The largest beluga in the world. King Fish: the largest beluga in the world

Beluga is one of the largest predatory fish. Previously, it was a fairly common species, but due to the constantly worsening environmental situation, as well as increasing cases of poaching, the beluga was recognized as an endangered species and listed in the Red Book.

The main advantage of a fish like beluga is its cost. Although the fish is distinguished by fairly tough meat, it is much cheaper (no more than $15 per kilogram) than most representatives of sturgeon, while not inferior to them in its taste qualities.

Because beluga caviar is one of the most expensive in the world, the beluga population in natural conditions so insignificant that it is supported only by fish breeding in fish farms and private reservoirs.

Sturgeon family: description

The sturgeon family includes fish, the first representatives of which appeared many centuries ago. They differ from other types of fish characteristic features appearance, main feature which consists of five rows of bony scutes located along the elongated body of the beluga.

Like all sturgeon fish, the beluga has an elongated head, while in its lower part there are 4 antennae that reach the beluga’s mouth. In addition, the structure of sturgeon contains features of cartilaginous fish that are more primitive in structure, but the main distinctive feature sturgeon is that the base of their skeleton is made up of an elastic cartilaginous chord, thanks to which the fish fully develops even taking into account the fact that it does not have vertebrae in its structure.

The most common sturgeon species include various varieties of sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, kuluga, beluga and sterlet. These are quite large fish, among which the largest is the beluga. The fish can reach a length of up to 4 meters. Moreover, the weight of some individuals in rare cases exceeds a ton. Despite the fact that beluga is found in large numbers mainly within the Caspian and Black Seas, where it is distributed almost everywhere, during the spawning period the beluga literally fills large freshwater rivers.

Beluga: description of fish

Beluga is one of the largest freshwater fish. Depending on its habitat, its weight reaches from 50 kg to 1 ton. Average weight Beluga fish caught on an industrial scale ranges from 50-80 kg. This migratory fish is a true long-liver, as some individuals reach one century in age.

In fact, the beluga is a predator that begins to hunt even in the juvenile stage. Individuals that spend most of their lives in sea ​​water, feed mainly on fish. In addition, in nature, beluga can form mixed (hybrid) varieties, among which crossbreeding is most widespread:

• With sterlet - forms a fish called bester, which is the most common beluga hybrid. It is grown as the main source of sturgeon fish on an industrial scale. This is explained primarily good characteristics its meat obtained during processing, as well as direct nutritional value, as a result of which the quality of products created from this fish allows us to maintain a consistently high demand for it.
• Sevruga.
• Thorn fish.
• Sturgeon.

These beluga hybrids are common both within the Azov Sea and in some reservoirs.

Distinctive features

In addition to its size, this fish can be distinguished from other sturgeon representatives by its thick, cylindrical body and short, pointed nose. It is slightly translucent due to the fact that there are no bone scutes on it. Her mouth occupies the entire width of her head, with a thick lip hanging over it. The antennae on the bottom of the head are different from similar body other fish belonging to the sturgeon group, in their width and length: in other fish they are smaller. The bony scutes on the head, sides and peritoneum are underdeveloped. On the back the number of scutes reaches 13, on the sides - 40-45, and on the peritoneum does not exceed 12.

The body of the beluga is predominantly ash-gray. The color of the belly ranges from white to light gray, the nose is yellowish.

Beluga meat

Unlike other fish, beluga meat is quite coarse in structure, but nevertheless has excellent taste, for which it is valued all over the world. Excellent balyk products are made from it. In addition, many cold and hot dishes, as well as a variety of snacks, are made from it.

It is from beluga that the best caviar is obtained by catching on an industrial scale individuals whose weight starts from 5 kg, however, since beluga is the largest freshwater fish, its weight in most cases significantly exceeds these figures. Despite the fact that beluga fish is a long-liver, the maximum age of individuals caught on an industrial scale does not exceed 30-40 years.

Habitat

The main habitats of the beluga: the Black and Caspian Seas with all the rivers flowing into them. In fact, the beluga is a fish that lives most of the time in water, and enters rivers only when it reaches an age suitable to begin breeding.

After this, she returns back to the sea, but together with the fry. It is noteworthy that she prefers not to go far, even though, thanks to her impressive size, she may have little fear of attack from other freshwater predators. In addition, the beluga has almost completely stopped natural reproduction, and its numbers are maintained mainly by fish farms and private reservoirs.

