Beluga record weight. Beluga can be considered the largest freshwater fish on earth. Reproduction and offspring

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 is 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 Seas of Azov. 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, a beluga 4.17 m long and weighing a ton was mined in the lower reaches of the Volga. 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.

They say that this is the king-beluga. And on the Internet, a new MEM has already broken out in the likeness of a sad cat and a stoned fox - a sad fish. Let's find out more about her...

This Astrakhan Museum of Local Lore.

The Astrakhan museum has two record beluga whales - one 4-meter (slightly smaller than the one that Nicholas II presented to the Kazan museum) and the largest - 6-meter. the largest beluga, six meters long. They caught her at the same time as the four-meter one, in 1989. The poachers caught the world's largest beluga, gutted the caviar, and then called the museum and said where you can pick up a "fish" the size of a huge truck.

Stuffed Beluga, Huso huso
Type: stuffed animal
Author: Golovachev V.I.
Dating: The stuffed animal was made in 1990.
Size: length - 4 m 20 cm, weight - 966 kg
Description: Beluga is a valuable commercial fish of the sturgeon family, common in the basins of the Caspian, Black, Azov Seas. In 1989 it was caught by fishermen. Weight 966 kg, caviar weight 120 kg, age 70-75 years, length 4 m 20 cm. The stuffed animal was made by taxidermist Golovachev V.I. in 1990
Organization: Astrakhan Museum of Local Lore

Existing for over 200 million years, sturgeons are close to extinction today. The Danube, in the region of Romania and Bulgaria, has one of the most viable wild sturgeon populations in Europe. Danube sturgeons are one of the most important indicators of a healthy ecosystem. Most of them live in the Black Sea and migrate up the Danube to spawn. They reach 6 meters in length and live up to 100 years.

Illegal fishing and barbaric extermination, mainly for caviar, is one of the main dangers threatening sturgeons. Habitat loss and disruption of sturgeon migration routes is another big threat to this unique species. By founding, with the participation of the European Community, the Life + programme, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with the support of others international organizations has been working on these problems in recent years.

Type and origin

Sturgeon breeds include: beluga, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, sterlet. In the fossil state, sturgeon fish are known only from the Eocene (85.8-70.6 million years ago). In zoogeographical terms, representatives of the subfamily of shovel-nosed-like are very interesting, which are found on the one hand in Central Asia, on the other hand, in North America, which allows you to see modern types this genus is the remains of a formerly widespread fauna. Sturgeons are one of the most unique and attractive species of ancient fish. They have existed for more than 200 million years, and have lived since the time when dinosaurs inhabited our planet. With their unusual appearance, in their robes of bone plates, they remind us of ancient times, when special armor or a strong shell was needed in order to survive. They have survived to this day, almost unchanged.

Alas, today existing species sturgeon fish are endangered or even endangered.

Sturgeons are the largest freshwater fish

Beluga book of records

Beluga is not only the largest of the sturgeons, but also the most big fish of those caught in fresh waters. There are cases when specimens up to 9 meters long and weighing up to 2000 kg came across. Today, individuals weighing more than 200 kg are rarely seen, transitions to spawning have become too dangerous.
In "Research on the state of fisheries in Russia", in 1861, it was reported about a beluga caught in 1827 in the lower reaches of the Volga, which weighed 1.5 tons.

On May 11, 1922, in the Caspian Sea, near the mouth of the Volga, a female weighing 1224 kilograms was caught, while 667 kilograms were on her body, 288 kilograms on her head, and 146.5 kilograms on caviar (see photo). Once again, a female of the same size was caught in 1924 in the Caspian Sea near the Biryuchaya Spit, the caviar in it was 246 kilograms, and the total number of eggs was about 7.7 million.

A little to the east, before the mouth of the Urals, on May 3, 1926, a 75-year-old female weighing more than 1 ton and 4.24 meters long was caught, in which there were 190 kilograms of caviar. The National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan in Kazan presents a stuffed beluga 4.17 meters long, mined in the lower reaches of the Volga at the beginning of the 20th century. Its weight when caught was about 1000 kilograms, the age of the fish is 60-70 years.

