturgeon is characterized by a complex intraspecific structure: has winter and spring forms, and within each there are smaller groups that differ in the timing of entry into rivers, the size of fish, the duration of stay in fresh water, etc.

In nature, the sturgeon forms crossbreeds with beluga, stellate sturgeon, thorn and sterlet. Viable hybrids are also formed through artificial crossing.

Lifestyle. Migratory fish, although in the past a small, veiny, slow-growing form may have lived in the Middle and Upper Volga.

Nutrition. In the sea, adult sturgeon feed mainly in shellfish fields at depths from 2 to 100 m, juveniles - at depths from 2 to 5 m. The most important role in the nutrition of large sturgeons is played by the Abra mollusk, acclimatized to the Caspian Sea. In addition to shellfish, fish are also found in the stomachs of sturgeons: in the Black Sea - gobies, anchovy, sprat; in the Caspian - bulls and sprat.

Reproduction. Sexual maturity in most males it occurs at the age of 11-13 years, in females - at 12-16 years. In the Sea of ​​Azov they usually mature 2 years earlier than other populations.

To spawn from the Caspian Sea it enters the Volga, less so into the Urals, and in very small quantities enters the Terek, Sudak, and Samur; along the Iranian coast to Sefidruzh and occasionally to Gorgan, Babol and other rivers. Spawning migration sturgeon fishing in the Volga extends from the end of March - beginning of April until November with a maximum in July. Fish of later migration spend the winter in the river. Spawning of spring sturgeon in the Volga occurs in mid-May - early June at water temperatures from 8 to 15° C.

Spawns in areas with gravel or rocky bottom, at a depth of 4 to 25 m, at a current speed of 1.0-1.5 m/sec. The number of eggs laid by a female varies greatly: for sturgeon from the Volga - from 50 to 1165 thousand. At 18 ° C development lasts 100 hours. The larvae have a length of 10.5 to 12 mm and are carried away from the spawning grounds by the current, making characteristic candles in the water column. Having reached a length of just over 20 mm, sturgeon fry switch to active feeding, first on plankton, and later on small benthic organisms. After breeding, adult fish also quickly migrate to sea pastures. Spawning is not annual.

Spreading. Black, Azov and Caspian Sea with large rivers flowing into them.

The main spawning river is the Volga, along which previously sturgeon rose to Rzhev, as well as in its numerous tributaries - Sheksna, Oka, Vetluga, Kama, Vishera, etc. In the 18th century, it was also caught in the Moscow River, in the center of the capital. Along the Urals he climbed to Orenburg. From the Caspian Sea it also enters in small quantities into Terek, Sulak and Samur. From the Black Sea, sturgeon enters the Danube and Dnieper, very little into the Rioni, Mzymta, Psou and other rivers; along the Dnieper it rises to Mogilev and occasionally to Dorogobuzh. From Sea of ​​Azov for spawning it enters the Don (up to Zadonsk) and single specimens into the Kuban (above the mouth of the Laba River, entering many tributaries of these large rivers).

Currently, the range of this species, like other anadromous sturgeons, is limited to the lower dams Hydroelectric power station. In the figure, the main habitat is shown as a solid fill (in blue), lost habitats are shaded (in red), places archaeological finds- crosses.

Economic importance. The most valuable commercial fish, in which the leading place belongs to the Caspian population. In the period from the late 40s to the early 60s, from 8.5 to 17.9 thousand tons of Russian sturgeon were caught annually in the Caspian Sea. The record catch was achieved in 1903 and amounted to 39.2 thousand tons. After the construction of the Volgograd hydroelectric station, its numbers and catches began to gradually fall. In 1985, the total number of Russian sturgeon feeding in the Caspian Sea (one year old and older) was 59.1 million specimens; in 1994, it decreased almost three times - to 21.2 million specimens. The dam of the Volgograd hydroelectric power station cut off 80% of the spawning grounds of Russian sturgeon and, although this species is the main object of artificial breeding, its results have not yet reached the desired level, and the remaining spawning areas below the dam still play a decisive role in replenishing stocks. After the collapse of the USSR, the number of Russian sturgeon in the Caspian Sea declined catastrophically, sea fishing was resumed, poaching sharply increased, etc.

Security status. Russian sturgeon included in IUCN Red List.

Description of Russian sturgeon from the book by L.P. Sabaneev "Fishes of Russia. Life and fishing of our freshwater fish" (1875)

This species, which constitutes an exclusive property of the Russian fauna, in general terms represents a significant similarity with the German sturgeon, to which it previously belonged, but nevertheless is easily distinguished from it by its shorter and blunt nose and wider mouth, separately standing lateral scutes and rudimentary lower lip. In growth, our sturgeon is apparently significantly inferior to the German one and currently rarely reaches more than 80 kg. However, in former times in the Urals, and according to Krivoshapkin, and in the Yenisei, they were occasionally found weighing 112-128 kg and up to 3.5 m in length; The average weight of this fish (in the Urals) is 10-12 kg. In previous years, sturgeon reached even greater sizes.