Zimovye

Beluga is a red fish that prefers to spend the winter in yatovs (river pits), where it goes out in order to rise and spawn with the onset of spring. Young animals prefer to go to the rivers for the winter or settle on insignificant deep sea. Beluga prefers to rest at medium depths, having already spawned eggs and returning to the sea before the first frost. The largest and most mature individuals can only be found on great depth, however, due to their physiological characteristics, most of them are no longer capable of reproduction.

During the onset of cold weather, the body of the beluga becomes covered with a thick layer of mucus (sleen), and the fish falls into a state of torpor until the onset of a thaw. At the same time, the beluga, hibernating, stores food for several months. When a beluga is caught during this period, undigested mollusks, small crustaceans and the remains of waterfowl wintering on rivers are often found in its stomach.

Calf throwing

Beluga eggs of different sizes are spawned in different time, however, in the youngest individuals this period falls in mid-spring and continues until autumn. They serve as a place for throwing eggs deep places With fast current, in which a rocky or cartilaginous bottom predominates. Some of the spawning individuals go to the deepest and coldest places on the river, and some return back to the sea.

Beluga caviar is quite large and resembles the size of a pea. It is noteworthy that one individual can reproduce volumes of eggs constituting 1/5 of its body. In this case, the number of eggs reaches several million. Young fish soon go to sea, where they live until they reach sexual maturity.

Food and cost

Beluga is a fish whose food consists mainly of mollusks, crustaceans and small fish. In some cases, it can eat birds resting or hunting on the water, as well as small freshwater animals.

Within the Caspian Sea, it serves as the main source of fishing, and although beluga is a fish whose price is much lower than sturgeon (from 10-15 dollars per kilogram), its unique large caviar is much more expensive than that of other red fish. An example is “diamond” albino beluga caviar, the cost of which reaches 18,000 euros. This cost is due to the fact that albino belugas lay their rich golden eggs approximately once every 100 years. At the same time, no more than 8-10 kg of caviar goes on sale in Europe per year.

• The commercial weight of beluga starts from 5 kilograms, but the most big fish The beluga reached a length of 7 meters and weighed more than one and a half tons.
• When a fish gets ready to spawn, it tries to find an ideal place, and if it fails to find it, it may not spawn at all.
• When starting to spawn, the beluga breaks the bottom and lays eggs surrounded by a large number of snags and reeds.
• It produces up to a million eggs, which are extremely prized by hobbyists from all over the world.

Biological features

Beluga can be divided into two main varieties:

• winter:
• spring

This fish leads an exclusively bottom-pelagic lifestyle.

At sea it stays mostly alone. The period of sexual maturity occurs in males at 12-15 years, and in females - at 16-18 years, it must be remembered that since beluga is a long-lived fish, individuals whose age exceeds 50-60 years completely lose ability to reproduce offspring.

Beluga, which is bred in captivity, reproduces through artificial insemination. In addition, thanks to this method, it was possible to develop the majority of beluga hybrids grown in fisheries.

Beluga is a freshwater fish that has survived to this day from ancient times. Its ancestors existed on earth back in Jurassic period, which was 200 million years ago.

This is the largest of all freshwater fish that has ever existed on our planet. Its body can reach a length of about five meters, and it can weigh about two tons.

This one giant fish there is only one relative - the kaluga, which lives in the Far Eastern rivers.

The body of the beluga is shaped like a torpedo, it narrows towards the tail, and along its sides there are five rows of bone plates, which are also called scutes, the task of which is to protect the fish from external influences. Top part This fish is colored greenish or dark gray, and its belly is usually white.

The beluga's muzzle has a peculiar shape: its lower part is elongated and slightly upturned. It is on this part of it that the antennae are located, which have the functions of the olfactory organs. Behind them is a mouth shaped like a sickle. Heterogeneous representatives of this species do not differ from each other in color. But females are larger than males in size.

The main habitat of the beluga is the Caspian Sea, although it can also be found in other seas - for example, the Azov, Black or Adriatic. But as the spawning period approaches, the beluga leaves salty waters and goes upstream of freshwater rivers, and rises quite high along them. Belugas lead a solitary lifestyle, making exceptions only during the spawning period in order to mate.

Beluga is the largest among the family.

Egg spawning occurs in the spring, and not every year. Typically, this fish requires a break of 2 to 4 years. After the female rises up the river, she lays a huge number of eggs - from three hundred thousand to seven and a half million. After which he considers his mission completed and returns back to the sea. Young beluga whales hatch around May-June and immediately display their predatory nature to the fullest extent. Small invertebrates become their main food at this time. So, refreshing themselves along the way, beluga whales gradually move towards the sea. In a month they grow to 7-10 cm, and in a year - up to 1 meter.