In October 1891, when the wind stole water from the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of ​​Azov, a peasant passing by the bare shore found a beluga in one of the puddles, pulling 20 pounds (327 kg), of which 3 pounds (49 kg) fell on caviar.

Lifestyle

All sturgeons migrate long distances for spawning and in search of food. Some migrate between salt and fresh water, while others live only in fresh waters all their lives. They breed in fresh waters and have a long life cycle as they take years, sometimes decades, to reach maturity when they are first able to produce offspring. While the annual successful spawning is almost unpredictable, and depends on the available habitat, suitable current and temperature, specific spawning sites, periodicity and migration are predictable. Natural crossing is possible between any species of sturgeon. In addition to the spring move into the rivers for spawning, sturgeons sometimes enter the rivers also in the fall - for wintering. These fish tend to stay near the bottom.

According to the method of feeding, the beluga is a predator, feeding mainly on fish, but also on mollusks, worms, and insects. Begins to prey even as a fry in the river. In the sea, it feeds mainly on fish (herring, sprats, gobies, etc.), but does not neglect mollusks. In the stomachs of the Caspian beluga, even pups (babies) of a seal were found.

Beluga takes care of her offspring

Beluga is a long-lived fish reaching the age of 100 years. Unlike Pacific salmon, which die after spawning, beluga, like other sturgeons, can spawn many times in a lifetime. After spawning, they migrate back to the sea. Caspian beluga males reach puberty at 13-18 years old, and females - at 16-27 (mainly at 22-27) years. The fertility of the beluga, depending on the size of the female, ranges from 500 thousand to a million (in exceptional cases - up to 5 million) eggs.
Beluga in nature independent view, but can hybridize with sterlet, stellate sturgeon, spike and sturgeon. With the help of artificial insemination, viable hybrids were obtained - beluga-sterlet (Bester). Sturgeon hybrids are successfully grown in pond (aquaculture) farms.

There are many myths and legends associated with the beluga. For example, in ancient times, fishermen talked about the miraculous biluzhin stone, which is able to heal a person from any disease, protect from troubles, save the ship from a storm and attract a good catch.

Fishermen believed that this stone can be found in the kidneys of a large beluga, and it is the size of a chicken egg - flat and oval in shape. The owner of such a stone could exchange it for a very expensive product, but it is still not clear whether such stones really existed, or the craftsmen forged them. Even today, some anglers continue to believe this.
Another legend that at one time surrounded the beluga with an ominous halo is the poison of the beluga. Some considered the liver of young fish or the meat of the beluga to be poisonous, which could go astray, like a cat or a dog, as a result of which its meat became poisonous. Evidence for this has not yet been found.

The now almost extinct beluga. Not a particularly large specimen for this species. Photo from here

Sturgeon habitats in the past and present

Their distribution is limited to the northern hemisphere, where they inhabit rivers and seas in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Although there are more than 20 different sturgeon species around the world with different biological and ecological requirements, they all have similar characteristics.
Anadromous fish living in the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas enters the rivers for spawning. Previously, the beluga was relatively numerous, but over time, its stocks became very scarce.
The Danube and the Black Sea at one time were the most active region for the distribution of a wide variety of beluga - up to 6 different species. Currently, one of the species is completely lost, and the remaining five are endangered.

In the Caspian Sea, the beluga is ubiquitous. For spawning, it enters mainly the Volga, in much smaller quantities - the Urals and the Kura, as well as the Terek. On Far East Amur sturgeon lives. Almost all water bodies in Russia are suitable for sturgeon species. In the old days, sturgeons were caught even in the Neva.

Overfishing and the black market for caviar

Overfishing - once legal but now illegal - is one of the direct threats to the survival of the Danube sturgeons. Because of their long life cycle, and late maturity, sturgeons are particularly vulnerable to overfishing, whose stock takes many years to recover.
In 2006, Romania was the first country to announce a ban on sturgeon fishing. The ten-year ban will expire at the end of 2015. Following the appeal of the EU, Bulgaria also announced a ban on sturgeon fishing. Despite the ban, poaching seems to be still widespread throughout the Danube region, although concrete evidence of illegal fishing is difficult to obtain. It is well known that the black market for caviar is thriving. One reason for overfishing is the high price of caviar. Illegally harvested caviar in Bulgaria and Romania can also be bought in other EU countries. Thanks to the first study of the caviar black market, conducted in Bulgaria and Romania in 2011-2012, experts from the World Wide Fund for Nature were able to trace the distribution of smuggled goods in Europe.

