Museums are dedicated to them and monuments are erected, they are depicted on coats of arms, they have long been revered as a very valuable and expensive commodity. Sturgeon caviar is considered a symbol of prosperity and we alth. How many years does a sturgeon live? Where does he live? What are the types of this fish? How much is left in our waters? Let's talk about it in our article.
How long does a sturgeon live?
Shortly, this question can be answered as follows: the sturgeon is considered a delicacy long-lived fish. The only exception is the sterlet. Scientists admiringly answer the question of how long a sturgeon lives: the life expectancy of some sturgeon species reaches a hundred years. Or rather, they could have lived to this age, if not for a person who thoughtlessly and mismanagedly catches this fish and profits from its sale.
How long does a sturgeon live and its size
Sturgeon is a rather large fish belonging to the class of ray-finned fish, a subclass of cartilaginous ganoids. The high price and uniqueness of the representatives of this fish family is directly related to its size, structure and origin. The body length of the sturgeon sometimes reaches six meters, the maximum weight is 816 kg. The weight of the average sturgeon fish going into the fishery is from 12 to 16 kg. The structural features of the fish are directly related to its ancient origin.
About the structure of the sturgeon
The question of how long a sturgeon lives deserves attention and respect. Indeed, according to experts, the sturgeon family has been living in reservoirs since ancient times, when there were no bony waterfowl in them. This is related to the structural features of the body of the sturgeon.
The skeleton of a fish consists of cartilage, it has no spine. Throughout life, the sturgeon retains the notochord. The presence of a cartilaginous chord - the basis of the axial skeleton - is directly related to how many years a sturgeon fish lives. The absence of vertebral bodies, according to scientists, testifies to its ancient origin, dating back to the times when there were no bony waterfowl in the reservoirs of the earth. Answering the question of how long sturgeons live in nature, scientists say that this fish appeared in the Earth's water bodies in the Cretaceous period, i.e., about 86-71 million years ago.
The structure of the fish is distinguished by some interesting features: the body is elongated, devoid of scales, has a spindle shape. It has five rows of diamond-shaped plate shields. One row located along the ridge contains 10-20 such scutes. The internal skeleton, consisting of cartilage, ends with the cranium. The head of the sturgeon is small, the muzzle is cone-shaped, elongated. At the end are four antennae (fringeis absent). The mouth is protruding, the lips are rather fleshy, there are no teeth. Sturgeon fry grow small teeth, but eventually they fall out.
About the external features of the sturgeon
Often people are not only not aware of the question of how long a sturgeon lives, but they don’t even know what this fish actually looks like. They have to judge this mainly by observing those representatives of sturgeons that are exhibited in the aquariums of large specialized stores.
On the surface of the body of the sturgeon, bone plates in the form of stars are randomly scattered. The pectoral fin is quite rigid, the shape of the anterior ray resembles a thorn. The dorsal fin has 27-51 rays leading to the caudal fin. The swim bladder is well developed. The color of the body surface of the sturgeon is predominantly gray. However, there may be patches of a lighter or greyish-black color on the back. The sides are most often brown, the belly is white.
About habitats
Sturgeons are divided into subspecies of anadromous, semi-anadromous and freshwater fish. The main habitats are North America, Europe, as well as the north-temperate strip of Asia. Sturgeons are found both in lightly s alted or s alty water, and in fresh water. Some sturgeon live in the seas and lakes, but during the spawning season they go exclusively to the rivers.
About spawning
Often, nature lovers ask: how long does a sturgeon live to give caviar? The majority of sturgeon representatives reach sexual maturity quite late - males are ready for spawning at 5-18 years old, females - at 8-21 years old. areaHabitat plays a significant role in the puberty of fish - the further north a species lives, the later its representatives will start breeding. Spawning of sturgeon females occurs once every three to five years. Spawning migration lasts from early spring to late autumn.
About varieties of sturgeons
The sturgeon genus is represented by seventeen species of fish, most of which are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the Red Book. Sturgeons include the following species of fish that inhabit the territory of the former Soviet Union: beluga, kaluga, shovelnose, sterlet, spike, stellate sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, Pacific (Sakhalin), Russian, Persian (South Caspian), Amur, Siberian sturgeon, as well as three species pseudoshovelnose (large, small and pseudoshovelnose Fedchenko). About the largest of them - later in the article.
Siberian sturgeon
This large fish reaches two meters in length. The weight of one individual is about 210 kilograms. Fish are found mainly in Siberian rivers - from the Ob to the Kolyma. In addition, she also lives in the reservoirs of eastern Kazakhstan and on Lake Baikal. Representatives of this species live 60 years. Sometimes the Siberian sturgeon crosses with the sterlet, resulting in a fish called the bonfire.
White sturgeon
This large fish is second in size only to the beluga. It has a fairly slender body, reaching a length of more than six meters. The mass of an individual can reach 800 kg. It feeds on crustaceans, lampreys, mollusks and fish. Lives in the Pacific Ocean, near the western shoresNorth America. This fish spawns in s alty river streams and fresh waters.
Russian sturgeon
This is the first type of sturgeon, bred artificially. It has a high value in the world due to the high quality of caviar and meat. How long does a sturgeon live? The age of representatives of this species is approximately 46 years. Alas, the Russian sturgeon is on the verge of extinction. It differs from other species in its short and blunt muzzle with antennae growing closer to its end. The length of an individual can reach two and a half meters, the weight is more than 115 kg. The standard weight of a representative of this species does not exceed 12-24 kg.
