Siberian sturgeon

Siberian sturgeon
Acipenser baerii
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acipenseriformes
Family:	Acipenseridae
Genus:	Acipenser
Species:	A. baerii
Binomial name
Acipenser baerii J. F. Brandt, 1869
Synonyms[3]
Acipenser baeri Brandt, 1869 Acipenser baeri baicalensis Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser baeri stenorrhynchus Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser baerii baerii Brandt, 1869 Acipenser baerii baicalensis Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser baerii baikalensis Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser baerii stenorrhynchus Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser baieri Brandt, 1869 Acipenser stenorrhynchus Nikolskii, 1896 Acipenser stenorrhynchus baicalensis Nikolskii, 1896

The Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) is a species of

The previous nominate taxon (A. b. baerii) accounts for 80% of all Siberian sturgeon and resides in the Ob River and its tributaries. This population migrates to the mouth of the Ob during the winter due to seasonal oxygen deficiency, and swims thousands of kilometers upstream to spawn.^{[citation needed]}

Also, previously considered a subspecies, A. b. baicalensis, known as the

Once considered a third subspecies, "A. b. stenorrhynchus" resides in the eastern Siberian rivers and displays two life history patterns: a more abundant migratory one which swims considerable distances (sometimes thousands of kilometers) upstream from estuaries and deltas to spawn, and a nonmigratory form.^[citation needed]

Description and population status

Siberian sturgeon usually weigh about 65 kg, with considerable variability between and within river basins. The maximum recorded weight was 210 kg. As with all other acipenserids, the Siberian sturgeon are long-lived (up to 60 years), and late to reach sexual maturity (males at 11–24 years, females at 20–28 years). They spawn in strong current main stem river channels over stone or gravel substrates.^[1]

The Siberian sturgeon feeds on a variety of benthic organisms, such as crustaceans and chironomid larvae.^{[citation needed]}

The species had been in steep decline in its natural range due to

While wild catches have been generally declining, the Siberian sturgeon is increasingly farmed both for meat and to produce caviar from its roe. Because the Lena population of A. baerii completes its lifecycle in fresh water and sexually matures relatively early, it is the most common original broodstock for captive-bred specimens. The main producer of Siberian sturgeon caviar is France, while the largest meat producers are Russia and China.^[6]

References

External links

• G. I. Ruban, Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baerii Brandt (Species Structure and Ecology) (GEOS, Moscow, 1999) [in Russian].
• CITES Siberian sturgeon (A. baerii)
• FAO fact page on A. baerii aquaculture.