Danube beluga, the same age as dinosaurs

Iron Gate Dam disrupted migration routes

Migration for spawning is one of the most important parts of the natural life cycle of all sturgeons in the Danube. In the past, the beluga rose up the river to Serbia, and in the distant past it even reached Passau in eastern Bavaria, but now its path is artificially blocked already on the middle Danube.

Located below the Iron Gates, in the narrow Jardap Gorge between Romania and Serbia, the Iron Gates hydroelectric power plant and reservoir are the largest along the Danube. The hydroelectric power plant was built at 942 and 863 kilometers of the river upstream of the Danube Delta. As a result, by limiting the sturgeon migration path at 863 kilometers, and completely cutting off the most important spawning area on the middle Danube. As a result, the sturgeons found themselves locked in the section of the river in front of the dam, and now they are no longer able to continue their natural path, familiar to them for thousands of years, to the spawning site. Trapped in such unnatural conditions, the sturgeon population suffers the negative effects of inbreeding and loses genetic variability.

Beluga range on the Danube lost

Sturgeons are very sensitive to changes in their range. These changes immediately affect spawning, wintering, the possibility of finding good food and, ultimately, lead to the extinction of the genus. Most sturgeon species spawn on the clear pebbly edge of the lower Danube, where they lay their eggs before returning to the Black Sea. Successful spawning must be carried out at great depths at a temperature of at least 9-15 degrees.
The sturgeon population has suffered greatly as a result of the loss of the original and corresponding to this species habitat on the Danube. The strengthening of the banks and the division of the river into channels, the construction of powerful engineering structures that protect against floods, reduced by 80% the natural floodplains and wetlands that were part of the river system. Navigation is also one of the major threats to the sturgeon range, mainly as a result of activities that include dredging and dredging on the river. Extraction of sand and gravel, soil changes produced by the underwater part of the vessel also have a detrimental effect on the sturgeon population in the Danube.

The threat of extinction of the Danube sturgeon is so great that if urgent and radical measures are not taken, then in a few decades this majestic silvery fish can only be seen in museums. That is why the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube, together with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the European Commission, within the framework of the European Community Strategy for the Danube Region, are conducting a number of projects and international studies in order to develop measures to save the Danube beluga. sources

Let me remind you a few more big fish: or like this The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

In the territory Russian Federation hosts many reservoirs that are home to the most amazing creatures. Among them is the beluga fish, which is the largest predatory fish with a unique appearance, behavior and characteristics. Previously, the animal was considered very common, but the development of civilization and the prosperity of poaching significantly harmed the population.

The main advantage of the representatives of the species is the affordable cost.. And although the meat of the fish is quite tough, it is no worse in taste than other varieties of the sturgeon family. At the same time, the price per kilogram is only 15 US dollars, which is very cheap.

However, during spawning, the creature produces the most valuable product - beluga caviar, which is considered one of the most elite and expensive, which contributes to the prosperity of illegal fishing. For example, albino beluga caviar is sold in strictly limited quantities at a price of 18,500 euros per kilogram. During the year, only 8-10 kilograms of a rare product enter the European market.

Under natural conditions, the number is so small that the existence of the beluga depends only on the functioning of fish farms and private reservoirs.

As for the sturgeon family itself, it includes the most ancient fish species with a long history. They are distinguished by their characteristic appearance, as well as the presence of five rows of bone shields that are located along the elongated body.

From other members of the family sturgeon beluga received an elongated head, while in the lower part there are 4 antennae that reach mouth opening. In addition, some properties of more primitive cartilaginous creatures are noticed in its structure, but the beluga has an elastic cartilaginous chord at the base of the skeleton, which allows it to fully function and develop even in the absence of vertebrae.

