This is a fish of the sturgeon family, included in the Red Book as an endangered species. Lives in the Black, Caspian, Adriatic and mediterranean seas. Because of giant size individual beluga is the largest freshwater fish. Which is probably not surprising, because this species is unusually ancient. The age of sturgeons is more than 200 million years, when very large fish and animals reigned on Earth. Just look at the Danube beluga - a relative of dinosaurs. So, what is the weight of the largest beluga on Earth?

In 1827, a beluga was caught in the lower reaches of the Volga, weighing one and a half tons, that is, 1,500 kilograms. Just imagine, such a weight is comparable to the weight of some whales. So, the narwhal whale weighs about 940 kilograms, and the killer whale - 3600 kilograms. That is, this fish weighed like half a killer whale and more than a narwhal!

On average, a standard beluga weighs about 19 kilograms.(fish weight typical for the Northern Caspian). In the past, the average weight of a beluga on the Volga was about 70-80 kg, in the Danubian area of ​​the Black Sea - 50-60 kg, on the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, the fish weighed 60-80 kg. But in the Don Delta, males weighed 75-90 kg, and females - as much as 166 kg. Even the average weight already speaks of the grandiose size and severity of this fish.

However, the average weight of most individuals in the population is not even close to the record weight of the largest beluga. On May 11, 1922, at the mouth of the Volga, in the Caspian Sea, a beluga was caught weighing 1224 kilograms, that is, 1.2 tons! At the same time, 667 kilograms fell on the body, 288 kilograms on the head and 146.5 kilograms on the calf.

The weight of the female during the spawning period increases many times. After all, the beluga throws millions of eggs! In 1924, a female of the same weight of 1.2 tons was caught on Biryuchya Spit in the Caspian Sea. At the same time, 246 kilograms of weight accounted for caviar. Total eggs amounted to 7.7 million!

One female can carry up to 320 kilograms of caviar. Beluga wears them until the spring spawning. Waiting for him, the female hibernates in the rivers, falling into hibernation and overgrown with mucus, like a stone. If it happens that the female does not find a suitable place for spawning, she will not spawn, and the eggs will eventually dissolve inside her.

A huge amount of caviar is laid by nature in the beluga not by chance. Its task is to ensure the survival of the species. After all, beluga caviar is carried away by the current, eaten by other fish. Out of a hundred thousand eggs, only one will survive.

Records giant beluga do not end with the above examples. On May 3, 1926, a 75-year-old female weighing more than one ton was caught at the mouth of the Urals. She carried 190 kg of caviar.

Beluga, whose stuffed animal is kept in the National Museum of Tatarstan, weighs about one ton. This fish was caught at the beginning of the 20th century in the lower reaches of the Volga. In the southern part of the Caspian Sea in 1836, a beluga weighing 960 kg was caught.

Over time record weight of the largest beluga was decreasing and no longer exceeded a ton. In 1970, an 800-ton beluga was caught on the Volga, which contained 112 kg of caviar. In the same place in 1989 they caught a fish weighing 966 kg. Now it is stored in the Astrakhan Museum.

One of the most amazing fish, attracting attention with its size and lifestyle, is a beluga. A few decades ago, this individual was found in the waters of the Caspian and Azov Seas, in the Adriatic. TO today its range has shrunk. Fish are found in the Black Sea and the Urals. In the Volga and Azov, a very similar, but different subspecies is found, which in 90% of cases is grown artificially. Thanks to this, it is possible to maintain the population.

The habitat of the beluga is shrinking every year.

Description of the sea giant

Beluga fish is considered one of the largest and prominent representatives sturgeon family. Unlike other species, it has pronounced external features:

• obtuse small nose with a pointed end, slightly translucent due to the absence of bone shields;
• wide mouth with a thickened lower lip;
• very thick and well-fed cylindrical body;
• a small bug (thorn) on the dorsal row;
• grayish-dark shade of a giant body, white belly.

