The
beluga or
European sturgeon (
Huso huso) is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of anadromous
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
in the sturgeon
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
(Acipenseridae) of
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
AcipenseriformesAcipenseriformes are an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the sturgeons and paddlefishes, as well as some extinct families.Notable characteristics of Acipenseriformes include:* Cartilaginous endoskeleton* Lack of vertebral centrum...
. It is found primarily in the
CaspianThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres...
and
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
basins, and occasionally in the
Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Heavily fished for the female's valuable
roeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal ovaries or egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
—known as
beluga caviarBeluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe of the Beluga sturgeon Huso Huso. found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea...
— the beluga is a huge (some documented specimens attain nearly 6 meters [19 feet]), slow-growing and late-maturing fish that can live for 118 years.
The
beluga or
European sturgeon (
Huso huso) is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of anadromous
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
in the sturgeon
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
(Acipenseridae) of
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
AcipenseriformesAcipenseriformes are an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the sturgeons and paddlefishes, as well as some extinct families.Notable characteristics of Acipenseriformes include:* Cartilaginous endoskeleton* Lack of vertebral centrum...
. It is found primarily in the
CaspianThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres...
and
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
basins, and occasionally in the
Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Heavily fished for the female's valuable
roeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal ovaries or egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
—known as
beluga caviarBeluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe of the Beluga sturgeon Huso Huso. found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea...
— the beluga is a huge (some documented specimens attain nearly 6 meters [19 feet]), slow-growing and late-maturing fish that can live for 118 years. The species' numbers have been greatly reduced by
overfishingOverfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
and
poachingPoaching is the illegal hunting, fishing, trapping, or eating of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws...
, prompting many governments to enact restrictions on its trade. The most similar to the (Huso Huso) Beluga is the (Huso Dauricus) "River Beluga".
The English name comes from the
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
белуга (
beluga) or белуха (
belukha) which derives from the word белый (
belyy), meaning "white".
Behavior
The beluga is a large predator which feeds on other fish. Beluga sturgeons are fish, and are unrelated to the (mammalian) beluga whale.
As do many sturgeons, the beluga travels upstream in rivers to
spawnSpawning is the production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water. The process is done by aquatic animals such as amphibians and fish.- Types of egg-layers :*egg scatterers*nest builders*egg hangers*mouth breeders*egg buriers...
. Accordingly, sturgeons are sometimes likened to sea fish; however most scientists consider them to be river fish.
Size
Unconfirmed reports suggest that belugas may reach a length of up to 8.6 m (28 ft) and weigh as much as 2,700 kilograms (5,940 lbs), making them the
largestThe largest organism found on earth can be measured using a variety of methods. It could be defined as the largest by volume, mass, height, or length. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism, though this cannot truly be classed as one large organism...
freshwaterFreshwater is naturally occurring water on the surface such as bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground in aquifers and underground rivers. Freshwater is characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts...
fish in the world, larger even than the
Mekong giant catfishThe Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, is a species of catfish in the shark catfish family , native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia.-Conservation:...
or the pirarucu. At this mass, the beluga would be even heavier than the
ocean sunfishThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally...
, generally recognized as the largest of bony fishes. But the largest generally accepted record is of the female taken in 1827 in the Volga estuary at 1,476 kg (3,249 lbs) and 7.2 m (24 ft). Nevertheless, some scientists still consider the Mekong giant catfish to be the largest freshwater fish, owing to sturgeons' ability to survive in
seawaterSeawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5%. This means that every of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts...
. Beluga of such great sizes are always very old (continuing to grow throughout life) and have become increasingly rare in recent decades due to the heavy fishing of this species. Today, Belugas that are caught are generally 142-328 cm (4.7-10.9 feet) long and weigh 19-264 kg (42-582 lbs). The female beluga is typically 20% larger than the male.
Caviar
Beluga caviar is considered a delicacy worldwide. The meat of the beluga, on the other hand, is not particularly renowned. Beluga caviar has long been scarce and expensive, but the endangered status of the fish has made its caviar more expensive than before. (See
beluga caviarBeluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe of the Beluga sturgeon Huso Huso. found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea...
.)
Status
IUCN classifies the beluga as
EndangeredAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
. It is a protected species listed in appendix III of the Bern Convention and its trade is restricted under CITES appendix II. The
MediterraneanThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
population is strongly protected under appendix II of the Bern Convention, prohibiting any intentional killing of these fish.
The
United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife.Units within the FWS include:* National Wildlife Refuge System* * Federal Duck Stamp...
has banned imports of Beluga Caviar and other beluga products from the Caspian Sea since October 6, 2005.
The United States banned import of
beluga caviarBeluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe of the Beluga sturgeon Huso Huso. found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea...
in 2006 after listing beluga sturgeon under the U.S.
Endangered Species ActThe Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the most wide-ranging of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s...
.