The list of the most common types of sturgeon includes the following:

1. Stellate sturgeon.
2. Kuluga.
3. Beluga.
4. Sterlet.

These fish are impressive in size, but the true champion is the beluga. The body length of the fish reaches 4 meters, and the weight sometimes exceeds 1000 kilograms. And although the main population is concentrated within the Black and Caspian Seas, during the spawning period, the species massively moves to freshwater rivers, literally filling them.

As mentioned above, the beluga is the largest freshwater fish that can weigh from 50 to 1000 kilograms, depending on living conditions. As for individuals that are caught on an industrial scale, they reach 50-80 kilograms of weight. The life expectancy of some beluga is about 100 years.

A feature of the predator is the ability to hunt from the very first days of its existence. Those creatures that spend a significant part of their time in the seas are the most inveterate predators, because they eat mainly fish. Under natural habitat conditions, the beluga forms hybrid varieties, crossing with the following species of sturgeon:

1. With sterlet - as a result, a fish called "bester" is formed, which is the most popular beluga hybrid. It is grown for industrial purposes, which is associated with high palatability processed meat. The product also has a high nutritional value, which increases the demand for cultivation.
2. stellate sturgeon.
3. Spike fish.
4. Sturgeon.

Similar hybrids inhabit the Azov Sea basin and some reservoirs.

If you want to know what a beluga looks like, pay attention to the following external characteristics of the species:

1. The fish has a long body, which resembles a large gray spindle with light shades in the abdominal part.
2. The caudal fin is unevenly lobed and has an upper lobe twice as large as the lower one.

Also, the beluga is distinguished by a pointed, but short snout, under which there is a huge crescent-shaped mouth and two pairs of mustaches with pronounced leaf-like appendages along the entire length of each antennae.

In addition to its impressive size, the beluga is also distinguished by a thick cylindrical body. The pointed nose is slightly translucent due to the absence of bony shields. The bony shields on the head and flanks are underdeveloped, with 13 units on the back, 40–45 on the sides, and about 12 on the peritoneum.

This representative of the sturgeon family belongs to the group of anadromous creatures, so he can live freely in both fresh and salt water. To understand where the beluga is found in Russia, it is necessary to pay attention to such seas with different salinity indicators.

1. Caspian and Azov (salinity here is low, and ranges from 12 to 13 ppm).
2. Black Sea (salinity indicators vary in the range of 17-18 ppm).
3. Mediterranean Sea (salinity is high, as in the ocean - it is about 35 ppm).

For laying caviar, beluga massively move to rivers:

As mentioned above, the beluga is a long-lived fish. that can live up to 100 years. And if the Pacific salmon spawns only once in a lifetime, after which it dies, then the beluga is capable of producing offspring an unlimited number of times. After a successful spawning, adults return to the sea, continuing to feed fat until a new spawning. Because of this lifestyle, they are called walkers.

As for caviar, it has a dark gray color with a characteristic silvery tint, as well as a rather large size (diameter is up to 2.5 millimeters). Caviar is deposited on the bottom, where it settles on all kinds of substrate. Newborn fry are also quite large, because they can have a length of 15 to 24 mm. After birth, they immediately go to sea, but sometimes it takes several years.

Puberty ends in males at the age of 13-18 years, while females begin spawning at 16 years old, and some at 27. Representatives of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov are different early term maturation, the males living there go to spawn as early as 12 years old.

The fertility of the beluga depends on the living conditions and food supply. As a rule, females of different sizes can produce about 500,000-1,000,000 eggs. IN rare cases this number rises to 5 million. At the same time, the inhabitants of different rivers demonstrate different indicators of fertility. For example, individuals that live in the Volga and have a length of about 2.5 meters bring about 900 thousand eggs. The inhabitants of the Kura River with the same size hardly spawn 700 thousand eggs..

If we compare beluga meat with the meat of other fish, then it has a coarser structure, but an incredible taste and nutritional value, due to which it is appreciated all over the world. On the basis of the beluga product, delicious balyk products are created, as well as many cold and hot snacks.

Beluga also gives humanity delicious caviar, so fish are massively caught on an industrial scale, starting with individuals weighing 5 kilograms or more. Of course, in most cases, the weight significantly exceeds this indicator, because the animal quickly gains weight and grows to an impressive size. And although the beluga is considered the longest-lived fish in freshwater reservoirs, maximum age individuals that are grown on an industrial scale , rarely exceeds 30-40 years.