The largest beluga ever caught surprised by its weight of 1.5 tons and body length of 4.2 meters. The trophy is stored in the Museum of Tatarstan, where thousands of amateurs and professional anglers come every year to see this miracle. It is impossible to catch a similar large specimen in our time, since the catch is in large industrial scale. Today is the most big beluga, caught in the Volga, weighs no more than 450-500 kg. The maximum weight of immature young animals is within 40 kg. On average, the mass of fish going to spawn is 100-120 kg (females) or 90 kg (males).

The giant sturgeon lives for more than a hundred years, if not caught in the nets of merciless fishermen. The population is under the protection of the Red Book, however, before the ban on extreme lovers fishing there is no business. In Russia, catching beluga is punishable by a heavy fine.

Beluga is listed in the Red Book

It is difficult to accurately name the environment and places where a huge sturgeon can live, because it is considered an anadromous species. He can be found both in the seas and in the rivers, where he has to swim in order to profit from tasty and affordable prey. During spawning, the beluga goes completely to the Crimean coast or to freshwater places, where it can quickly destroy local inhabitants.

Nutrition and behavior in nature

Beluga looks intimidating, and not in vain. She does not disdain any inhabitants of reservoirs. Everyone who approaches the fish at an extremely close distance instantly finds themselves in its huge stomach. Omnivorous sea giants most prefer in their diet:

• sea ​​gobies;
• herring;
• anchovy;
• all representatives of the carp family;
• carp;
• rudd;
• roach.

In nature, there are cases when the beluga eats water rats and mice. During the autopsy of some individuals, even their own cubs, which had recently appeared from eggs, were found in the stomach cavity. The growing young can feed on mollusks and various invertebrates, as well as sprat and roach.

Spawning and reproduction

The peculiarities of the reproduction of the beluga on the Volga are explained by the presence in nature of its two different races (forms): spring and winter. One wave, wintering, goes to spawn in the Volga or to Black Sea coast in September-October. The second, spring, spawns from March to mid-April. The active movement of fish is observed when the water temperature in the river is 7-8 degrees, and the flood reaches its maximum.

For throwing caviar, the beluga chooses places with a depth of more than 4 meters in the rapids of the rivers, prefers a rocky bottom. One female has over 200 thousand eggs, but most often their number is from 5 to 8 million. The diameter of one egg is 3-4 mm.

After the end of spawning, the fish quickly returns to marine environment. The larvae emerging from the eggs do not remain in the Volga for a long time and also follow the adults.

Use in cooking

The meat of a huge sturgeon in Russian cuisine is considered a valuable delicacy. Amazingly tasty, nutritious and healthy dishes are prepared from it. Real masterpieces are obtained with any method of cooking fish:

• frying;
• dried;
• smoking;
• baking;
• steam cooking;
• grilling.

Beluga shish kebab is especially appreciated by gourmets: incredibly tender meat baked with smoke cannot leave indifferent even the most sophisticated connoisseur of fish dishes.

Beluga meat contains a number of beneficial vitamins and amino acids

A large representative of sturgeon is valued not only for its unique taste, but also for a set of health benefits. Firstly, tender meat contains a large amount of easily digestible protein. with low calorie foods. The delicacy saturates the body with essential amino acids (they are not synthesized and can only be obtained with certain foods).

Secondly, in marine life, as in other seafood, there is fluoride, calcium and other trace elements necessary to maintain healthy bones, hair, nails and skin beauty. Potassium, which is part of the meat, supports the heart muscle, preventing heart attack and stroke. Thanks to vitamin A, the use of valuable sturgeon improves visual acuity, and vitamin D prevents osteoporosis and rickets.

The value of caviar

Special attention deserves caviar, which is obtained from the huge inhabitants of the seas and rivers. Females are capable of throwing the largest possible eggs. As is known, black caviar- an expensive, healthy delicacy that is recommended for both children and adults. Natural bioproduct has a positive effect on all organ systems.

