Beluga Sturgeon

Where it lives

Beluga sturgeon live in the open Caspian, Black, and Azov Seas and ascend large rivers such as the Volga, Ural, Don, and Danube to spawn. They are now nearly extinct in the wild outside protected reaches, with most rivers dammed or fished out.

How to recognise it

One of the largest freshwater-using fish in the world — historical records exceed 7 m. The body is dark gray above with a paler belly and is armored with five rows of bony scutes. The huge crescent mouth is preceded by four barbels. The snout is short, blunt, and slightly upturned in adults.

Diet & behavior

Adults are voracious piscivores, eating shad, herring, gobies, and bottom fish. Younger beluga also take mollusks and crustaceans. Spawning happens in spring on hard-bottomed river runs. Females may not first spawn until 18 to 25 years old.

Fisheries & Conservation

Listed as Critically Endangered. Beluga roe is “beluga caviar,” the most expensive in the world; legal wild fisheries have all but ceased, and aquaculture now supplies most of the legitimate market.