Beluga is a common red fish, which arranges wintering camps in river pits, where it goes at the end of autumn and waits spring season for throwing caviar. Juveniles prefer estuaries or shallow sea areas.

The middle depths are suitable as a winter hut for older individuals that have already spawned and returned to the sea before the first frost. The largest individuals aged 30-50 years are found only in the deepest and most remote places. Due to their physiological properties, many of them are no longer able to reproduce.

As soon as the first significant cold comes, the body of the fish is covered with a thick mucous layer, after which it falls into a state of stupor, being in it until the first heat. Before falling into hibernation, the beluga gains fat and stores the necessary energy for several months. If an individual is caught at this time, then in its stomach it will be possible to find mollusks, small crustaceans that have not been completely digested, and even a waterfowl that winters on rivers.

By the way, you should pay attention to one curious fact: if the beluga fails to find a suitable place for spawning, it may not start spawning. Such fastidiousness is especially noticeable in adults, who have repeatedly reproduced offspring.

Feed preferences and interesting facts

The main share of the Beluga diet is occupied by shellfish., crustaceans and small representatives of other fish species. In the absence of such food, a predator easily attacks birds that swim freely or hunt in the water, as well as small freshwater creatures.

IN settlements The Caspian coast beluga is the main attribute of the fishing industry. And although the cost of fish meat is much lower than the cost of sturgeon (a kilogram of meat costs only 10-15 dollars), unique and valuable caviar is much more expensive than caviar of other red fish.

For example: “diamond” caviar is the most expensive product produced by extremely rare albino sturgeons. For a kilogram of such a delicacy, you will have to pay about 18,500 euros. The phenomenal value is due to the rich golden color, as well as the rarity of the caviar itself, which can be mined about once every 100 years. According to statistics, no more than 8-10 kilograms of "diamond" caviar appear on the European market per year.

For industrial purposes, it is customary to catch individuals weighing from 5 kilograms, but the largest beluga in the world weighed about 1500 kg and had a 7-meter body.

Going to spawn, the fish is looking for promising places that meet its requirements. If they are absent, spawning may not start at all.

Starting to spawn, the fish breaks the bottom and spawns in the environment. a large number snags, reeds or water barriers. At the same time, during the spawning period, it produces about 1,000,000 eggs, which are of high value to true gourmets from all over the world.

If we divide the beluga into two main groups, then it will be:

1. Winter.
2. Yarovaya.

Representatives of the species lead an exclusively near-bottom-pelagic way of life.. In the sea, they are found alone, and only periodically form groups that go to spawn in rivers. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 12-15 years, and females - at 16-18 years. Given the fact that the fish is considered a long-liver, it can easily exist for more than 50-60 years, although such individuals are becoming less and less common.

Beluga, which is bred on fishing farms, reproduces only by artificial insemination. Thus, many hybrid varieties with unique external and physiological features have appeared.

This is a predator. Found in the stomachs of fish ducklings, baby seals. Having reached puberty, beluga go to spawn in freshwater rivers. It is believed that the spawning time of the beluga falls on May - June and lasts for a month. Caviar is deposited in deep-water rivers with fast currents and rocky bottoms. Not finding a suitable place, the beluga will not spawn, which will eventually dissolve inside the fish. To take a place for spring spawning, beluga females remain to winter in the rivers, falling into hibernation and becoming overgrown with mucus. One female can carry up to 320 kg of caviar.

Pea-sized eggs dark gray color. Beluga caviar is eaten by other fish, carried away by the current. Out of 100,000 eggs, 1 survives. Juveniles, having spent a month at the spawning site, roll into the sea. Beluga caviar has great nutritional value. This was the reason that fish were caught in huge quantities, which led to a decrease in their numbers.

Now the sale of beluga caviar is prohibited by law. After spawning, hungry beluga whales are busy looking for food. Old females swallow even inedible objects: driftwood, stones. They differ from juveniles in their large head and emaciated body. Our ancestors did not eat such fish.

