The largest beluga in the world. Beluga fish with big secrets where to buy beluga or caviar The largest freshwater fish shark or beluga

Beluga is a fish belonging to the sturgeon family, the sturgeon order. It is a valuable commercial breed, for a long time it was caught in large quantities, because of which its number was greatly reduced; is now an endangered species.

This species is the largest freshwater sturgeon fish. A catch of individuals reaching a length of up to 4.2 m was recorded. Maximum weight while it is 1.5 tons. Fishermen claim that when the largest beluga was caught, it reached 9 meters in length and weighed more than 2 tons, but these facts are not confirmed by anything. The average size of the fish is smaller: most often the beluga comes across, the weight of which does not exceed 300 kg.

The appearance of this underwater inhabitant is similar to the appearance of other sturgeon representatives: the body is elongated, wide, rounded. Towards the tail, the body of the beluga narrows. The scales have a gray-ash tint. The belly is light, off-white in color, a yellowish tint is possible.

Do not confuse beluga and beluga: the latter is a species of toothed whales. Previously, both words meant mammal; now “beluga” means fish, “beluga” means whale.

Distinctive features

feature appearance is a large head, in the lower part of which antennae are connected together. The nose is small, pointed. Large mouth with no teeth inside. There are spikes on the back, the first of which is small. Between the gills is a membrane connecting them.

Behavior and lifestyle

natural enemies this species has almost none. Eggs, however, can be eaten by other predatory species. Some underwater predators also destroy larvae and fry. Young fry of this large predatory fish can also devour the young of this species of sturgeon.

Exists a large number of underwater inhabitants, which representatives of the largest freshwater species of sturgeon feed on - and the beluga feeds on those who are smaller. These are small species of fish, smaller relatives, mollusks, crustaceans, and even waterfowl. Cases have been recorded when the remains of baby seals were found in the stomach of captured individuals. The fry eat insect larvae and zooplankton.

Habitat

Previously, the range was wider. It was possible to meet this kind of sturgeon in the Adriatic Sea. Over the past 30 years, not a single individual has been found in this salty reservoir, so the population is considered destroyed.

Now this species can be found in the Azov, Black and Caspian Seas. These seas used to be inhabited too big amount individuals, now the population from the Black Sea is on the verge of extinction, because. too few.

During the breeding season, fish move to fresh rivers, from where it then returns to the seas to live in salt water for 1-2 years.

Life span

How long this representative of the underwater fauna lives depends on external conditions. If the habitat is favorable, life expectancy can be up to 100 years.

reproduction

Belugas go to rivers to spawn. Features of migration depend on the variety - on how the fish looks and where it lives. The Azov Beluga moves to the Don. A smaller number of individuals rush to the Kuban. The Black Sea swims in the Danube, Dnieper, Dniester. Rare specimens rise along the Southern Bug. Caspian Beluga swims for breeding in the Volga, a smaller number of representatives of the species rises upstream of the Urals, Terek, Kura. It often rises for spawning in August, after which it remains in fresh water for a year, breeding only in May.

Reaches puberty late. Males become capable of breeding from 13-18 years old, females - from 16-27. The Azov variety ripens faster than others.

Fertility depends on the size of the individual. One female is capable of sweeping from 500,000 to 1,000,000 eggs at a time. Most major representatives species can throw up to 5,000,000 eggs. There is about the fertility of the beluga interesting fact: populations living in different areas are tossing different quantity eggs. It is believed that the Volga females throw about 50% more at a time than those breeding in the Kura.

After spawning, adult fish go to sea, where they live until the next breeding. Beluga spawning happens every 2-4 years; during life they multiply up to 8-9 times.

Caviar sticky, bottom, pearl gray color. Large in diameter, can reach 5 mm. Often it becomes the prey of other river predators, the survival rate is low. Belugas quickly leave the place of birth, slide downstream into the sea. Individuals may remain in fresh water up to 5-6 years.

There have been cases of crossing beluga with sterlet, sturgeon, spike, stellate sturgeon in natural conditions.

The benefits of beluga meat

This fish has tougher meat than other members of the sturgeon family. Less fat content. For this reason, the product can be used in a dietary diet. The protein it contains is easily digestible human body. It contains vitamins A, D, PP, E, C, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, molybdenum, potassium, fluorine, sodium. The pulp also contains fatty acid Omega-3, amino acids, including essential ones. Milk is also used for food: you can eat it fresh or in the form of pate.

Beluga tender black caviar is also useful. This expensive product contains a large amount useful substances. Considered a delicacy.

Beluga meat should not be eaten in case of inflammatory diseases, allergic reactions, kidney diseases, diabetes, gastritis, edema. In these cases, it can harm the body.

