Home > Sturgeon
Sturgeon (Acipenser) is the name given to a small group of fishes, of which some twenty different species are known †, from European, Asiatic and North American rivers. They pass a great part of the year in the sea, but periodically ascend large rivers, some in spring to deposit their spawn, others later in the season for some purpose unknown; only a few of the species are exclusively confined to fresh water. None occur in the tropics or in the southern hemisphere.Sturgeons are found in the greatest abundance in the rivers of southern Russia, more than ten thousand fish being sometimes caught at a single fishing-station in the fortnight during which the up-stream migration lasts †. They occur in less abundance in the fresh waters of North America, where the majority are caught in shallow portions of the shores of the Great Lakes.
In Russia the fisheries are of immense value. Early in summer the fish migrate into the rivers or towards the shores of freshwater lakes in large shoals for breeding purposes. The ova are very small, and so numerous that one female has been calculated to produce about three million in one season. The ova of some species have been observed to hatch within a very few days after exclusion. Probably the growth of the young is very rapid, but we do not know how long the fry remain in fresh water before their first migration to the sea †. After they have attained maturity their growth appears to be much slower, although continuing for many years. Frederick the Great placed a number of them in the Gdrland Lake (?) in Pomerania about 1780; some of these were found to be still alive in 1866. Professor von Baer also states, as the result of direct observations made in Russia, that the Hausen (A cipenser huso) attains to an age of from 200 to 300 years †.
Sturgeons ranging from 8 to 11 feet (2.5 to 3.5 m) in length are by no means scarce, and some species grow to a much larger size †.
Sturgeons are ground-feeders. With their projecting wedgeshaped snout they stir up the soft bottom, and by means of their sensitive barbels detect shells, crustaceans and small fishes, on which they feed. Being destitute of teeth, they are unable to seize larger prey.
In countries like EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England, where few sturgeons are caught, the fish is consumed fresh, the flesh being firmer than that of ordinary fishes, well flavoured, though somewhat oily. The sturgeon is included as a royal fish in an act of King Edward IIThis article is about the fourteenth century king of England. For other uses see Edward II (disambiguation Edward II ( April 25, 1284- September 21, 1327), of Caernarvon; king of England, the fourth son of Edward I of England by his first wife Eleanor of, although it probably but rarely graces the royal table of the present period, or even that of the lord mayor of London, who can claim all sturgeons caught in the ThamesSeveral places exist with the name Thames and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a above London BridgeThis article is a text about the bridge in London . For other meanings, see London Bridge (disambiguation). And for the nearby railway station, see London Bridge railway station London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, between the City of London a. Where sturgeons are caught in large quantities, as on the rivers of southern Russia and on the great lakes of North America, their flesh is dried, smoked or salted. The ovaries, which are of large size, are prepared for caviarCaviar is the processed, salted roe of various species of fish, most notably sturgeon. It is commercially marketed throughout the world as a delicacy and is eaten principally as a garnish or spread, as with hors d'oeuvres. Today the best caviar comes frome; for this purpose they are beaten with switches, and then pressed through sieves, leaving the membranous and fibrous tissues in the sieve, whilst the eggs are collected in a tub. The quantity of salt added to them before they are finally packed varies with the season, scarcely any being used at the beginning of winter. Finally, one of the best sorts of isinglassIsinglass is a substance obtained from the swim bladders of fish (especially sturgeon) that is used for the clarification of wine and beer. Isinglass finings are used extensively as a processing aid in the British brewing industry to accelerate the fining is manufactured from the airbladder. After it has been carefully removed from the body, it is washed in hot water, and cut open in its whole length, to separate the inner membrane, which has a soft consistency, and contains 70% of glutin.