The high price of black caviar is due to the duration of growing adults

Growing beluga in the commercial economy takes about 15 years in order to obtain caviar. IN natural conditions catching valuable specimens is prohibited, so the cost of the finished product is impressive. For 100 grams of black caviar, you have to pay from 10 to 15 thousand rubles, and the price of a kilogram in European markets often exceeds 10 thousand dollars. Most of the goods found on the market appear counterfeit.

Problems of population conservation

Beluga belongs to the species of fish disappearing from the planet. Most individuals do not have time to grow up to maximum dimensions , as they are caught by poachers and lovers of unusual marine trophies. In addition to fishermen, industrial facilities have also contributed to the decline in the population. Due to the active construction of hydroelectric power plants, the dams of which are located on the migration path of fish, create obstacles for their movement to spawn. Due to hydraulic structures and their dams, the flow of beluga to the rivers of Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria is completely blocked.

Beluga numbers are declining every year

Another problem is the constantly deteriorating environment. Since the life expectancy of a beluga is several years and even reaches a century, poisonous, harmful substances falling into environment as a result of human activity. Pesticides, chemicals and hormones negatively affect the reproductive capabilities of the giant fish.

A lot of effort will have to be made to preserve the unique king fish, otherwise the population will soon completely disappear from the planet. The unique look is not only a valuable delicacy, but also an important chain the food chain in the marine environment.

Beluga is the most big fish, which can be found in the reservoirs of our planet. According to official data, its length can reach 4.5 meters and weigh up to 1500 kilograms. Although, there is evidence that they caught beluga 2 times large sizes. In any case, such data indicate that the beluga is the most major representative sturgeon family.

In our time, such dimensions are something from the realm of fantasy. As a rule, individuals come across weighing no more than 300 kilograms, which indicates certain problems associated with life cycle this giant of rivers and seas.

habitats

Not more than 100 years ago, this giant was found in the basins of the Caspian, Black, Azov and Adriatic Seas. Nowadays, it can be found only in the Black Sea basin, or rather in the Danube River, as well as in the Caspian Sea basin, exclusively in the Urals. In a swimming pool Sea of ​​Azov, or rather, in the Volga River, one of the subspecies of the beluga is found, the number of which is maintained artificially.

Since in many countries there are artificial breeding fish, the beluga population has not yet decreased in the water bodies of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey. And this is due to the fact that measures to restore the number of this fish occupy a special place in solving such problems. Only at the state level is it possible to solve such complex problems.

The appearance of the beluga is reminiscent of its resemblance to sturgeon species of fish. TO hallmarks should include:

• Fairly large mouth.
• Not a big blunt nose.
• The first spike, located on the back, is small.
• Between the gills is a membrane that connects them.

Beluga is distinguished by a wide, heavy body of a rounded shape, which is painted in a gray-ash hue. The belly is off-white in color, sometimes with a yellowish tint. On a massive body is a large head. The whiskers below the snout resemble leaf-like appendages as they are joined together.

Beluga sometimes interbreeds with its relatives, such as sterlet, spike, Russian sturgeon. As a result, hybrids are obtained that outwardly have some differences associated with the structure of the body, gills or color. Despite this, hybrids do not differ in their behavior from their relatives.

Beluga is a fish that has a peculiar behavior among representatives of this species. There are two forms that differ from each other by the period of spawning migrations and the duration of stay in fresh water. In the sea, the beluga prefers to lead a solitary lifestyle, and being in the river, it gathers in numerous flocks. This is due to the fact that she comes to the rivers for spawning, and in the sea she only feeds and develops.

Beluga is a predatory fish and it begins to lead this way of life quite early. The diet includes fish such as herring, carp, zander and gobies. At the same time, the beluga is not averse to swallowing its relative if it is small and hesitated somewhere.