Artificial breeding of beluga

Due to excessive population decline, the status of the species has changed to "endangered". Beluga has long been listed in the Red Book in order to protect it from poachers. Because of this, fishing was severely limited, in some countries it is forbidden to catch these underwater inhabitants. To restore the population of the species, other methods are also used: people breed beluga in artificially created conditions.

With the help of artificial insemination on the Don and Volga, a hybrid capable of producing offspring was bred. To obtain it, beluga were crossed with sterlet. The resulting individuals were relocated to the Sea of ​​Azov. In addition, they inhabited several reservoirs.

Artificial breeding of the breed is also carried out in some aquaculture farms.

Beluga is a fish of the sturgeon family, which today is an endangered species as a result of unauthorized capture and cruel extermination for the sake of caviar.

This is the most big fish of those found in fresh water. She has huge size(the largest known individual reaches 6 m in length, and its weight is about two tons).

Beluga is a fish of the sturgeon family, which today is an endangered species.

Instances of this size are almost non-existent today. Due to the fact that until recently this species was commercial, and also due to the loss of natural spawning grounds, the population has noticeably decreased. So you will not meet an unusually large fish today.

The beluga has a very unusual muzzle for sturgeons. A huge mouth, resembling a giant crescent moon, occupies most of it. The antennae near the mouth are slightly flattened, resembling small leaves in shape, they serve for the sense of smell, which is very developed in these fish. But their eyesight is poor, so they navigate with the help of developed coordination.

Individuals of different sexes have the same color. Dark gray or greenish back and light, almost white belly. The females are usually larger than the males.

Beluga - unique look, which has existed for almost 200 million years and has come down to us, practically without changing its appearance (except for weight). Because of the bone coating, it seems that it is as if chained in a shell in order to safely survive to this day and be protected from the attack of other predatory inhabitants of the reservoirs.

Gallery: Beluga fish (25 photos)

The biggest trophies caught by fishermen (video)

habitats

The habitat is mainly the Black, Caspian and Azov Seas. The largest number was recorded in the Caspian Sea - here this fish can be found most often. For spawning, she goes to the Volga and rises upstream to the upper Kama. This fish was also found off the coast of Iran. A fish elevator was built for it at the Volgograd hydroelectric complex, but due to poor performance, it was not used after a while, and valuable fish ceased to inhabit the Volga en masse.

It is the largest fish found in fresh water.

The Black Sea beluga was also seen off the coast of Yalta, not far from the Crimean coast, and was actively distributed in the Danube (there were about 6 species there). The migration of fish in the Danube had a natural course until a hydroelectric power station was built between Serbia and Romania. As a result, the ways to the usual spawning routes were blocked for many kilometers. Unable to migrate, the population began to lose its genetic activity as a result of crossing between related individuals.

Fish with such a weight can only find enough food in the sea, and their presence in a reservoir indicates a healthy environmental situation. For spawning, this species travels long distances to reach freshwater environments.

If it turns out that the water is polluted, then the female refuses to spawn, and after some time the eggs dissolve in her body.

The fish constantly changes its place of stay in the reservoir, this is also typical for the white beluga, it likes to go to the depths, where there is a strong current, here it finds food, and deep holes are most suitable for recreation. IN spring period When the upper layers of the water have warmed up enough, you can see a large fish near the surface and in shallow water.

With the onset of autumn, the fish goes to the depths and changes their behavior and diet, starting to eat shells and crustaceans.

All representatives of the sturgeon family travel long distances in order to find a place for spawning and a sufficient amount of food. Beluga can be found in both salt and fresh water, but some species are only freshwater and live exclusively in rivers. Reproduction occurs only in rivers, and due to the longevity of individuals, a very long period of time is required in order to reproduce offspring.

Beluga (video)

reproduction

Sexual maturity comes quite late. The Azov beluga male is ready for breeding at the age of 12 years, and the female - not earlier than 16-18 years. The Caspian species matures later, so the female becomes sexually mature by the age of 27 and gains her weight. Unlike other fish that die after spawning, the Azov beluga can produce offspring repeatedly, but with a certain period of time ranging from 2 to 4 years, so spawning can occur 8-9 times in a lifetime. The female lays on average about a million eggs, and in some cases much more, depending on her size and age.

There are 2 races that go to spawn and choose the spring or autumn migration period. Entering the river from January to May, the female spawns in the same year, and the autumn race, in order to find a place convenient for spawning and safely occupy it, comes in August and is forced to stay for the winter. Thus, she spawns only the next year after descending into the river. Falling into hibernation and covered with mucus, the beluga waits until May or June, after which it lays eggs in places with a rocky bottom and a fast current. Males appear in spawning grounds earlier than females, and the process of fertilization occurs in almost the same way as in all fish of the bone species - outwardly. In the future, individuals continue to lead a solitary lifestyle.

