Sturgeon Varieties

Hybrid Sturgeon

Photograph of a Alonka Sturgeon

A hybrid is the young of two parents that differ in one or more inheritable characteristics, and can be the young of two different varieties of the same species, or, the young of two parents belonging to different species.
In agriculture and animal husbandry hybrids are bred to combine the most favourable characteristics of the parents and reduce the less favourable. Hybrids can often be more vigorous ie, hardier than their parents, however not all hybrids are fertile especially those bred between different species.

In the case of sturgeon, all species can be crossed, although not all are fertile. They are becoming more popular amongst enthusiasts and so you may see different types for sale, the most common being;

Diamond x Siberian - known as Alonka
Diamond x Sterlet
Diamond x Naccarii
Sterlet x Siberian
Sterlet x Beluga - known as Bester
Siberian x Naccarii - known as Baccarii

Beluga Sturgeon ( Huso Huso )
Photograph provided by New Orchard Fisheries

Facts

Also known as:- Great sturgeon
Kingdom:- Animalia
Phylum:- Chordata
Class:- Actinopterygii
Order:- Acipenseriformes
Family:- Acipenseridae
Genus:- Huso
Size Length:- 1 - 3 (max = 5 m)
Weight Up to:- 2,072 kg

The Beluga is the most well known of the caviare sturgeons.

Status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Beluga as Endangered.

Sterlet  (Acipenser ruthenus)

This is one of the smaller species of sturgeon, it is a common Eurasione species and is an angling species all over the world and kept domestically in the UK and Europe. It is also grown for its caviar, for eating and for isinglass (a substance obtained from the swimbladders of fish (especially Beluga sturgeon). It is a form of collagen used mainly for the clarification of wine and beer.)

If you have an extensive pond Diamond sturgeons are stunning fish. They are extremely pretty when young but have less defined markings and become paler when mature, although as they are a big fish they remain an impressive addition to the pond. They are a stocky fish with a wide  back and shoulders when adult. They grow rapidly (second to the Beluga sturgeon) and should not be considered if you have a smaller pond of 1000 gallons or just over. In this case go for the Sterlet. Be aware that disreputable sellers may try to pass them off as a Diamond Sterlet which is a fictitious name. They are a Diamond sturgeon.

They require plentiful oxygen, and prefer over 6.5mg/ltr+. Needing a large pond due to their size, one of 3000 + gallons is preferable. In the wild they can live for over 50 years and maximum size would be 3m (10 ft) with a weight of 100kg (200+ lb). In a home pond 1.5m (5ft) with a weight of 30kg (60-70lb) would be a very large fish while sizes of 1.2m (4ft) and 10kg (22lb) are more likely.

Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)

Sturgeon are cartilaginous, that is to say their skeleton is made of catiladge rather than bone. They do not have scales but are covered in bony plates known as scutes. They have a toothless mouth which is situated slightly back from the nose and is preceded by four barbels, which are tactile organs that are dragged along the bottom of riverbeds. They house the taste buds of such fish and are used to search for food in murky water. They have graceful, elongated bodies, elongated and flattened upper tail lobes and a flattened snout or rostra (from the Latin for beak). Being rather shark-like in appearance, with their fixed pectoral fins, pointed snouts and long sweeping tails, children and adults alike find them fascinating to watch. 

They are primarily benthic feeders, that is to say that they collect organisms living on or in sea or lake bottoms. Using their projecting wedgeshaped snout they stir up the silt on the soft bottom, and use the barbels to detect shells, crustaceans and the small fish, on which they feed. As they have no teeth, they cannot seize their prey, although larger specimens can swallow very large prey items, including whole salmon and even baby seals.

Stellate (Star/Starry) Sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus)

Also known as Drakul and (Turkish) Uzun Burun (long nosed) this is a species of sturgeons that lives in the Black, Azov, and Caspian sea basins. It is rare in the Adriatic Sea.

Reaching up 220 cm (over 7 feet) and weighing in at up to 80 kg (approximately 180 Lbs). The maximum reported age for this species is 27 years. The starry sturgeon is a harmless species and is very important commercially, being one of the three main species fished and farmed for caviare, the other two being the Beluga and the Persian. The flesh of the Stellate is also considered a delicacy in the Caspian region.