Sturgeons

Acipenseridae

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.

Russian sturgeon

Acipenser gueldenstaedtii

Size: up to 2.3 m & 120 kg

Habitat: Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea

Migration habits: anadromous

Austria’s Red List: regionally extinct

Global Red List: critically endangered

Fun fact: Individual fish with very light-coloured noticeable patterns are called diamond sturgeons.

Sterlet

Acipenser ruthenus

Size: up to 1.2 m & 16 kg

Habitat: Ponto-Caspian and Siberian Region

Migration habits: potamodrous

Austria’s Red List: critically endangered

Global Red List: endangered

Fun fact: This is the smallest sturgeon species in Austria. It only lives in freshwater.

Stellate sturgeon

Acipenser stellatus

Size: up to 2.2 m & 60 kg

Habitat: Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea

Migration habits: anadromous

Austria’s Red List: regionally extinct

Global Red List: critically endangered

Fun fact: The Latin word stellatus means “covered with stars”.

Beluga sturgeon

Huso huso
© Clemens Ratschan

Size: up to 7 m & 2000 kg

Habitat: Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea

Migration habits: anadromous

Austria’s Red List: regionally extinct

Global Red List: critically endangered

Fun fact: The beluga sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish, and its eggs, Beluga caviar, are the most expensive food in the world.