During spawning, the beluga fish can be observed jumping out of the water, so it provides an easy exit for eggs. Having an oval shape and the size of a small pea, dark gray eggs are glued to stones and, well fixed, remain in this position for up to 8 days. But most of eaten by other fish, and therefore the survival rate is very low.

After spawning occurs, the female is sick for some time and does not take food. After a short break, the need for food increases, and the beluga begins active search food. It is almost impossible to find it in such a volume in the river, so sturgeons go back to the sea and find food at great depths. Since the beluga is a predator, its diet is mainly fish. Herring, vobla and anchovies are the most preferred food. Moreover, this predator begins to feed on living organisms while still being a fry. Belugas live in well-warmed areas of shallow water and, as they grow older, go to the sea, eating small invertebrates along the way, and later small fish. They grow rapidly and in a year reach a meter size.

By the way, in order to increase the number of beluga, they catch female adults and extract caviar, after which they carry out artificial insemination and incubated in dedicated apparatus. The fry are allowed to grow up and then released into rivers to grow naturally.

The disadvantages of this method are that juveniles grown in unnatural environment, cannot fully take care of food and has no self-preservation instinct. The number of fish that come back is very small. Thus, this method proved to be ineffective.

Fishing and illegal fishing

To catch everyone sturgeon breeds imposed a strict ban. In private farms where they are bred, the ban does not apply. If you suddenly got caught on the river rare fish, then it must be released, or it will be considered poaching. But, despite all the prohibitions, fishing valuable fish continues and the beluga caviar business is booming.

Danube beluga - ancient species, which has been preserved since the time of dinosaurs and is carefully guarded, but smuggling continues to gain momentum, and European markets are saturated with caviar of this and other sturgeon breeds. The rather high price is due to excellent palatability. By its properties, beluga caviar exceeds the calorie content of the meat itself and is very useful product supporting health and beauty. The high content of protein, which has the unique property of being completely absorbed by the body, and the presence of antioxidants reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. Such valuable qualities of caviar lead to the barbaric destruction of the beluga as a species. Since the fish is on the verge of extinction, it is listed in the world's Red Book and is protected by the law of those states in which it is found.

The Black Sea Beluga was also seen off the coast of Yalta near the Crimean coast, and was actively distributed in the Danube.

In Russia, there is a mechanism of administrative influence on persons engaged in illegal extraction of this valuable breed. Large penalties for each individual caught, combined with a fine for illegal fishing, represent impressive amounts. It also provides for criminal liability up to imprisonment for up to 5 years.

As a result, beluga has become a pipe dream for law-abiding anglers, and it will take a lot of time and many problems with fishing licenses to find it.

Many mythical stories associated with a huge fish were told by fishermen. For example, there was a legend about a stone that was found in the kidneys of a giant beluga. Miraculous properties of healing from any ailments and ailments were attributed to him. The owner of such a trophy was protected from all sorts of troubles and misfortunes, attracted good luck and ensured a rich catch and the safety of the vessel in bad weather and storms.

They also said that it was possible to poison yourself with the poison of an enraged beluga. The meat and liver of a young individual were allegedly poisonous, but no one found confirmation of such “facts”. The expression “roar (or scream) like a beluga” is often heard now, but this has nothing to do with the sturgeon representative. Loud sounds are made by a whale with a consonant name - a beluga whale.

Beluga - largest fish sturgeon family, living in the Caspian, Black and Seas of Azov and entering nearby rivers for spawning. Under favorable conditions, she can live for more than 100 years and at the same time, unlike her Pacific relatives, she does not die after spawning. Accordingly, it has been growing all this time, and I think it will be interesting for everyone to find out what size the largest beluga in the world reached.

The largest beluga is necessarily a female, since males are almost twice as small. The fish reaches puberty from the age of 16, but more often after 20. Black caviar makes up about 20% of the total body and contains from 500 thousand eggs (in the largest - 5-7 million). And spawning does not occur simultaneously, but over 3 spring months. Therefore, for caviar hunters, the beluga is always desirable - for which it paid.

Now this fish is listed in the Red Book because of its value - black caviar, the main delicacy. You will not find it on the official sale, but on the black market in Russia, a kilogram of caviar costs from $600, and abroad - from $7,000.

Even under the most favorable conditions, 90% of eggs do not grow into adults. Plus, people in the last century “took care” that in some rivers the beluga disappeared completely (for example, before the construction of dams on the Dnieper, it rose to Zaporozhye and some specimens were caught even near Kiev) and now the situation is everywhere more than deplorable. But the beluga has always been an indicator of the health of the ecosystem.

Poachers and hydroelectric power plants prevent the fish from growing and the largest individual caught in the last 50 years was a fish weighing 800 kg in 1970 and 960 kg in 1989. A effigy of the last length of 4.2 m and an age of about 70 years is now kept in the Astrakhan Museum. The fish was caught by poachers, the eggs were gutted, and an anonymous call was made to inform them of a trophy that needed a truck to transport. To date, the largest beluga in the world and you can find a video about it on YouTube, where they show a specimen weighing about 500 kg.