To catch a beluga, fishermen go to sea, sailing 3 km from the coast. With the help of a pole, you need to find a place where there is a lot of shell rock at the bottom, which indicates a feeding place for the beluga. The nozzle is roach, asp, herring. When pulling the caught fish into the boat, one must be careful, because there have been cases when a huge fish turned the boat over and the fisherman ended up in the water. Beluga is listed in the Red Book and is an object of sport fishing. The captured trophy must be released.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the beluga was common commercial fish. Tons of this fish were mined in the Danube and Dnieper, Volga. After the loss of natural spawning grounds, the number of beluga has significantly decreased.

Adults are not found, 98% are juveniles. A hybrid of beluga and sterlet - bester - is artificially grown.

There are stories that beluga weighing 1.5 tons, 2 tons were caught, but these facts have not been confirmed. In 1922, the largest beluga in the world was in the Caspian Sea, weighing 1224 kg.. A 4.17 m long stuffed beluga is exhibited in the museum of Kazan, caught at the beginning of the 20th century in the lower reaches of the Volga. When caught, the fish weighed 1000 kg. The Astrakhan museum keeps a stuffed beluga caught in the Volga delta and weighing 966 kg.

All this allows us to call the beluga the largest freshwater fish. Many facts are known about the capture of beluga weighing 500, 800 kg. All of them date back to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. In our time average weight of this fish from 60 to 250 kg.

Hydroelectric plants, sewage treatment plants, dams - all this interferes with the reproduction, growth and survival of fish.

We present you a video large beluga caught in Atyrau.

Sturgeon and Beluga in particular are considered very valuable food fish. However, due to a sharp decline in the number of natural populations in the second half of the 20th century, beluga fish is currently listed in the Red Book as rare view. However, it can be grown in artificial conditions, albeit with certain difficulties. Beluga caviar is the most expensive caviar in the world.

Beluga is a migratory fish, that is, it lives in the seas, but rises to the rivers to spawn. This species lives in the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas.

The most numerous is the Caspian population of beluga, in this sea it can be found everywhere. The main spawning ground for the Caspian beluga is the Volga. Also, a small number of these fish spawn in the Ural, Kura and Terek rivers. A very insignificant number spawns in small rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea on the territory of Azerbaijan and Iran. But in general, it can be found in any river that is close enough to those places in the Caspian Sea where beluga fish are found.

In the past, spawning beluga entered the rivers far enough - hundreds and even thousands of kilometers. For example, along the Volga, it rose to Tver and even to the upper reaches of the Kama. However, due to the construction of numerous hydroelectric power stations on the rivers flowing into the Caspian, modern Belugas have to limit themselves only to the lower reaches.

Previously, the Azov population of beluga was quite numerous, but by today she was on the brink of extinction. From the Sea of ​​Azov, fish rise to the Don and, in very small quantities, to the Kuban River. As in the case of the Caspian beluga, natural spawning grounds upstream were cut off by the construction of a hydroelectric power station.

Finally, in the Black Sea, where the beluga fish lives, its population is also very small and concentrated mainly in the northwest of the sea, although cases of its appearance off the coast of the southern Crimea, the Caucasus and northern Turkey have been recorded. For spawning, the local beluga is dressed in three major rivers region - the Danube, the Dnieper and the Dniester. Some individuals spawn in Southern Bug. Before the construction of the hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper, beluga was caught in the Kyiv region and even in Belarus. A similar situation with the Dniester. But along the Danube, it can still rise quite far - up to the Serbian-Romanian border, where one of the two Danube hydroelectric power stations is located.

Until the 70s. of the last century, the beluga was sometimes caught in the Adriatic Sea, where it went to spawn in the Po River. However, in the last few decades, not a single case of catching beluga in this region has been noted, which is why the Adriatic beluga is considered extinct.

Beluga - sturgeon fish; considered to be the largest of all freshwater fish. In historical chronicles, there are controversial references to the catching of individuals up to 9 meters long and weighing up to 2 tons. However, those sources that do not raise doubts give no less impressive figures.

For example, a book on the state of Russian fishing from 1861 mentions a beluga weighing 90 pounds (one and a half tons), caught near Astrakhan in 1827. The reference book on freshwater fish of the USSR, published in 1948, mentions a female beluga weighing 75 pounds (more than 1200 kg), which was caught in the Caspian Sea near the mouth of the Volga in 1922. Finally, everyone can personally see a stuffed animal of a one-colored beluga exhibited at the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan in the city of Kazan.

