The European sea sturgeon (Acipenser sturio), also known as the Atlantic sturgeon or common sturgeon, is a species of sturgeon native to Europe. It was formerly abundant, being found in coastal habitats all over Europe. [5] Most specifically, they reach the Black and Baltic Sea.[6] It is anadromous and breeds in rivers. It is currently a critically endangered species.[1] Although the name Baltic sturgeon sometimes has been used, it has now been established that sturgeon of the Baltic region are A. oxyrinchus, a species otherwise restricted to the Atlantic coast of North America.[7]
| European sturgeon | |
|---|---|
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| Acipenser sturio | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acipenseriformes |
| Family: | Acipenseridae |
| Genus: | Acipenser |
| Species: | A. sturio
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| Binomial name | |
| Acipenser sturio | |
| Synonyms[3][4] | |
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List
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Description
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The wedge-shaped head of the European sea sturgeon ends in a long point. There are many sensitive barbels on the facial area. The dorsal fins are located very far back on the body. Five longitudinal lines of large osseous plates are found on the body of the fish. The stomach is yellow and the back is a brownish grey.[citation needed]
This sturgeon can reach 6 m (20 ft) and 400 kg (880 lb) in weight, but a more common length is 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in). They can reach an age of 100 years, and have a late sexual maturity (12 to 14 years for the males and 16 to 18 years for the females).
Distribution and habitat
editThey are found on the coasts of Europe, except in the northernmost regions and the Baltic region, and have rarely even been known to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the coasts of North America. Like many other sturgeons, they spawn in the rivers inland from the coast.[citation needed] The species can tolerate wide spread salinities and spend most of their lives in saltwater but migrate to spawn in freshwater.
Conservation
editUntil the first decades of the twentieth century, these fish were locally abundant in Europe and were caught extensively for their caviar, but a sharp decline due to overfishing (which greatly accelerated from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards) led to their disappearance from the vast majority of their former range. They have been a protected species in Europe since 1982. Despite their estimated range of distribution, they have become so rare that they only breed in the Garonne river basin in France.[8] Conservation projects involving this species include reintroductions based on specimens from aquaculture with the first releases in 1995.[1] For example, 87 sturgeons were experimentally released in the Rhine river near Nijmegen in 2012 and 2015.[9]
Diet
editLike other sturgeons, they eat polychaete worms and crustaceans which they find with their barbels.[10]
Population
editAlthough no specific population estimates are available, the abundance of wild, mature European Sturgeon is estimated to be less than 800 individuals. The last time the species hatched was in the Garonne River in France in 1994, and genetic analysis reveals that the 1994 cohort was formed by only one mating pair. Because the wild population is so small, a captive breeding and stocking program is vital to the species' survival. Although restoration operations, such as artificially bred individual restocking, have been successful in the Gironde estuary and the Elbe River (Germany), recovery for the European sturgeon is a long process that might take 30-50 years. Bycatch in commercial trawls and gillnets, pollution, climate change, and potential competition with other species are dangers to the species. It was estimated there are 20 - 750 mature individuals in wild at the moment of assessment, which was at 2020. [1]
Threats
editThe European sea sturgeon faces various threats that have historically diminished population sizes and continue to impede the recovery of self-sustaining populations. Bycatch, primarily, has been a significant threat with the potential to counteract conservation efforts. Additionally, several other factors contribute to the challenges faced by this species.[1]
Bycatch emerges as the primary threat to European sea sturgeon populations, having played a crucial role in reducing their numbers in the past. This ongoing threat poses a considerable risk to the recovery of self-sustaining populations, necessitating targeted conservation measures to address the issue and mitigate its impact.[1]
The extraction of gravel in the Garonne river in France and Spain poses a potential threat to European sea sturgeon populations. This activity, along with dam construction, contributes to habitat degradation, impacting the availability of suitable spawning and feeding sites. Preservation of these critical habitats becomes essential for the species' long-term survival and recovery.[1]
Dam construction, pollution, and river regulation further exacerbate the challenges faced by the European sea sturgeon. These anthropogenic factors have led to the loss and degradation of crucial spawning and feeding sites. Additionally, the introduction of alien predators has been identified as a significant impact, hindering the recovery of sturgeon populations, as highlighted by the OSPAR Commission in 2019.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Gessner, J.; Williot, P.; Rochard, E.; Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2022). "Acipenser sturio". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T230A137215851. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T230A137215851.en. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (2017). "Acipenseridae". FishBase version (02/2017). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ "Acipenseridae" (PDF). Deeplyfish- fishes of the world. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ Williot, Patrick; Rochard, Eric; Desse-Berset, Nathalie; Kirschbaum, Frank; Gessner, Jörn, eds. (2011). "Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L. 1758". SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-20611-5. ISBN 978-3-642-20610-8.
- ^ Williot, Patrick; Rochard, Eric; Desse-Berset, Nathalie; Kirschbaum, Frank; Gessner, Jörn, eds. (2011). "Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L. 1758". SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-20611-5. ISBN 978-3-642-20610-8.
- ^ Ludwig, A; Arndt, U; Lippold, S; Benecke, N; Debus, L; King, T. L.; Matsumura, S (2008). "Tracing the first steps of American sturgeon pioneers in Europe". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8 (1): 221. Bibcode:2008BMCEE...8..221L. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-221. PMC 2527320. PMID 18664258.
- ^ "Protection of common sturgeon: advice for fishermen". gov.uk. January 16, 2017.
- ^ Brevé, N. W., Vis, H., Houben, B., Breukelaar, A., & Acolas, M. L. (2019). Outmigration pathways of stocked juvenile European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L., 1758) in the Lower Rhine River, as revealed by telemetry. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 35(1), 61-68.
- ^ Brosse, L., Taverny, C., & Lepage, M. (2011). Habitat, movements and feeding of juvenile European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) in Gironde Estuary. In Biology and Conservation of the European SturgeonAcipenser sturioL. 1758 (pp. 153-163). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
- "Acipenser sturio". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 11 March 2006.
- Burnie, David, ed. (2001), "European sturgeon", Animal, Dorling Kindersly, p. 481