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 met 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 resembles its resemblance to sturgeon species 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 in 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, her body accumulates harmful substances, which fall into 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 - the largest freshwater fish, is now under the threat of destruction. Man illegally beats her for the sake of valuable caviar, changes the usual ways of spawning, destroys and pollutes habitats. Like many other endangered species, the beluga is truly unique. Why is this so, and which beluga is the largest in the world - read about this in the article.

Description of the species

In the large family of sturgeons, which includes 27 species, there are many giants. Partly for their size, as well as for the value and nutritional value of their meat and caviar, these fish have earned the status of commercial fish. Sturgeons inhabit the waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The evolution of these species goes back to the Triassic period and has 208-245 million years. Their heyday fell on the period of 100-200 million years ago, when the earth was still inhabited by dinosaurs. Since then, their appearance has not changed much.

Apart in their family is the beluga (lat. Huso huso). Not only is she the record holder for longevity - individuals over 100 years old are known, but also in size. Beluga, deservedly considered the largest freshwater fish. The weight of the largest specimens caught reached one and a half tons! Body sizes on average range from 2 to 4 meters, although individuals up to 9 m long have also been described.

Beluga does not look quite normal. Looking at it, you can understand a lot about the times of the dinosaurs. The fish body is as if enclosed in a shell of bone, and paths of sharp bone protrusions stretch along the sides. The mouth of the beluga is framed by antennae, which are responsible for the sense of smell - it is excellent in these fish. And this predator has no teeth. The color of the body is dark gray, with a greenish tint, the belly is almost white.

Beluga grows all her life, and since she can live a lot, then her size will be appropriate. Unfortunately, in our time, due to uncontrolled capture, habitat pollution, changes in habitual migration routes and a general deterioration in the ecological situation, the life expectancy of the beluga has been greatly reduced.

habitats

This giant is found in the Black, Caspian and Azov seas. For spawning, it rises along the Volga to the upper reaches of the Kama. Beluga was also found in the Danube, until a hydroelectric power station was built on this river, and spawning routes were blocked.

Nutrition

Beluga is a predatory fish. She can eat mollusks, worms, insects, but her predominant “dish” is fish. Even beluga fry are predators. Large beluga can even swallow baby seals - they are sometimes found in the stomachs of the Caspian representatives of the species. Feeling hungry after spawning, beluga females grab even inedible objects: snags, stones.

Such gigantic creatures can find enough food only in the sea, those subspecies that prefer to live in fresh water do not reach huge sizes.

reproduction

The beluga emerges from the sea and rises high up the rivers to spawn. They spawn only in fresh water, but they can live in both fresh and salt water. Beluga spawning occurs several times in a lifetime. After spawning, she rolls back into the sea.

Belugas take a long time to reach sexual maturity. Males mature in the second ten years of life, and females generally only by the age of 22-25.

Sturgeon fish are unusually prolific, depending on the size of the fish, the number of eggs can vary from 500 thousand to a million. There is evidence that large, by today's standards, 2.5-2.6 m long, the Volga beluga spawns an average of 937 thousand eggs, and the same size Kura - an average of 686 thousand. The fry keep in the delta and on the seaside.

Belugas can spawn only in very clean water. If the reservoir is polluted, the females refuse to spawn, and the eggs that have matured in their bodies are absorbed after a while. The presence of a beluga in a reservoir indicates a favorable environment and a good ecological situation.

Most individuals are caught by poachers while still young, having just reached puberty, which means that they have time to spawn only once. The survival rate of eggs and fry is only 10% of the total number of spawned eggs, so the beluga population is very poorly replenished.

Normally, spawning occurs in one individual up to 10 times in a lifetime, since due to its size and life expectancy, it needs 2 to 4 years to recover between spawning periods.

record holders

Some of the specimens caught are really striking in their size. Many of them have records confirming their size and weight. Who is the champion among beluga:

• There is evidence of beluga whales weighing 2 tons and reaching 9 m, but they are not documented;
• In 1827, in the lower reaches of the Volga, a beluga weighing 90 pounds / 1.5 tons / 9 m long was caught, according to "Studies on the state of fisheries in Russia" dated 1861;

On May 11, 1922, a female beluga weighing 1224 kg was caught in the Caspian Sea, 146.5 kg of caviar were found in it, her head weighed 288 kg, and her body - 667 kg.

Beluga of the same size was also caught in the Caspian Sea in 1924, they found 246 kg of caviar in it.