Beluga is a relative of the sturgeon.

Under favorable circumstances, a female can spawn about nine times in her life. But the fact that this fish and its caviar are of enormous commercial value does not allow it to live, in most cases, even half of the time allotted to it by nature. They catch it both legally and illegally.

In the territory Russian Federation there are many reservoirs that are home to the most amazing creatures. Among them is the beluga fish, which is the largest predatory fish with 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 representatives of the species is the affordable cost. And although the fish meat is quite tough, it is no worse in taste than other varieties of the sturgeon family. Moreover, the price per kilogram is only 15 US dollars, which is very cheap.

However, during spawning the creature gives 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 the rare product enter the European market.

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

As for the sturgeon family itself, the most ancient species of fish with a centuries-old history belong to it. They are distinguished by their characteristic appearance, as well as the presence of five rows of bone scutes that are located along the elongated body.

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

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

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

These fish are impressive in size, but the true record holder 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 moves en masse to freshwater rivers, literally filling them.

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

A feature of the predator is its 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 avid predators, because they eat mainly fish. In natural habitats, beluga forms hybrid varieties, crossing with the following sturgeon species:

1. With sterlet - the result is a fish called "bester", which is the most popular beluga hybrid. It is grown for industrial purposes, which is associated with the high taste of the meat obtained during processing. The product also has high nutritional value, which increases the demand for cultivation.
2. Sevruga.
3. Thorn 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 these external characteristics type:

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

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

In addition to its impressive size, the beluga is also distinguished by its thick cylindrical body. The pointed nose is slightly translucent, which is due to the absence of bony scutes. The bony scutes on the head and sides are not sufficiently developed, while their number on the back is 13, on the sides - 40-45, and on the peritoneum - about 12.

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

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

To lay eggs, belugas move en masse into rivers:

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

As for caviar, it has a dark gray color with a characteristic silvery tint, and is also quite large size(diameter is up to 2.5 millimeters). The eggs are deposited on the bottom, where they settle on various substrates. 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 this takes several years.

Puberty ends in males at the age of 13-18 years, while females begin to spawn at the age of 16, and some at 27. Representatives of the Azov Sea are different early maturation, the males living there leave for spawning already at 12 years of age.

The fertility of beluga depends on living conditions and food supply. Typically, females of varying sizes can produce about 500,000-1,000,000 eggs. In rare cases, this number rises to 5 million. At the same time, residents different rivers demonstrate different indicators fertility. For example, individuals that live in the Volga and are about 2.5 meters long bring about 900 thousand eggs. Inhabitants of the Kura River with the same size can hardly lay 700 thousand eggs.

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

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

Beluga is a common red fish, which makes wintering stops in river pits, where it goes at the end of autumn and waits for the spring season to spawn. Juveniles prefer river mouths or shallow sea areas.

Medium depths are suitable as a wintering quarters 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 remote places. Due to their physiological properties, many of them are no longer able to reproduce.

As soon as the first significant cold weather arrives, the fish’s body is covered with a thick mucous layer, after which it falls into a state of torpor, remaining in it until the first warmth. Before hibernating, the beluga fattens up and stores the necessary energy for several months. If you catch an individual at this time, then in its stomach you will find undigested mollusks, small crustaceans, and even waterfowl that winter on rivers.

By the way, you should pay attention to one curious fact: if the beluga cannot find a suitable place to spawn, it may not begin spawning. This fastidiousness is especially noticeable in adults, who have already reproduced their offspring many times.

Feeding preferences and interesting facts

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

IN populated areas On 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), the unique and valuable caviar costs much more than the caviar of other red fish.

For example: “diamond” caviar is the most expensive product produced by extremely rare albino belugas. For a kilogram of such a delicacy you will have to pay about 18,500 euros. The phenomenal cost is explained by the rich golden color, as well as the rarity of the caviar itself, which can be obtained approximately 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 most big beluga in the world weighed approximately 1500 kg and had a 7-meter body.

When preparing to spawn, fish look 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 surrounded by a large number of snags, reeds or water obstacles. Moreover, during the spawning period, it produces about 1,000,000 eggs, which are of high value for true gourmets from all over the world.

