Common Sturgeon

(lat. Acipenser sturio, Linneaus 1758)

Conservation state: 0 extinct (Germany), 0 extinct (lower saxony)

Description: see description in the overview. Lenght up to about 3m, then weighing up to 300 kg. Age about. 60 years.

Appearance historical: from the Black Sea, over the mediterranean to France up to the German rivers rhine, weser, eider, stoer to England and in the baltic sea also in iceland and norway.

Appearance actual: The last wild populaton lives in the french Gironde-bassin. In german rivers extinct. In germany there are 20 individuals in the Leibnitz institute for inland fisheries in Potsdam. One animal lives in an aquarium at helgoland. Single catches appear sometimes (see tabel)..

Lifecycle: Being an anadromous fish the grown-up sturgeons migrate into to middel run of the rivers to spwan on gritty grounds. The male sturgeon mature after an age of 6 to10 years and the females need even 8 to 15 years to be mature. They spawned up to 2,3 Millionen eggs.

Features : In opposite to other sturgeon-species this one is hardly to get adapted to artificial food. Natural food is hardly to be supplied in the needed amount (mosquito larvae and hackled shrimps) .

The above mentioned 21 animals are the only ones in germany at present..

further informations : see sturgeon-overview and a report about the behaviour of juvenile sturgeon in the gironde in france is found under ...

A film about a historical sturgeon catch in the river Eider is to be found on the internetpages of the society for the saviour of the sturgeon.