At the beginning of the 20th century, in the lower reaches of the Volga, a beluga 4.17 m long and weighing a ton was mined. Her age was estimated at 60-70 years. A stuffed animal of this individual is now kept in the National Museum of Tatarstan in Kazan;

Another stuffed beluga, which weighed 966 kg and grew up to 4 m 20 cm, is presented in the Astrakhan Museum. This fish was also caught in the Volga delta in 1989, moreover, by poachers. Having taken out the caviar, they anonymously reported such an extraordinary prey. A truck was needed to transport the carcass. Her age was estimated at 70-75 years.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, there are many evidences of the capture of fish weighing 500-800 kg. Currently, due to various adverse factors, beluga rarely reach over 250 kg. An interesting fact is that all the largest beluga are females. Beluga males are always much smaller than females.

Recently, commercial fishing of this fish has been banned, and it is included in the Red Book of Threatened Species. Despite this, poachers deftly circumvent all prohibitions, because the price of beluga caviar on the black market in Russia reaches $600 per kilogram, and $7,000 abroad!

Poaching is much more dangerous than industrial fishing, since it does not take into account either seasonality or population conservation, and, probably, in the not too distant future, such a unique species can be completely exterminated and descendants will know about it only from evidence in the archives.

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. Average weight beluga fish caught in 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 sturgeon 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 features 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 old, and in females at 16-18 years old, while it must be remembered that, since the beluga is a long-lived fish, individuals whose age exceeds the mark of 50-60 years completely lose the 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.

Everyone has heard the expression “roaring like a beluga”, but not everyone clearly imagined what this animal looks like. What kind of beluga is this and what else besides the roar can it be famous for? Let's try to figure this out. Well, for starters, let's say right away that a beluga cannot roar at all. If only because it belongs to the class of fish, and fish, as you know, are silent.

Description of the Beluga

Beluga is the largest freshwater fish living in the waters of our country.. It lives on Earth for almost 200 million years and, like all other sturgeons, has learned to adapt to the most different conditions a habitat. These fish do not have a backbone, and instead of a skeleton there is a flexible chord.

Appearance

Beluga is large in size: its weight can be equal to one and a half tons, and its length is more than four meters. Some of the eyewitnesses even saw beluga reaching a length of nine meters. If all of this unconfirmed evidence is true, then the beluga may be considered the largest freshwater fish in the world. She has a thick and massive body.

With its head and muzzle shape, the beluga resembles a pig: its snout, which looks like a snout, is short and blunt, and its huge toothless mouth, which occupies almost the entire lower part of the head, surrounded by thick lips, has a crescent shape. Only beluga fry have teeth, and even those disappear after a short time. The antennae hanging down from the upper lip and reaching the mouth are slightly flattened downwards. The eyes of this fish are small and blind, so it is oriented mainly with the help of a well-developed sense of smell.

This is interesting! WITH Latin name Beluga (Huso huso) translates as "pig". And, if you take a closer look, you can really notice that these two creatures are similar in some way both externally and in their omnivorousness.

Beluga males and females differ little in appearance, and both of them have the body covered with equally large scales. The scales look like rhombuses and nowhere overlap each other. This type of scale is called ganoid. The back of the beluga is gray-brownish, the belly is lighter.

Behavior and lifestyle

Beluga is an anadromous fish, mainly it leads a benthic lifestyle. The very appearance of this amazing creature, reminiscent of the appearance of ancient armored fish, indicates that the beluga rarely appears on the surface: after all, with such a massive body it is more convenient to swim in deep water than in the shallows.

She continually changes her habitat in the reservoir and often goes to the depths: there the current is faster, which allows the beluga to find food, and there are deep holes that this fish uses as places to rest. In spring, when the upper layers of water begin to warm up, it can be seen in shallow water. With the onset of autumn, the beluga again goes to the sea or river depths, where it changes its usual diet, eating mollusks and crustaceans.

Important! Beluga is a very large fish, it can only find enough food for itself in the seas. And the very presence of beluga in the reservoir is evidence of a healthy ecosystem.

The beluga travels great distances in search of food and spawning grounds. Almost all beluga equally well tolerate both salty and fresh water, although some species can live exclusively in fresh water.

How long does a beluga live

Beluga is a real long-liver. Like all other sturgeons, it slowly matures: up to 10-15 years, but it lives a very long time. The age of this fish, if it lives in good conditions, can reach a hundred years, although now beluga live for forty years.