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

1. Wintering.
2. Yarovaya.

Representatives of the species lead an exclusively bottom-pelagic lifestyle. 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. Considering 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 grounds farms, reproduces only by artificial insemination. Thus, many hybrid varieties with unique external and physiological characteristics appeared.

Beluga is a fish belonging to the sturgeon family, the order Sturgeon. It is a valuable commercial species; it has been caught in large quantities for a long time, which is why its numbers have greatly decreased; is now an endangered species.

This type is the largest freshwater fish from sturgeon. The catch of individuals reaching a length of up to 4.2 m was recorded. Weight Limit at the same time, it is 1.5 tons. Fishermen claim that when the largest beluga was caught, it reached 9 m in length and weighed more than 2 tons, but these facts are not confirmed by anything. The average size of the fish is smaller: most often you come across beluga, whose weight does not exceed 300 kg.

The appearance of this underwater inhabitant is similar to the appearance of other sturgeon representatives: the body is elongated, wide, rounded. The beluga's body narrows towards the tail. The scales have a gray-ash tint. The belly is light, dirty white, with a possible yellowish tint.

Beluga and beluga whales should not be confused: the latter is a type of toothed whale. Previously, both words denoted a mammal; Now “beluga” means fish, “beluga” means whale.

Distinctive features

Feature appearance is a large head, in the lower part of which there are antennae connected together. The nose is small and pointed. Big mouth, inside which there are no teeth. There are spines on the back, the first of which is small. Between the gills there is a membrane connecting them.

Behavior and lifestyle

This species has almost no natural enemies. However, the eggs can be eaten by others predatory species. Some underwater predators also destroy larvae and fry. The young of this sturgeon species can also be eaten by the grown fry of this large predatory fish.

Exists a large number of underwater inhabitants, which representatives of the largest freshwater species of sturgeon feed on - and the beluga feeds on smaller ones. These are small species of fish, smaller relatives, mollusks, crustaceans, and even waterfowl. Cases have been recorded in which the remains of seal pups were found in the stomachs of captured individuals. The fry eat insect larvae and zooplankton.

Habitat

Previously, the range was wider. This species of sturgeon could be found in the Adriatic Sea. Over the past 30 years, not a single individual has been found in this salty reservoir, so the population is considered destroyed.

Now this species can be found in the Azov, Black and Caspian seas. Previously, these seas were also inhabited big amount individuals, now the population from the Black Sea is on the verge of extinction, because too few in number.

During the breeding season, the fish moves to fresh rivers, from where it then returns to the seas to live in salt water for 1-2 years.

Lifespan

How long this representative of the underwater fauna lives depends on external conditions. If the habitat is favorable, life expectancy can be up to 100 years.

Reproduction

Belugas go into rivers to spawn. Migration patterns depend on the species—what the fish looks like and where it lives. The Azov beluga moves to the Don. Fewer individuals flock to Kuban. The Black Sea swims into the Danube, Dnieper, and Dniester. Rare specimens rise along the Southern Bug. The Caspian beluga swims to the Volga to breed; a smaller number of representatives of the species rise upstream of the Urals, Terek, and Kura. Often rises to spawn in August, after which it remains in fresh water for a year, breeds only in May.

Reaches sexual maturity late. Males become capable of reproduction from 13-18 years, females - from 16-27. The Azov variety ripens faster than others.

Fecundity depends on the size of the individual. One female is capable of laying from 500,000 to 1,000,000 eggs at a time. The largest representatives of the species can lay up to 5,000,000 eggs. There is information about beluga fertility interesting fact: Populations living in different areas lay different numbers of eggs. It is believed that Volga females spawn approximately 50% more at a time than those breeding in the Kura.

After spawning, adult fish go to the sea, where they live until next breeding. Beluga spawning occurs once every 2-4 years; During their life they reproduce up to 8-9 times.

The caviar is sticky, bottom, pearl-gray in color. Large in diameter, can reach 5 mm. She often becomes prey to others river predators, the survival rate is low. Beluga cubs quickly leave their birthplace and slide downstream into the sea. Individuals may remain in fresh water up to 5−6 years.

There have been recorded cases of beluga crossing with sterlet, sturgeon, thorn, and stellate sturgeon under natural conditions.

The benefits of beluga meat

This fish has tougher meat than other members of the sturgeon family. Its fat content is also less. For this reason, the product can be used in the diet. The protein it contains is easily absorbed by the human body. It contains vitamins A, D, PP, E, C, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, molybdenum, potassium, fluorine, sodium. The pulp also contains Omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids, including essential ones. Milk is also used for food: it can be eaten fresh or in the form of a pate.

