---
title: "What the sources say about the Beluga Sturgeon | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "41 claims from the Beluga Sturgeon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Beluga Sturgeon (*Huso huso*)

> 41 claims from the Beluga Sturgeon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Beluga Sturgeon](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/beluga-sturgeon/)

## Huso huso (Beluga). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Huso_huso/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A giant sturgeon that mostly hunts open-water fish and now survives largely through hatcheries. | Adult beluga sturgeon are mainly piscivores, swimming at middle depths and preying mostly on pelagic fish species. (note: tagline, hunting half) |
| A giant sturgeon that mostly hunts open-water fish, with spawning migrations recorded at over 2,500 km | Adult beluga sturgeon are mainly piscivores, swimming at middle depths and preying mostly on pelagic fish species. (note: stats.superpower; 2,500 km = 2500 km in quote) |
| A giant sturgeon that mostly hunts open-water fish, with spawning migrations recorded at over 2,500 km | Distances for spawning migrations for this species are legendary, exceeding 2500 km in the Danube and Volga basin (note: stats.superpower; 2,500 km = 2500 km in quote) |
| Most sturgeons swim along the bottom, feeding on invertebrates that live there. | This is unlike most other sturgeon species, which normally feed on bethic invertebrates while swimming along the bottom. |
| Animal Diversity Web says adults are mainly piscivores, which means fish-eaters, swimming at middle depths and preying mostly on pelagic fish, the ones that live in open water. | Adult beluga sturgeon are mainly piscivores, swimming at middle depths and preying mostly on pelagic fish species. |
| In the Black Sea its prey includes flounder and other flatfish, gobies and anchovies. | In the Black Sea they feed on species such as flounder (Platichthys flesus) and other flatfish, gobies (Gobiidae), and Black Sea anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) |
| Sturgeons and their relatives have a fossil record dating back to the Lower Jurassic, about 200 million years ago | Acipenseriformes are primitive actinopterygians that have a fossil record dating back to the Lower Jurassic (200 mya) (note: scope is the order Acipenseriformes) |
| and an inner skeleton of cartilage, a trait they share with sharks and rays. | elasmobranch-like characters (cartilaginous endoskeleton, hyostylic jaw suspension) |
| In 2003 Animal Diversity Web said belugas of 4 to 6 meters, a fifth of all catches in the 14th century, were extremely rare. | Based on Debus's (1997) reports on bones excavated from the 14th century, one fifth of all H. huso catches of that time were between 4-6 meters in length. Beluga this size today are extremely rare. (note: 2003 = ADW page date (Chakrabarty 2003, last updated 2003-05-22); present-tense state put in the past) |
| Female spawners in the Volga River from 1987 to 1997 measured 199 to 236 cm and weighed 48 to 160 kg, much smaller than the sizes recorded in earlier years. | From 1987-1997 in the Volga River (which was once the most important spawning habitat of beluga), female spawners have ranged from 199 to 236 cm, and weighed between 48 to 160 kg (Levin 1997). These are much smaller than recorded sizes for previous years. |
| In 2003 Animal Diversity Web noted that most belugas were fished soon after they reached breeding age. | Individuals no longer die of natural-age related causes, with most being fished soon after reaching reproductive maturity. (note: 2003 = ADW page date (Chakrabarty 2003, last updated 2003-05-22); present-tense state put in the past) |
| It is anadromous, which means it lives at sea and swims up rivers to breed. | Beluga sturgeon are anadromous, migrating to freshwater spawning grounds in rivers from larger seas (either the Caspian, Azov or Black). |
| Animal Diversity Web calls its spawning migrations legendary, at over 2,500 km in the Danube and Volga basins. | Distances for spawning migrations for this species are legendary, exceeding 2500 km in the Danube and Volga basin |
| A beluga usually matures after its 12th year | Beluga sturgeon mature later than most other acipenseriforms, usually after their 12th year |
| the parents give the eggs no care. | do not provide parental care |
| Animal Diversity Web reported in 2003 that most populations were supported solely by hatchery-released fish: in the 1980s, 19.4 million young were released from the Volga each year, and an estimated 0.1 percent survived. | Most populations are supported solely by hatchery released individuals. In the 1980's the number of young beluga's released from the Volga river per year was 19.4 million. The survival rate of these individuals was estimated to be 0.1% (note: 2003 = ADW page date (Chakrabarty 2003, last updated 2003-05-22); present-tense state put in the past) |
| Animal Diversity Web says adults swim at middle depths and prey mostly on open-water fish, while most other sturgeons feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. | Adult beluga sturgeon are mainly piscivores, swimming at middle depths and preying mostly on pelagic fish species. (note: FAQ 4) |
| Beluga spawning migrations run over 2,500 km in the Danube and Volga basins | Distances for spawning migrations for this species are legendary, exceeding 2500 km in the Danube and Volga basin (note: vibe.reason) |

