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This section is a small piece about the history of the Sturgeon, which we hope you will find of interest.
Sturgeon is the common name used for 26 species of fish in the Acipenseridae family and this includes the Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as Sturgeon and several other close related species such as the Sterlet, Kaluga and Beluga. They are collectively known as the 'True Sturgeon'.
One of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, they are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales but most of all for their size. Ranging from 7-12 feet in length are common and some species have been known to grow to 18feet (5.5m).
Several species are harvested for their roe, what we know as Caviar, a luxury good which makes some Sturgeon pound for pound the most valuable of all harvested fish.
Sturgeon and related Paddlefish first appear in the fossil records approximately 200 million years ago, making them the most ancient of actinopterygian (ray-finned) fish. They are also probably the longest lived fish, some living well over 100 years old.
Sturgeon are primarily cartiligenous, they lack a vertebral centrum, and are covered with bony plates called scutes instead of scales. They have four barbels, unique tactile organs that precede their toothless mouth and are used to dragg along the river bottoms, this is why they get the name of bottom feeding fish.
Sturgeon were probably first introduced to the garden pond in the 80's-90's and have become more and more popular over the last few years as ornamental fish to accompany Koi, Orfe and most other pond fish.
Sturgeon have the fortunate ability to do everything for every pond, according to most retailers, from being the perfect pond vaccum cleaners to algae eaters, and as many of you may have find this is not the case.
Look under our 'What Sturgeon require' for more information on how to keep Sturgeon in your pond.
This is a great close up of one of our larger Sturgeons.
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