Beluga delicate black caviar is also useful. This expensive product contains a large number of useful substances. Considered a delicacy.

You should not eat beluga meat if you have inflammatory diseases, allergic reaction, kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, gastritis, edema. In these cases, it can harm the body.

Artificial breeding of beluga

Due to excessive population decline, the species' status has changed to endangered. Beluga has long been listed in the Red Book for protection from poachers. Because of this, fishing has been severely limited; in some countries it is prohibited to catch these underwater inhabitants. To restore the species' numbers, other methods are also used: people breed beluga in artificially created conditions.

With the help of artificial insemination, a hybrid capable of producing offspring was bred on the Don and Volga. To obtain it, belugas were crossed with sterlet. The resulting individuals were relocated to the Sea of ​​Azov. In addition, they populated several reservoirs.

Artificial breeding of the breed is also carried out in some aquaculture farms.

Beluga is a fish that is included in the sturgeon family. Due to overfishing of beluga sturgeon, this species of sturgeon is endangered. Perhaps this is the largest fish found in freshwater bodies.

Appearance

Beluga differs from other sturgeon species by its overly large mouth, which is shaped like half a moon. The entire lower part of the beluga's snout is occupied by the fish's mouth. She has antennae that are flattened on the sides. And under the interbranchial space there is a free fold. It is formed from gill membranes that are fused together.

There are bugs on the beluga's back. The first bug, the one near the head, has smallest sizes. Small granules and plates can be distinguished between the bugs on fish skin. And on the long mustache there are small leaf-shaped appendages. The beluga's body is very thick and has a cylindrical shape. The fish has a gentle nose, which has been compared to a pig's snout. The beluga's body is ash-gray, but the belly is much lighter than the back. The maximum weight of a beluga can be up to 1500 kilograms or more. In this case, the body length can be about 6 meters.

Distribution and migrations

It is impossible to say definitely where the beluga is found: it is an anadromous fish. It spawns in freshwater bodies of water - rivers, where it swims from the seas. Find food large individuals can only at sea. Fish live in the following seas: Black, Azov and Caspian. In the recent past, the number of beluga was large, but the fish was so valuable that beluga fishing did not stop. In addition, female large sturgeons are caught specifically to collect expensive black caviar.

In the waters of the Caspian Sea, fish can be found almost everywhere. Most of the fish swim to the Volga for spawning. The rest of the beluga swims to the Terek, Kura and Ural. In the old days, spawning fish rose along the Volga all the way to the city of Tver and to the upper reaches of the Kama River. In the Ural River it spawned everywhere except in the upper reaches. Beluga was also seen near the Iranian coast of the southern Caspian Sea, and it went to the Gorgan River to spawn. From 1961 to 1989, the fish swam to the city of Volgograd. A special fish lift was built for her at the local waterworks. However, he worked extremely unsatisfactorily. Ultimately, in 1989, the USSR considered the beluga fish lift unnecessary and stopped using it. Along the Kura River, fish approach the Kura cascade of hydroelectric power stations, which is located in Azerbaijan. Single individuals were spotted in the Southern Bug. A beluga was also spotted in the Black Sea near the Crimean coast near Yalta. Here, a beluga was spotted at a depth of up to 180 meters, that is, in places where hydrogen sulfide is present. It was also spotted near the Caucasian shores, from where it swam into the Rioni River to spawn. Near the Turkish shores, she went to spawn in the Yesilirmak and Kyzylyrmak rivers. In the Dnieper River between Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye there were also quite large specimens weighing up to 300 kilograms. Extreme occurrences of beluga were observed near Kiev and above. She swam along the Desna River to Cherry, and along the Sozh River she swam to Gomel. Here in 1870 a fish weighing 295 kilograms was caught. Most belugas swim from the Black Sea to the Danube River to spawn. In the past, fish traveled along the Danube to Serbia, and in the very distant past reached the city of Passau, which is located in Bavaria.

Diet

Big fish need a lot of food. There is not enough food in the rivers for huge sturgeons, so adult individuals go to the sea to feed. Beluga prefers to stay in the water column at different depths, which depends on the distribution area of ​​the organisms that go to food sturgeon fish. In the Black Sea, individuals penetrate 160-180 meters deep, and in the Caspian Sea they are rarely found deeper than 100-140 meters. The youngest individuals of large sturgeons use invertebrates that live on the seabed. But as soon as the body length of beluga cubs reaches 9-10 centimeters, they begin to hunt small fish. At first, beluga cubs prefer to live in shallow waters near river mouths, which are well warmed up by the sun. As the fish grows, they move deeper into the sea.

