The starry sturgeon ( Huso stellatus),[
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The starry sturgeon is an anadromous species, which migrates up rivers to spawn.
It is considered critically endangered by the IUCN and international trade in this species (including Sevruga caviar) is restricted by CITES.[
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Taxonomy
Prior to 2025, it was placed in the genus Acipenser, but this placement was found to be Paraphyly, and it is more accurately placed in the genus Huso.
Description
The starry sturgeon reaches about in length and weighs up to .[ It is a slim-bodied fish easily distinguished from other sturgeons by its long, thin and straight snout. A row of five small barbels lies closer to the mouth than to the tip of the snout. The scales on the lateral line number between thirty and forty and these features distinguish this fish from the Russian sturgeon ( H. gueldenstaedtii). Its general colouring is dark greyish-green or brown with a pale underside. The scales on the lateral line are pale.][
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Biology
The starry sturgeon is a harmless species that feeds on fish, worms, and mollusks.[ It lies on the bottom during the day and feeds mostly at night. This fish is anadromous and moves upriver into shallow waters to spawn.][
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Uses
The starry sturgeon is an important commercial species of fish. It is one of the three most important species for caviar, see Sevruga caviar, along with the Beluga sturgeon and the Russian sturgeon. Its flesh is considered an expensive delicacy in the Caspian region. It is used to make , or is consumed pan fried, broiled, or smoked. There have been several attempts in Russia, Iran, Italy, and the United States to adapt this species for aquaculture, with varying degrees of success.
The resilience of this species is low. The minimum population doubling time is 4.5 – 14 years.
Conservation
The species is believed to have undergone a loss of 95 percent of its population in three generations. Illegal fishing is a major threat to the survival of this species.[
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See also
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World Sturgeon Conservation Society
External links