## Huso huso (Linnaeus, 1758), Beluga. FishBase.

https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Huso-huso.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A giant sturgeon that mostly hunts open-water fish and now survives largely through hatcheries. | Survives largely by artificial propagation. (note: tagline, hatchery half) |
| The Caspian, Black and Azov seas, running up large rivers to spawn | Eurasia: Caspian, Black, Azov and Adriatic Sea basins. (note: stats.habitat) |
| The Caspian, Black and Azov seas, running up large rivers to spawn | Undertakes upriver migration to spawn. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly sea fishes such as anchovies, gobies and flatfishes, plus some crustaceans and mollusks | Feeds mostly on sea fishes (Black Sea whiting, anchovies, flatfishes, gobies, fry of bottom-living fishes), also crustaceans, mollusks, mysids and amphipods. (note: stats.diet) |
| FishBase adds that it also eats crustaceans and mollusks. | Feeds mostly on sea fishes (Black Sea whiting, anchovies, flatfishes, gobies, fry of bottom-living fishes), also crustaceans, mollusks, mysids and amphipods. |
| FishBase lists a maximum length of 800 cm and a maximum published weight of 3.2 tonnes. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) |
| It calls the beluga the largest sturgeon and the largest European freshwater fish, with a common length of 215 cm. | The largest sturgeon and largest European freshwater fish. |
| It calls the beluga the largest sturgeon and the largest European freshwater fish, with a common length of 215 cm. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) |
| The maximum reported age is 118 years, according to FishBase. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) |
| The beluga lives in the Caspian, Black and Azov sea basins, and FishBase says it has been extirpated, meaning wiped out locally, from the Adriatic Sea. | Eurasia: Caspian, Black, Azov and Adriatic Sea basins. Extirpated from Adriatic Sea. |
| FishBase says females carry eggs only once every five to seven years. | Females carry eggs only once every five to seven years (note: current FishBase page preferred over ADW 2003 (4-8 years, Raspopov 1993)) |
| Each female holds about 360,000 to 7,700,000 eggs | About 360,000-7,700,000 eggs per female. |
| FishBase says it is threatened by overfishing for meat at sea and for caviar in the estuaries, and that it survives largely by artificial propagation, meaning hatchery breeding. | Threatened due to overfishing for meat at the sea and for caviar in estuaries. (note: second half: 'Survives largely by artificial propagation.') |
| Enormous. FishBase records a maximum length of 800 cm and a top published weight of 3.2 tonnes, and names it Europe's largest freshwater fish as well as the largest sturgeon. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) (note: FAQ 1) |
| Enormous. FishBase records a maximum length of 800 cm and a top published weight of 3.2 tonnes, and names it Europe's largest freshwater fish as well as the largest sturgeon. | The largest sturgeon and largest European freshwater fish. (note: FAQ 1) |
| Typical fish are far shorter: FishBase puts the common length at 215 cm. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) (note: FAQ 1) |
| A very long time. The oldest age FishBase reports is 118 years. | Max length : 800 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043 ); common length : 215 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397 ); max. published weight: 3.2 t (Ref. 59043 ); max. reported age: 118 years (Ref. 47437 ) (note: FAQ 2) |
| Overfishing, says FishBase: at sea for its meat and in river estuaries for its caviar. | Threatened due to overfishing for meat at the sea and for caviar in estuaries. (note: FAQ 3) |
| The species now survives largely by artificial propagation, and FishBase lists it as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. | Survives largely by artificial propagation. (note: FAQ 3) |
| The species now survives largely by artificial propagation, and FishBase lists it as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. | Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bcd) (note: FAQ 3; FishBase IUCN box, Version 2025-2) |
| The Caspian, Black and Azov seas, running up large rivers to spawn | Spawns in the main course of large and deep rivers with strong current (note: stats.habitat, 'large') |

## Sayer et al. (2024). Huso huso. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T10269A240929386.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-1.rlts.t10269a240929386.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Critically Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered (CR). (note: status; GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 10269, assessed 2023) |
| The IUCN lists the beluga sturgeon as Critically Endangered. | IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered (CR). |