In addition to fish, she is able to swallow mollusks, waterfowl and even baby seals if she reaches the appropriate size. Experts came to the conclusion that the migrations of the beluga are associated with the migrations of its food supply.

One of the subspecies spawns before the other. Its spawning period coincides with the maximum spring water level in the rivers. At the same time, the water temperature can reach + 8- + 17 degrees. Another subspecies comes for spawning from the seas somewhere in the month of August. After that, individuals hibernate in deep holes, and begin to spawn in spring. Beluga begins to spawn at the age of 15-17 years, after reaching a weight of about 50 kg.

Beluga spawns at a depth of at least 10 meters. At the same time, she chooses areas with a hard rocky bottom and with a fast current, which provides a spawning site with oxygen.

Fish living in the seas enter the rivers for spawning, therefore they are called migratory. Being in fresh water, she continues to feed actively. After spawning, as soon as fry appear from the eggs, she returns to the sea with them. Beluga comes to spawn once every 2-3 years. At the same time, there is a species that lives in rivers constantly and does not migrate over long distances.

Commercial fishing

More recently, the beluga was of industrial interest and was caught at a tremendous pace. Because of this, a similar breed of fish was on the verge of extinction.

Since this fish may disappear altogether, its catch is significantly limited in all countries of the world. In some countries, it is forbidden to catch it at all. Beluga is listed in the Red Book as a species that is on the verge of extinction. In some countries, it is permissible to catch it under a special license and only for the purpose of scientific research. This fish is caught with fixed or rafted nets.

Beluga black caviar is the most expensive food product today. Its cost can reach several thousand euros per kilogram. The caviar that is found in the markets is either counterfeit or illegally obtained.

1. Beluga can live for over 100 years, which is why it is considered one of the longest-lived fish in the world.
2. Parents do not care about their offspring. Moreover, they do not mind feasting on their relatives.
3. When the beluga spawns, it jumps high out of the water. Until now, this is an unsolved mystery.
4. The beluga, like the shark, has no bones, and its skeleton consists of cartilage, which over the years become harder and stronger.
5. The female can find quite a lot of caviar. So, an individual weighing about 1200 kg can have up to 150 kg of caviar.
6. In the Amur River basin, there is a close species - kaluga, which can reach a length of about 5 meters and weigh up to 1000 kg. Attempts by scientists to cross Kaluga and Beluga ended in nothing.

According to scientists, the beluga population has declined by 90% in just the last 50 years. Therefore, based on such research results, we can assume that this is not at all a comforting result. Back in the middle of the last century, about 25 thousand individuals entered the Volga for spawning, and already at the beginning of this century this number was reduced to 3 thousand.

Moreover, all these processes take place against the backdrop of huge efforts that humanity is making in order to maintain the population of the species at least at the same level. The main reasons for the reduction in numbers are as follows:

1. Construction of hydroelectric power plants. The presence of huge dams does not allow fish to climb to it. natural places spawning grounds. Such structures practically cut off the ways of beluga movement in the rivers of Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia.
2. activities of poachers. Sufficiently high prices for the meat of this fish and its caviar are of interest to people who are accustomed to earning money illegally. Since they catch the largest individuals that are able to reproduce numerous offspring, the damage is very significant. As a result of such actions, the Adriatic population completely disappeared.
3. Violation of ecology. Since the beluga can live for a long time, during this time harmful substances accumulate in her body that enter the water, as a result economic activity human, such as pesticides. similar view chemical affects the reproductive functions of fish.

One can only hope that people will still be able to preserve this type of fish, which is huge in size, for their descendants.

Beluga is one of the largest predatory fish. Previously, it was a fairly common species, however, due to the constantly deteriorating environmental situation, as well as the increasing cases of poaching, the beluga was recognized as an endangered species and listed in the Red Book.

The main advantage of such a fish as beluga is the cost. The fish, although it has rather tough meat, is much cheaper (no more than $ 15 per kilogram) than most sturgeon representatives, while not inferior to them in its taste.

