Abstract
Sturgeons are representatives of the most ancient vertebrates, the ancestors of which appeared on the Earth several hundred million years ago. Some species of the Acipenseriformes order, including the Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) are threatened with extinction. However, progress in science and technology, inter alia, in ichthyology and aquaculture, may enable us to conserve and restore these endangered species.
We give here a biological overview of the principal characteristics of sturgeons and their habitat. Sturgeons are mostly anadromous migrants and reveal a large capacity to grow in seawaters with extremely rich feeding stocks. In some coastal areas of the Caspian Sea the benthos biomass totals 50–500g/m2 and sometimes exceeds 1000 g/m2. As to the sturgeon restocking of the Mediterranean Sea, it is very likely that this basin could provide adequate feeding stocks for the Adriatic sturgeon, though specific issues need additional studies.
All sturgeons reproduce in fresh waters. Generally, sturgeons prefer spawning grounds located at some distance from the estuary with gravel substrate and a rapid flow of water (more than 1 m/s).
There are strong doubts about the adequacy of the current hydrological regime in the Guadalquivir River for the successful natural reproduction of the Adriatic sturgeon. Therefore we would suggest that sturgeon hatcheries should be developed for restoration of the Adriatic sturgeon population in its historical area. In this respect the experience of artificial reproduction of sturgeon in Russia and other states could be quite helpful.
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Kotenev, B.N. (2009). Hydrological and Production Characteristics of the Main Basins for Reproduction and Fattening of Sturgeons. In: Carmona, R., Domezain, A., García-Gallego, M., Hernando, J.A., Rodríguez, F., Ruiz-Rejón, M. (eds) Biology, Conservation and Sustainable Development of Sturgeons. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8437-9_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8437-9_21
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