The diet of fish depends on its habitat and consists mainly of worms, mysids, crayfish and fish: herring, mullet and shemai. Russian sturgeon is found in almost all large reservoirs of our country. Its main habitat is the Azov, Black and Caspian Seas.
Sakhalin sturgeon
This species is the most rare and poorly studied. The average body length of an adult is about one and a half meters, weight reaches 35-45 kg. Adult representatives of the species are distinguished by a large blunt muzzle and a green color. The diet consists of snails, mollusks, insect larvae, small fish and crustaceans. The Sakhalin sturgeon is an inhabitant of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It usually spawns in the Khabarovsk Territory.
Beluga
The following question is often asked: how long do sturgeon and beluga live - the largest representative of the sturgeon species?
Beluga,Indeed, it impresses with its external parameters. The body length of this fish sometimes reaches five meters, the beluga weighs more than one ton. It is the beluga that is the longest-lived among all sturgeons, whose age can reach a hundred years. The results of archaeological excavations are known, in which the remains of beluga individuals from the Middle Ages were found. Their size exceeded six meters. At that time, fishermen often died if such a giant fell into their gear. The Azov beluga reaches sexual maturity earlier than other species: females - at the age of 12-14 years, males - at the age of 16-18. The rest of the sturgeon species become sexually mature much later - at 14-23 (females) and 17-26 (males) years.
Beluga is considered the most prolific of all sturgeons. The largest individuals lay eggs up to 7.7 million eggs.
Kaluga
This species belongs to the largest freshwater. The length of an individual can reach 3.7 meters, weight - 380 kilograms, the lifetime of this representative of the fauna is about 55 years. Maturity of Kaluga comes quite late: males mature at 17-19 years old, females at 18 to 23 years old. The fish is extremely prolific: the number of its eggs during spawning sometimes reaches four million pieces. The size of the kaluga eggs reaches four millimeters in diameter.
Sterlet
This fish is the smallest freshwater sturgeon: its length is about 1.2 meters, and its weight is up to 16 kilograms. Sterlet is distinguished from other species by a huge number of lateral scutes (over 50), as well as the presencefringed antennae. Another interesting feature of this fish is the variability of the shape of the snout - it can be sharp and blunt.
The blunt-nosed sterlet grows much faster, is more well-fed and prolific than its sharp-nosed sister. A similar difference is also inherent in other freshwater sturgeon - Siberian and Amur.
Stellate sturgeon
Like all sturgeon species, the stellate sturgeon has a number of differences: it is easy to recognize by its rather long xiphoid muzzle (over 60% of the head length).
The length of the body reaches two and a half meters, weight - 80 kg. The stellate sturgeon is the most thermophilic among all migratory species, so it goes to spawn later than others, when the water temperature reaches a more suitable level. This species occupies one of the first places in terms of sturgeon fishing. The most active production of this valuable fish is carried out in the Urals.
Atlantic sturgeon
This is one of the largest anadromous sturgeon species. The length of an individual reaches three meters in length, and the weight is over 200 kilograms. On the radically striated surface of the body of the Atlantic island, there are many massive bugs, and the pectoral fin is equipped with a powerful bone ray. Unfortunately, this population, once numerous, today has about 1,000 individuals. The main habitat is the Black Sea basin. Like all sturgeon species, the Atlantic sturgeon represent a significantcommercial value.
On the benefits and harms of sturgeon
Calorie content of sturgeon meat is about 160 kcal calories per 100 g of product. It contains a significant amount of easily digestible proteins, as a result of which this product is digested quickly enough. Sturgeon is often used in various diets, due to its rich content of rare acids that are beneficial for the body, vitamins C, PP, B and A, macronutrients potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, as well as sodium, iron, chromium, nickel, iodine and fluorine.
Sturgeon caviar is rich in lipids and protein. The caloric content of caviar exceeds meat in this indicator and is 200 kcal per 100 g of product. Therefore, it is recommended to use it for people during the recovery period after serious illnesses.
Sturgeon, when eaten regularly, has a beneficial effect on the state of the human cardiovascular system, reduces the risk of myocardial infarction and blood cholesterol levels, promotes the growth and strengthening of bone tissue, and improves skin condition.
Despite the fact that the benefits of eating sturgeon products are obvious, sturgeon meat can still cause significant harm to the body. Sturgeon, as well as caviar, may be contaminated with the causative agent of botulism, so you need to purchase these products only from trusted suppliers. When buying, pay attention to their smell and appearance.
How long can a sturgeon live without water?
An important question is one that can often bemeet on specialized culinary forums: how long does a sturgeon live without water? Often, hobbyists buy live sturgeon, which must be preserved in this form before it is cut. It is known that not only gills are adapted for breathing in fish. Gas exchange takes place through moist skin. In scaleless fish, almost half of the oxygen consumed comes through the skin. Pike, carp, tench, crucian carp and many other fish (mainly cyprinids) are successfully kept alive if they are surrounded by wet moss or grass. The record holder for survival without water is crucian carp. This fish can live without water for eleven days, tench - about seven days, carp - two days, while bream - only a few hours (at low temperatures). The fish dies as soon as its skin dries.
According to experts, keeping a sturgeon alive without water for one day is not so easy. To do this, place the fish in a strong plastic bag, fill it with a third of the water in which it was before, pump oxygen into the rest of the volume and tie tightly. Store sturgeon in a cool place.