Since beluga caviar is one of the most expensive in the world, the beluga population in natural conditions is so insignificant that it is supported only by breeding fish in fish farms and private reservoirs.

Sturgeon family: description

Fish belong to the sturgeon family, the first representatives of which appeared many centuries ago. They differ from other types of fish characteristic features appearance, main feature which is five rows of bone shields located along the elongated body of the beluga.

Like all sturgeon fish, the beluga has an elongated head, while in its lower part there are 4 antennae that reach mouth opening beluga. In addition, the structure of sturgeons contains features of cartilaginous fish that are more primitive in structure, but the main hallmark sturgeon is that the base of their skeleton is an elastic cartilaginous chord, thanks to which the fish fully develops even taking into account the fact that it has no vertebrae in its structure.

The most common sturgeon species include various varieties of sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, kuluga, beluga and sterlet. These are quite large fish, among which the largest is the beluga. The fish can reach a length of up to 4 meters. At the same time, the weight of some individuals in rare cases exceeds a ton. Despite the fact that the beluga is found in large numbers mainly within the Caspian and Black Seas, where it is distributed almost everywhere, during the spawning period, the beluga literally fills large freshwater rivers.

Beluga: description of the fish

Beluga is one of the largest freshwater fish. Depending on the habitat, its weight reaches from 50 kg to 1 ton. The average weight of beluga fish caught on an industrial scale ranges from 50-80 kg. This migratory fish is a real long-liver, because the age of some individuals reaches one century.

In fact, the beluga is a predator that begins to hunt even in the fry stage. Individuals who spend most of their lives in sea ​​water feed mainly on fish. In addition, in nature, beluga can form mixed (hybrid) varieties, among which crossings are most common:

• With sterlet - forms a fish called bester, which is the most common beluga hybrid. It is grown as the main source of prey sturgeon fish on an industrial scale. This is explained primarily good performance its meat obtained during processing, as well as direct nutritional value, as a result of which the quality of products created from this fish allows maintaining a consistently high demand for it.
• stellate sturgeon.
• Spike fish.
• Sturgeon.

These beluga hybrids are common both within the Sea of ​​Azov and in some reservoirs.

Distinctive features

In addition to its size, this fish can be distinguished from other representatives of sturgeon by a thick cylindrical body and a short pointed nose. It is slightly translucent as a result of the fact that there are no bone shields on it. Her mouth occupies the entire width of her head, a thick lip hangs over it. The antennae on the lower part of the head differ from the similar organ of other fish belonging to the sturgeon group in their width and length: in other fish they are smaller. The bony shields on the head, flanks, and peritoneum are underdeveloped. On the back, the number of scutes reaches 13, on the sides - 40-45, and on the peritoneum does not exceed 12.

Ash-gray color prevails on the body of the beluga. The color of the belly ranges from white to light gray, the nose is yellowish.

Beluga meat

Unlike other fish, beluga meat is rather coarse in structure, but nevertheless it has excellent taste qualities, for which it is valued all over the world. Excellent balyk products are made from it. In addition, many cold and hot dishes are made from it, as well as a variety of snacks.

It is from the beluga that the best caviar is obtained, catching on an industrial scale individuals whose weight starts from 5 kg, however, since the beluga is the largest freshwater fish, its weight in most cases significantly exceeds these figures. Despite the fact that beluga fish is a long-liver, maximum age individuals caught on an industrial scale does not exceed 30-40 years.

Habitat

The main habitats of the beluga are the Black and Caspian Seas with all the rivers flowing into them. In fact, the beluga is a fish that lives most of the time in the water, and enters the rivers only when it reaches an age suitable for breeding.

After that, she returns back to the sea, but already together with the fry. It is noteworthy that she prefers not to go far, even though due to her impressive size she can have little to no fear of attack from other freshwater predators. In addition, the beluga has almost completely stopped its natural reproduction, and its population is mainly supported by fish farms and private reservoirs.