The sizes of beluga sturgeons of the same age can differ significantly. It depends on the diet. The largest individuals are those that switched to feeding earlier than others. small fish. How larger than beluga, the larger its prey becomes: anchovy, herring, gobies and fish belonging to the carp family. Adult fish can hunt both in the water column and on the seabed.

Reproduction

Beluga lives for a very long time, almost 100 years. However, few individuals survive to this age, as they often become prey for fishermen. This fish, like other large and long-lived animals, is characterized by later puberty. Males become sexually mature at the age of 12 to 14 years, and females from 16 to 18 years. Individuals of the Azov beluga mature the fastest. Those fish that have reached sexual maturity swim from the sea to rivers, where they subsequently reproduce. Migration against the flow of a river is called catadromous (translated from Greek as “running up”), and migration along the flow of water is usually called anadromous (“running down”). A long time ago, a beluga traveled like this for a very long time. In the 19th century, it began its journey from the Caspian Sea, rising high along the Volga River and sailing to its tributaries. Fishermen caught this fish near Tver, in the Kama, Oka and Vyatka rivers. Depending on what time of year the beluga entered the river, it is customary to distinguish between the autumn and spring races of this fish. The spring race enters the river at the end of January until mid-May, and the autumn race begins its movement in August and until the beginning of December. The beluga of the spring run spawns, as a rule, in early June of the same year as it entered the river, and the fish of the autumn run winters in the river deep holes. Belugas breed in the autumn in the spring next year. The same individual reproduces at intervals of several years. For spawning, this fish chooses deep places with rocky ridges and pebble deposits, where the river flow is fast enough. Males swim to the spawning grounds a little earlier than females. Beluga eggs are fertilized in the same way as the main mass. bony fish, externally During the spawning period, you can observe fish jumping out of the water. Most likely, the fish does this in order to facilitate the release of eggs. The number of eggs laid by the female varies from 200,000 to 8,000,000 oval eggs, which are 3.3-3.8 mm in diameter and dark gray in color. Beluga eggs are very sticky, which helps them stick well to the stones. If the water temperature is from 12.6 to 13.8 degrees Celsius, then the incubation period is 8 days. The fry hatched from the eggs almost instantly switch to higher nutrition. The hatched beluga fry immediately begin to roll into the sea.

The biggest fish

Beluga is the most big fish, which can be caught in fresh water. Beluga fishing has been going on for a long time. No wonder they say that “sturgeon - king fish" The largest beluga caught is presented in National Museum Tatarstan Republic. The length of the fish was 4 meters and 17 centimeters, and the weight was equal to 1 ton.

In fact, the sturgeon from Tatarstan is not the largest beluga that was caught from the river. There are cases when fishermen were lucky enough to catch individuals about 9 meters in length. The mass of freshwater monsters was approximately 2 tons. Currently, giant sturgeon cannot be found, since the pace of beluga fishing does not allow the fish to gain a mass of more than 200 kilograms. In history, there are known cases of catching the following record specimens:

• In the lower reaches of the Volga River in 1827, a beluga weighing 1,500 kilograms was caught;
• In 1992, on May 11, a female beluga was caught in the Caspian Sea near the Volga mouth, which weighed 1224 kilograms. The weight of its caviar was 146 kilograms and 500 grams, the beluga's head weighed 288 kilograms, and its body 667 kilograms;
• In the Caspian Sea near Biryuchya Spit, two years later a beluga was caught, approximately the same weight as the previous one. But in her body there were 246 kilograms of caviar, which amounted to almost 8 million eggs;
• Two years later, a beluga sturgeon, 75 years old, was caught near the mouth of the Urals. Her weight was more than 1000 kilograms. The body length was 4 meters and 24 centimeters. The mass of the caviar was 190 kilograms.

Beluga - the giant of the 20th century

In the autumn of 1891, the wind stole water from the Taganrog Bay, which belonged to Sea of ​​Azov. A peasant walked past the shore that was freed from water and discovered that an Azov beluga was lying in a puddle. Its weight was 327 kilograms, which is equivalent to 20 pounds. The weight of beluga caviar was 49 kilograms, or 3 pounds. This Azov beluga does not have such a record weight for that time, but for modern fishermen an individual of this weight would be a dream fish.