Range, habitats

The beluga lives in the Black Sea, in the Sea of ​​Azov and in the Caspian Sea. Let less often, but also found in the Adriatic. It spawns in the Volga, Don, Danube, Dnieper and Dniester. Infrequently, but you can meet her in the Urals, Kura or Terek. There is also a very small chance to see a beluga in the Upper Bug and near the Crimean coast.

There was a time when the beluga walked along the Volga to Tver, along the Dnieper to Kyiv, along the Ural River to Orenburg, and along the Kura to Tbilisi itself. But for some time now, this fish has not been taken so far upstream of the rivers. This is primarily due to the fact that the beluga cannot rise upstream due to hydroelectric power stations blocking its path. Previously, she also appeared in such rivers as the Oka, Sheksna, Kama and Sura.

Beluga diet

Recently born fry, weighing no more than seven grams, feed on river plankton, as well as larvae of mayflies, caddisflies, caviar and fry of other fish, including sturgeon species related to them. Grown up Belugas eat juveniles of stellate sturgeon and sturgeon. Young Belugas are generally characterized by cannibalism. As the young beluga grows up, her diet also changes.

After the underyearlings move from the rivers to the sea, they feed on crustaceans, mollusks and small fish, such as gobies or sprats, as well as herring and cyprinids until the age of two. Upon reaching two years, beluga cubs become predators. Now approximately 98% of their total diet is fish. Beluga food habits vary depending on the season and feeding grounds. In the sea, this fish feeds year-round, although with the onset of the cold season, it eats less. Remaining for the winter in the rivers, she also continues to feed.

This is interesting! The food of many adult sturgeons is various small living creatures that live on the bottom, and only the largest of them - beluga and kaluga - feed on fish. In addition to small fish, their victims may be other sturgeon and even small seal pups.

In the belly of one of the caught sturgeons, a rather large sturgeon, several roach and bream were found. And in another female of this species, the catch was two large carps, more than a dozen roach and three bream. Also, a large pike perch became its prey even earlier: its bones were found in the stomach of the same beluga.

Reproduction and offspring

Beluga starts breeding late. So, males are ready to breed at the age of at least 12 years, and females do not breed before they are 16-18 years old.

females Caspian beluga are ready to continue their race at the age of 27: only by this age do they become fit for reproduction and accumulate sufficient weight for this. Most fish die after spawning is over. But the beluga spawns repeatedly, though with interruptions of two to four years.

In total, 8-9 spawnings occur during her long life. She spawns on a sandy or pebble bottom, where there is a fast current, which is necessary for a constant supply of oxygen. After fertilization, the eggs become sticky and stick to the bottom.

This is interesting! A female beluga can lay several million eggs, while total weight caviar can reach up to a quarter of the weight of the fish itself.

In 1922, a five-meter beluga weighing more than 1200 kg was caught in the Volga. It contained approximately 240 kg of caviar. The hatched larvae, later turning into fry, set off on a difficult journey - in search of the sea. "Spring" female beluga, entering the river from the middle of winter to the end of spring, spawn in the same year. The “wintering” beluga in order to find and take a place convenient for spawning, comes to the rivers in August and stays there for the winter. She spawns only the next year, and before that she lies in a semblance of hibernation, having gone to the bottom and covered with mucus.

In May or June, the "winter" beluga comes out of hibernation and spawns. Fertilization in these fish is external, like in all sturgeons. Caviar attached to the bottom of the reservoir, for the most part, becomes the prey of other fish, so the percentage of survival among beluga juveniles is very small. Belugas live in shallow water warmed by the sun. And after they grow up enough, they leave their native rivers and go to the sea. They quickly increase their size and by the year their length becomes approximately equal to a meter.

natural enemies

There are practically no natural enemies in adult beluga. But their caviar, as well as larvae and fry living in the rivers, are eaten by freshwater predatory fish.

This is interesting! Paradoxically, one of the main natural enemies beluga - this fish itself. The fact is that the Belugas that have grown up to 5-8 cm are happy to eat the caviar of their relatives in the spawning grounds.

Population and species status

TO beginning of XXI century, the beluga population has declined significantly, and this species itself has become considered endangered and was listed in Russia and in the International Red Book.

IN natural environment due to the small number of livestock of its species, the beluga can interbreed with other related sturgeons. And in 1952, through the efforts of scientists, an artificial hybrid of beluga and sterlet was bred, which was called bester. It is bred, as a rule, in artificial reservoirs, since bester is not released into natural reservoirs, where other sturgeons are found, in order to preserve natural populations other species clean.

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 most big beluga was 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.