Zimovye

Beluga is a red fish that prefers to winter in yatovs (river pits), where it goes out in order to rise and spawn with the onset of spring. Young growth prefers to go to the winter quarters in the rivers or settle on an insignificant sea ​​depth. On medium depth the beluga prefers to rest, having already spawned and returned to the sea before the first frosts. The largest and adult individuals can be found only at great depths, however, due to their physiological characteristics most of them are no longer able to reproduce.

During the onset of cold weather, the body of the beluga is covered with a thick layer of mucus (sleum), and the fish falls into a state of stupor, until the onset of a thaw. At the same time, the beluga, falling into hibernation, stocks up on food for several months. When catching a beluga during this period, completely undigested mollusks are often found in her stomach, small crustaceans and the remains of waterfowl wintering on the rivers.

spawning

Caviar throwing in beluga of different sizes takes place in different time, however, in the youngest individuals given period falls in mid-spring and continues until autumn. The place for spawning is deep places with a fast current, in which a rocky or cartilaginous bottom prevails. Some of the spawning individuals go to the deepest and coldest places on the river, and some return to the sea.

Beluga caviar is quite large and resembles peas in size. It is noteworthy that one individual can reproduce caviar volumes that make up 1/5 of its body. In this case, the number of eggs reaches several million. Young fish soon go to sea, where they live until they reach sexual maturity.

Meals and cost

Beluga is a fish whose food is mainly mollusks, crustaceans and small fish. In some cases, it can eat birds resting or hunting on the water, as well as small freshwater animals.

Within the Caspian Sea, it serves as the main source of fishing, and although the beluga is a fish whose price is much lower than for sturgeon (from 10-15 dollars per kilogram), its unique large caviar much more expensive than other red fish. An example is the “diamond” caviar of albino beluga, the cost of which reaches 18,000 euros. This cost is due to the fact that albino beluga spawns its rich golden caviar approximately once every 100 years. At the same time, no more than 8-10 kg of caviar goes on sale in Europe per year.

• The commodity weight of the beluga starts from 5 kilograms, but the most big beluga fish reached a length of 7 meters and weighed more than one and a half tons.
• Fish, going to spawn, try to find an ideal place for themselves, without finding which, they may not spawn at all.
• Starting to spawn, the beluga breaks the bottom and lays eggs in the environment. a large number snags and reeds.
• It spawns up to a million eggs, which are highly valued by amateurs from all over the world.

Biological features

Beluga can be divided into two main varieties:

• winter:
• spring.

This fish leads an exclusively bottom-pelagic way of life.

In the sea it keeps mostly alone. The period of puberty occurs in males at 12-15 years, and in females at 16-18 years, while it must be remembered that, since beluga is a long-lived fish, individuals whose age exceeds the mark of 50-60 years completely lose ability to reproduce offspring.

Beluga, which is bred in captivity, reproduces by artificial insemination. In addition, thanks to this method, it was possible to breed most of the beluga hybrids grown in fisheries.

Hello everyone! Today we will talk about such fish as Beluga. This is not an ordinary fish. This fish is on the verge of extinction. Why is a fish because it reaches very large sizes in height in weight, and can also live for about a hundred years. It can also be called a sad fish because of its appearance. Well, now let's talk about everything in order.

Beluga from the sturgeon family. It does not have a permanent place of residence, therefore it is considered a semi-transit. Spawning in rivers lives in the seas and rivers. Why can't it be called completely marine or freshwater fish?

The fact is that large individuals switch to marine cuisine only when there is not enough food for them in the rivers. Up to a certain size, she can live quietly in rivers and creeks, but when food starts to be scarce, then she switches to marine inhabitants. The diet includes herring, gobies, sprat, in a word, a predator. In the rivers they eat everything they can catch from roach to crucian carp. The Black, Azov, Caspian Seas in these seas the beluga lives.

