Species of the Day: Beluga Sturgeon

The Beluga Sturgeon, Huso huso, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Also known as the Giant Sturgeon, it is the largest sturgeon in the world, and the largest freshwater fish in Europe, where it occurs primarily in and around the Caspian, Black, and occasionally in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas.

Overfishing, habitat loss and pollution threaten the survival of the Beluga Sturgeon. Its eggs Geographical range are highly prized as beluga caviar, and illegal fishing is reported to be common. Pollution, www.iucnredlist.org dams and silting can cause habitat destruction by damaging coastal waters and altering river www.iucn.org/sturgeon_sg courses. For example, the Volgograd Dam in Russia has effectively blocked access to almost Help Save Species all of the species’ spawning grounds along the Volga River. www.arkive.org The majority of the Beluga Sturgeon population is now supported artificially, with hatcheries thought to be the sole reason the species still survives in the Caspian Sea. The United States is the biggest importer of beluga caviar, and has now listed the species as ‘Threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act, suspending imports.

The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: Species of the Day IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife is sponsored by International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London.