Sturgeon is found in almost all large Russian and Siberian rivers. In the northern rivers European Russia, despite its abundance in the Ob and Yenisei, it is, however, very rare and appears by chance. Danilevsky, for example, says that once near Ust-Tsylma, like a great curiosity, an Ob sturgeon was caught. This Ob, or rather Siberian, sturgeon has some differences from the real sturgeon of the Caspian and Black Sea basins and reaches a very large size (208 kg). The sturgeon is most numerous in the Volga, along which it rises quite high, and in the Urals; in the rivers of the Black Sea basin itself it is already found in much smaller quantities. According to research by Prof. Kessler, sturgeon are occasionally found in the Volga up to Rzhev, but already from Yaroslavl, even Rybinsk, small sturgeon become quite common, which proves that they spawn here at least until the confluence of the Sheksna. The real sturgeon fishing begins, however, already within the Nizhny Novgorod or, rather, Kazan provinces, precisely before the confluence of the Kama; further down its quantity increases more and more. This should be attributed partly to the reason that in general there are much more sturgeon going to the Kama than to the upper Volga! what the fishermen explain more cold water and faster flow) of the last river.

Despite the fact that the sturgeon, like most fish of this family, belongs to the migratory fish, it is a very rare phenomenon in the open sea and sticks mostly to river mouths and freshwater parts of the sea; in the Caspian Sea - in its northern part. This fact was noticed back in the last century by Pallas, according to whom the sturgeon in winter, when catching beluga in the Caspian Sea, is such an exceptional phenomenon that it becomes the property of the catcher.

However, there is no doubt that main mass Sturgeon are kept in the sea itself, albeit in the freshwater or slightly salted part of it. From here, starting in April, it begins to enter rivers to spawn. He usually travels in small schools and sticks, as at other times, to the deepest and fastest places in the river; Its running is quieter than that of the sturgeon, but faster than that of the thorn. In the Dnieper in May its reverse course begins, but in the Urals and Volga it remains in the river much longer, and in the Yenisei (according to Krivoshapkin) it returns down by August 25. According to Severtsev, sturgeon, which are less numerous here than belugas, begin to enter the Urals from mid-April. Their progress depends, like that of all migratory fish, on a fair wind: in the opposite wind, they also crowd around the shallows in front of the mouths and wait for the long-tailed fish to enter the river with the wave. Their number especially increases from mid-May, but the sturgeon entering the river at the end of this month and in June no longer spawn here, but remain to spend the winter on the Yatovs and spawn the following spring.

In all likelihood, the course of the fish appears to be the following form: young sturgeon (costerlings), having rolled into the sea, after a few (4-5) years reach sexual maturity there, enter the river in the spring, scurry in the lower reaches, and then soon roll back into the sea; the next year they also enter the river, but not in the spring, but in the summer, they remain in the lower reaches, feed there and winter in deep river holes; in the third year they rise from the pits and are thrown into the upper reaches of the river. From here, of course, it should be concluded that all or most of the sturgeon spawning in the Kama River, in the upper reaches of the Volga, did not come here from the sea. But why sturgeons spawn here earlier than in the lower reaches is quite difficult to explain, and it remains to be assumed that the eggs of sturgeons wintering in the river develop faster than those that enter from the sea to spawn. In the Volga, from Rybinsk to Samara, sturgeon spawns almost simultaneously with sterlet or a little later, in the first half of May. This is confirmed by Prof. Kessler and acad. Ovsyannikov, who at this time managed to obtain mature sturgeon milt and even fertilize sterlet eggs with it. Meanwhile, according to the research of Academician Baer, ​​in the lower reaches of the Volga, near Sarepta and Tsaritsyn, as well as in the Kura River, sturgeon spawn no earlier than the end of June and even (?) mainly in July. The same thing was noticed by O. A. Grimm near Saratov. However, in the Urals and Sefidrud, all red fish, according to Baer, ​​begin to spawn at the end of April and end at the beginning of June, which contradicts our assumption about the influence of fresh water on the development of red fish eggs.

How spawning occurs is still very little known and we can only say that it occurs, like other sturgeons, in deep and fast places in the river with a rocky or gristly bottom. One fisherman told Danilevsky that he once pulled out a stone covered in eggs with his net: the eggs had a somewhat elongated shape with pointed tips and it was clear that the fish were close to exiting. He placed a stone in a shallow place and waited for several hours until the fish slipped out and began to move unusually quickly in the water. He wanted to catch them by the handful, but couldn't. However, these fish, which turned out to be young sturgeon, died very quickly, which probably depended on the fact that their gills were clogged with silt.

Sturgeon spawning is very short - 3-4 days. Maturation and spawning occur very quickly, and all eggs become completely mature almost simultaneously in each individual and at the same time they are all spawned. This is proven by the fact that both at the beginning and at the end of the spawning period, sturgeons are encountered with milt and caviar flowing out.

Young sturgeon live for quite a long time in those areas where they hatch from the eggs, and then roll into the sea, where they remain until they reach sexual maturity - in all likelihood, five years, even more. How long sturgeon remain in the river is not known for certain; according to Academician Baer, ​​they leave when they reach one year, and two-year-olds are never found in the river; but this is hardly true, since almost everywhere in the rivers where sturgeon spawn, you can find more or less numbers of young sturgeon over 30 cm, which, due to the density and spiny nature of the bone bugs, are called thorns (upper Volga), bones, bones, kospgyushkas and bonfires. In all likelihood these are two-year-olds. It is remarkable that these sturgeons, as fishermen show, stay together with sterlets, which shows, however, that they seem to have strayed from their same-year-olds and that, therefore, after all, the main mass of young sturgeons go to sea, perhaps in the same autumn or, rather, during the spring flood, i.e., before reaching one year of age.