The latest case of catching such massive individuals was recorded in 1989, when a beluga weighing 966 kg was caught in the Volga Delta. Her stuffed animal can also be seen in one of the museums, but already in Astrakhan.

According to experts, the largest beluga fish should be tens of years old. It is possible that some individuals could be 100 or more years old. However, these are all exceptional cases. The average weight of fish going to spawn in rivers is 90-120 kg for females and 60-90 kg for males. However, even such sizes the beluga reaches only at the age of 25-30 years. And immature young growth usually weighs no more than 20-30 kg.

If we leave alone the incredible size of this fish, then in general it has a typical sturgeon appearance. She has a massive oblong body of a cylindrical shape and a small pointed nose. The beluga has a blunt short snout and a large crescent-shaped mouth. The mouth is bordered by a thick "lip". On the snout there are wide massive antennae.

The head and torso are dotted with symmetrical rows of bone shields (the so-called bugs): 12-13 on the back, 40-45 on the sides and 10-12 on the belly. The dominant color in the color of the beluga is gray, in which the back, sides and upper part of the head are painted. From below, the beluga is painted white.

The first thing that is mentioned in any description of the beluga fish is its way of spawning. The main place of life of this fish is the sea, but it goes to spawn in big rivers, which has already been mentioned earlier.

It is noteworthy that the beluga has the so-called spring and winter forms (races). In particular, fish enter the Volga in two waves: in the first half of autumn - winter, in the first half of spring - spring. However, winter beluga still dominates in this river, which winters in river pits, and then immediately starts spawning in April-May. In the Ural River, on the contrary, most beluga belong to the spring race, they spawn immediately after entering the river, and then swim back into the sea.

Like any sturgeon, beluga is a predatory fish. The young growth feeds on all kinds of invertebrates and mollusks, extracting them from the bottom in the mouths of the rivers. After going out to the open sea, the grown up young animals quickly switch to feeding on fish. In the Caspian Sea, the basis of the beluga diet is carp, roach, sprat, etc. In addition, the beluga does not disdain eating its own young and other representatives of the sturgeon family. The Black Sea beluga feeds mainly on anchovy and gobies.

The beluga reaches puberty late: males at the 12-14th year, females at the 16-18th. Due to such a long maturation in conditions of intensive industrial fishing, this species was on the verge of extinction.

As already mentioned, beluga spawning falls in the second half of spring, although a significant part of the fish goes to the rivers in the fall. Beluga spawns when the spring flood reaches its peak, and the temperature of the river water is 6-7°C. Caviar rushes about in rapids in deep places (at least 4 meters, more often 10-12 m) with a rocky bottom. One female lays at least 200 thousand eggs, but usually their number goes to millions (up to 8 million). The eggs are quite large, about 4 mm in diameter.

Having finished spawning, beluga fish in the Volga and other rivers quickly go to sea. Young larvae also do not linger in the river.

Since ancient times, it has been considered a commercial fish of high value. Active fishing has been carried out since at least the 6th century BC. In the 20th century, with the development of industrial fishing methods, beluga prey reached unprecedented proportions. For example, in the Volga alone in the 70s, 1.2-1.5 thousand tons of this fish were caught annually.

The unjustifiably intensive catch of red beluga fish, as well as the construction of hydroelectric power stations everywhere in the rivers where it spawns, led to a sharp reduction in its numbers in the second half of the last century. Already in the early 90s, the catch fell to 200-300 tons per year, and at the end of the decade - below 100 tons. Under such conditions Russian authorities in 2000, they banned the commercial fishing of beluga on their territory, and a decade later, other countries of the Caspian region joined the Russian Federation. Things are even worse in the Black and Azov Seas, where the beluga population has shrunk to a meager size.

The actual impossibility to ensure the supply of meat to the consumer market and, no less important, beluga caviar created the conditions for the development of fish farms specializing in this type of fish. Today, they are the only legitimate suppliers of this type of product to store shelves. However, poaching, unfortunately, also occupies a significant share of this market.