The twenty species of sturgeons (Acipenser) are nearly equally divided between the Old and New Worlds. The more important are the following:
- The common sturgeon of Europe (Acipenser sturio) occurs on all the coasts of Europe, but is absent in the Black SeaNASA MODIS The Black Sea (also known as the Euxine Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. It is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara, and to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch. There is a. Almost all the British specimens of sturgeon belong to this species; it crosses the Atlantic and is not rare on the coasts of North America. It reaches 12 ft (4 m) long, but is always caught singly or in pairs, so that it cannot be regarded as a fish of commercial importance. The form of its snout varies with age (as in the other species), being much more blunt and abbreviated in old than in young examples. There are 11—13 bony shields along the back and 29—3i along the side of the body.
- Acipenser guldenstadlii is one of the most valuable species of the rivers of Russia, where it is known under the name "Ossétr" (?); it is said to inhabit the SiberiaSiberia ( Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir Sibir' is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan, constituting all of northern Asia, and extending eastward from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and southward from the Arctic Ocn rivers also, and to range eastwards as far as Lake Baikal †. It attains to the same large size as the common sturgeon, and is so abundant in the rivers of the Black and Caspian seas that more than one-fourth of the caviare and isinglass manufactured in Russia is derived from this species.
- Acipenser slellalus, the "Seuruga" of the Russians, occurs likewise in great abundance in the rivers of the Black Sea and of the Sea of Azov. It has a remarkably long and pointed snout, like the steriet, but simple barbels without fringes. Though growing only to about half the size of the preceding species, it is of no less value, its flesh being more highly esteemed, and its caviare and isinglass fetching a higher price. In 1850 it was reported that more than a million of this sturgeon are caught annually.
- The sturgeon of the great lakes of North America, Acipenser rubicundus, with which, in the opinion of American ichthyologists, the sea-going sturgeon of the rivers of eastern North America, Acipenser maculosus, is identical, has of late years been made the object of a large and profitable industry at various places on Lake Michigan and Lake Erie; the flesh is smoked after being cut into strips and after a slight pickling in brine; the thin portions and offal are boiled down for oil; nearly all the caviare is shipped to Europe. One firm alone uses from ten to eighteen thousand sturgeons a year, averaging 50 lb (23 kg) each. The sturgeons of the lakes are unable to migrate to the sea, whilst those below Niagara Falls are great wanderers; and it is quite possible that a specimen of this species said to have been obtained from the Firth of Tay was really captured on the coast of Scotland.
- Acipenser huso, the "Hausen" of Germany, is recognized by the absence of osseous scutes on the snout and by its flattened, tape-like barbels. It is one of the largest species, reaching the enormous length of 24 ft (7 m) and a weight of 2000 lb (900 kg). It inhabits the Caspian and Black seas, and the Sea of Azoff, whence in former years large shoals of the fish entered the large rivers of Russia and the Danube. But its numbers have been much thinned, and specimens of 1200 lb (540 kg) in weight have now become scarce. Its flesh, caviare and air-bladder are of less value than those of the smaller kinds.
- The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is one of the smaller species, which likewise inhabits both the Black and Caspian seas, and ascends rivers to a greater distance from the sea than any of the other sturgeons; thus, for instance, it is not uncommon in the Danube at Vienna, but specimens have been caught as high up as Ratisbon and Ulm. It is more abundant in the rivers of Russia, where it is held in high esteem on account of its excellent flesh, contributing also to the best kinds of caviare and isinglass. As early as the 18th century attempts were made to introduce this valuable fish into Province of Prussia and Sweden, but without success. The sterlet is distinguished from the other European species by its ion and narrow snout and fringed barbels. It rarely exceeds a length of 3 ft (1 m).
- The family Acipenseridae includes one other genus, Scaphirhynchus, the shovel-head or shovel-nosed sturgeon, distinguished by the long, broad and flat snout, the suppression of the spiracles, and the union of the longitudinal rows of scales posteriorly. All the species are confined to fresh water. One of them is common in the Mississippi and other rivers of North America, the other three occur in the larger rivers of eastern Asia.
See also: Teleostei, World Sturgeon Conservation Society
† This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Fish
