Siberian Sturgeon

Acipenser baerii

Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii, is a northern Eurasian sturgeon native to the Ob, Yenisei, Lena and other Siberian river basins, with a well-known landlocked form in Lake Baikal. It has the classic sturgeon shape: an elongated body, five rows of bony scutes, a heterocercal tail, a downward-facing mouth and sensory barbels used to find food on the bottom. Wild fish are long-lived and slow to mature, feeding on insect larvae, mollusks, crustaceans and small fish in large rivers, reservoirs and lakes.

People know the Siberian sturgeon mainly through aquaculture, where it is raised for caviar and meat in ponds and recirculating systems. It tolerates captive breeding better than many sturgeons, but it still needs spacious, cool, oxygen-rich water, strong filtration and a sinking high-protein diet. Broodstock records matter because wild populations have been depleted by overfishing, dams and illegal caviar trade. International trade in sturgeon products is regulated, and reputable farms avoid relying on wild-caught fish.