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.
The starry sturgeon is an endangered species and trade in products made from its body parts are restricted by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) A demersal fish that feeds on or near the bottom of the ocean or a deep lake it migrates from the sea to fresh water to spawn.
Preferring depths of between 10-100m and temperatures of between 10-20 deg C it is mainly found over sand and mud, near to the shore. As with most sturgeon they stay at the bottom for most of the day and rise at dusk and dawn to feed. It's main diet is fish, molluscs, crustaceans and worms.
The Stellate is dark grey in colour often verging on black. The sides and belly are lighter, the belly being almost white. With a nose and head that accounts for a 1/4 of the length of the fish the Stellate or Starry Sturgeon is easy to recognise. The long flattened snout, bends upwards at the tip and the lower lip is not continuous but interrupted at centre. The smooth barbels are short and do not reach the mouth, they are nearer to it than to the tip of the snout. It has five rows of scutes, dorsal 11-14, lateral 30-36 on each side, ventral 10-11 on each side, with small bony stellate plates and smaller grains between main scute rows, giving the starry appearance.
The Stellate is able to live in freshwater and marine environments with equal success but thrives in shallow brackish water.
As stated above, most Stellates are bred for the production of caviare so it is rare to see them in the pond market. The fact that they are also more demanding to farm and thus more expensive to produce than Siberains also contributes to this. Added to this is the fact that they are an endangered species so should really only be kept by experienced collectors. It keeps it's stunning colouration into adulthood, unlike the Diamond sturgeon whose patterning is similar.
They need a high oxygen level and as they prefer to swim against a current they need constantly moving water.
