Sturgeons

Sturgeons have inhabited the Earth for 200 million years and are therefore rightfully referred to as “living fossils”. However, sturgeons have become the world’s most endangered animal family due to habitat loss, blocked migratory routes, overfishing, water pollution and hybridisation. All sturgeon species live long lives and a known for migrating long distances. Large species, such as the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), may travel up to 2,500 km to reach their spawning grounds. In the Danube, migratory routes ranging from the Black Sea to Ulm (Germany) have been documented. The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), one of the smallest sturgeon species, only lives in freshwater and rarely migrates more than 200 km. Such long migrations are barely possible these days because most of the rivers sturgeons live in have been fragmented by power stations. Therefore, the beluga sturgeon and the Russian sturgeon can now only inhabit the Danube’s lower river.