At fish farms, beluga is bred not only and not so much in in kind, how many hybridize with other sturgeons - sterlet, stellate sturgeon and sturgeon. Bester is especially widespread - the fish is the result of crossing beluga and sterlet. It is not only grown in pond farms, but even settled in the Sea of ​​Azov and freshwater reservoirs.

Beluga meat and especially its caviar are considered a true delicacy, from which you can cook a real culinary masterpiece. This fish is subjected to all types of heat treatment: boiled, fried, baked, steamed and grilled. Beluga is also smoked, felled and canned. From beluga meat you can cook the most Various types dishes including kebabs and salads.

With all this, beluga as a fish is very healthy. It has a low calorie content and a high content of easily digestible protein. Beluga has a lot of essential amino acids that are urgently needed by our body, but they are not synthesized in it, but can only be obtained with food. The meat of this fish contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, which help restore and strengthen bones, as well as improve the condition of nails and hair. The potassium present in the beluga improves the functioning of the heart muscle, and the iron has a beneficial effect on the composition of the blood.

Beluga meat is rich in vitamin A, which affects visual acuity and skin condition. There are other important vitamins in it: B (important for muscles and nervous tissue), D (prevents the development of rickets and osteoporosis).

Separately, it is worth mentioning beluga caviar. Females throw big black caviar, which is incredibly highly valued by gourmets. Since the industrial catch of beluga is now prohibited, and in aquaculture it takes about 15 years to grow fish to get caviar from it, the cost of this product reaches exorbitant prices. In Russia, 100 grams of beluga caviar costs about 10-20 thousand rubles, a kilogram - up to 150 thousand rubles. In Europe and other markets, the cost of a kilogram of this caviar ranges from 7-10 thousand dollars. It is obvious that it is unrealistic to purchase such caviar in a regular store.

Beluga, as well as bester (fish from sturgeon, a hybrid of beluga and sterlet) can eat artificial feed, and therefore is suitable for commercial fish farming. However, this technology is quite expensive, especially considering that it takes at least 15 years to grow fish to obtain caviar.

Until the larvae reach a weight of 3 grams, they are grown in special trays. Food is provided by both artificial and natural feed. After the larvae reach the specified weight, they are sent for rearing in ponds with a stocking density of about 20,000 specimens per hectare.

Further, the technology of breeding beluga fish at home provides for the transfer of underyearlings to feeding on minced fish of low-value breeds with various additives. At the same time, a significant part of the nutrition of the young will be self-sufficient at the expense of pond invertebrates. The predatory instinct in beluga underyearlings appears at the end of summer, which implies an increase in the proportion of minced meat in its diet.

In beluga underyearlings, weight gain occurs most rapidly under conditions when the temperature and composition of water are close to optimal values, so one of critical tasks the fish farmer is to maintain these optimal conditions in the ponds.

In the first year, the average feed conversion of the beluga is 2.8 units. At the end of the first season, the fish increases its weight from 3 to 150 g. With an average survival rate of underyearlings at the level of 50%, their fish productivity reaches 20 c/ha.

In wintering ponds (optimal reservoirs are from a quarter to half a hectare at a depth of 2-3 m, devoid of bottom silt and vegetation), underyearlings are planted in the amount of 120 thousand pieces per hectare. Wintering begins in October - November and lasts until March. In winter, the beluga is given feed in the amount of 2% of total weight fish, and when surface ice forms, feeding is stopped altogether. For beluga underyearlings, it is natural to lose 30-40% of their weight during this time. However, the size of the beluga fish does not change.

In the first ten days of April, the fish are sent back to the feeding ponds, where intensive feeding is immediately applied. Two-year-olds are given low-value fresh-frozen fish. Young growth grows most actively in the second half of summer, and feed conversion increases during this period to 6 kg of feed per 1 kg of weight gain.

When two-year-olds reach a mass of 0.7 kg (by the end of the second season, about half of them) they are sent for sale to the food chain. The rest of the fish is left for another year and grown to a mass of 1.7-2 kg. Under the conditions of high survival rate of two-year-old and three-year-olds (up to 95%), with strict adherence to the cultivation technology, the fish productivity will be 50-75 c/ha.