What is the largest beluga caught

With regards to size, the largest Beluga, according to unconfirmed reports, weighed over two tons and was about nine meters long. If the information can be confirmed, then the beluga can easily be considered the largest freshwater fish on the planet.

There are also accurate data on already caught fish. So in 1827, the weight of fish caught in the lower reaches of the Volga River amounted to one and a half tons 1500 kg. In the same place in the Volga in 1922, the catch amounted to 75 pounds, which by our standards is about 1224 kg. The head weighed 146 kg, and the calves were almost 259 kg in it. It’s not even likely to be imagined, like this, the catch, the whole village can be provided with meat and there will still be left for itself.

At the present time, such giants are practically not caught, although here is an example for you relatively not so long ago, but already in the last century in 1970, a beluga weighing 1000 kg was caught almost 100 kg per caviar. Because of tasty meat and large weight it was caught on an industrial scale. The average commercial weight is 50-70 kg.

Beluga is a long resident among freshwater fish

Beluga is a long resident among fish and can live up to 100 years. Can spawn many times, unlike their fellow Pacific salmon, which spawn only once in their lifetime, and die after spawning.

Completely ready for breeding, these giants become almost like people. Well, judge the males themselves mature by the age of 15-18, and the females not earlier than at the age of 16-27. The average number of eggs thrown in is considered to be about 715 thousand eggs. The fertility of the beluga depends on the size of the female, as well as on the habitat. In the Volga beluga, this number ranges from 500 thousand to a million, and the Kurinskys in the same size give 640 thousand eggs. It all depends on the habitat and living conditions.

The most expensive caviar is beluga

As for the caviar itself. Beluga eggs are quite large 1.4-2.5 mm. The weight of the caviar is almost half the weight of the female. It has a pleasant delicate nutty flavor.

Dark grey colour, a brilliant shade, a strong smell, all this made the caviar so tasty that on the black market in Russia the buyer is ready to pay about 620 euros per kg for such a product without haggling. Abroad, for beluga caviar, you can get about 7,000 euros. This price is made up of palatability of this caviar and from the fact that in Russia you can’t officially buy or sell beluga caviar anywhere. All transactions are under the black flag.

Today in Russia there is a ban on catching beluga, as it is on the verge of extinction. Beluga is also listed in the Red Book. This is a rather risky business to catch beluga. Because the deadlines are huge.

Taste qualities of beluga meat

Beluga meat, unlike other sturgeon breeds, is not fatty and has a very small percentage of fat content. But despite the fact that in the tsarist times there were much more beluga than now, only kings, princes and boyars could still taste its delicious meat. As you can see, even then they understood meat, and considered beluga meat to be something unusual and wonderful.

What secrets and beliefs Beluga is surrounded by

But beluga was valuable not only for meat and caviar in those distant times. For example, almost every fisherman believed in the miraculous properties of beluga stone. With the help of this miracle stone, you can heal people, heal entire villages. It was also believed that such an amulet brings happiness and a good catch to the one who possesses this stone.

It was flat and oval in shape, and had dimensions from egg. It could be obtained in the kidneys of large beluga. It could also be very expensive to sell or change to something expensive. But these rumors were never confirmed. But according to such stones, most likely they were high-quality fakes of skilled craftsmen. There are those who still believe in the miraculous properties of this pebble, and that such a stone actually exists.

But the secrets of the beluga do not end there.

Many fishermen were of the same opinion that the beluga is very poisonous fish. This belief has also not been confirmed. But the fishermen were sure that such a fish could get rabies like a dog or cat. It was also believed that the beluga liver was poisonous. But no matter what our ancestors believed in, many are still inclined to believe that all this rumors were spread by the nobility.

So that commoners do not eat meat and do not catch beluga for good. It is possible that thanks to these rumors in the past, the beluga could grow up to 2 tons in weight and 9 meters in length.