The book "Research on Fisheries in Russia" reports that the largest beluga caught in the Volga was about 9 meters long and weighed 90 pounds (1440 kg). Such an individual claims to be the largest freshwater fish on Earth, it is a pity that the photo of the big beluga not preserved to confirm the record, as it happened in 1827.

In 1922 and 1924, identical fish were caught near the mouth of the Volga and in the Caspian - 75 pounds (1224 kg) each, where the body weighed about 700 kg, the head weighed 300 kg, and the rest was caviar. IN National Museum Kazan keeps a 4-meter effigy of fish caught in the lower reaches of the Volga. Her age is 60-70 years.

It should be remembered that the largest beluga in the world is the one that was caught and officially recorded. But the fishermen met specimens for which they did not have enough gear or strength, and they safely died in their midst, giving rise to numerous legends about river monsters. Which, by the way, have every reason, because in the stomachs of the caught Caspian predators, seal cubs have been found more than once (the length is from a meter) ..

from the current ones. She is mentioned in many historical documents. In Russia, this fish, brought to the capital city from the distant Caspian Sea, was served at the table of princes and kings. There are many descriptions of fantastic specimens that reach simply incredible sizes. It is not surprising that many have the question of which of these testimonies is true and which is absolute fiction.

The largest beluga, the existence of which is confirmed by sufficient evidence, is striking in size. There are many contenders for this title, but, unfortunately, all the facts of the existence of giant beluga were recorded long ago. Nowadays, large specimens are almost never found.

king fish

Beluga is a long-lived fish. She can live a hundred years. During this time, the largest beluga can grow to a gigantic size of several meters. This species is considered one of the largest marine fish on the planet.

This fish spawns several times in its life. Experts say that the beluga eggs are also gigantic - weighing up to half a ton.

For spawning, females go to the rivers flowing into the sea, sometimes rising upstream for several kilometers. It is noteworthy that if there is no place suitable for babies, then it will not, and the caviar inside will gradually resolve.

Where does the beluga live?

The largest beluga is found in the Caspian, Black, Adriatic, Mediterranean and Azov seas.

During spawning, this fish can be found in the Volga, Terek, Don, Kama, Dnieper and many other rivers that flow into the sea. Large females, which did not have time to spawn, sometimes even remain in the rivers for the winter, falling into hibernation.

How to catch the biggest beluga?

Today, industrial fishing of this fish is prohibited. No less strict veto was imposed on the collection of beluga caviar. But the law does not prohibit sport fishing. For it, special gear is used that minimally injures the fish.

Fishing is one way to establish and document the facts. The largest beluga in the world, caught by an enthusiast in a competition, will definitely be measured, weighed, photographed, and then released back home. If this did not happen regularly, we would know about the life of these amazing fish much less.

To catch a thunderstorm of seas and rivers, you need to swim from the sea into the river for 3 kilometers. Beluga - voracious predator, in her stomach, fishermen more than once found even ducks and pups. When choosing a bait, you should give preference raw meat and fish. Professionals know: the beluga, although not aggressive, like, for example, a catfish, is quite capable of seriously misbehaving. In an attempt to get away from the fisherman, she can even capsize the boat.

The largest representatives: confirmed facts

The largest beluga, caught in Russia in 1922, still holds the palm. She weighed 1224 kg and was caught in the Caspian Sea. was filled with caviar. The photo of the largest beluga is simply amazing. The king fish is comparable in size to oceanic monsters: sharks, killer whales, narwhals.

Several other facts of giant beluga catches have been confirmed. In Kazan, there is even in life weighing a whole ton. The carcass, 4.17 m long, was donated to the city by Nicholas II himself, and today a stuffed animal made from it is exhibited in the museum. Anyone can admire the huge fish.

The exhibit is a little more modest than the Kazan one in one of the museums of Astrakhan - the beluga caught in the Volga reached 966 kg. Another curious specimen during its lifetime had a length of almost 6 meters and a weight of up to a ton. His story is amazing. This beluga was caught by poachers, gutted the most valuable caviar, and the carcass was thrown away. But of course, they simply could not help but know what kind of treasure fell into their hands! Fearing arrest for illegal activities, the poachers simply called the museum and told them where they had dumped the carcass. It was damaged by careless cutting, but the taxidermists managed to make a stuffed animal out of it.

The language barrier

Sometimes confusion arises for very unusual reasons. For example, for a very long time the word "beluga" in Russian was also applied to the whale, today known as the beluga whale. Whales, of course, are larger than sturgeon fish, but this did not prevent the emergence of fantastic rumors. Eyewitness accounts of the capture of two-ton beluga most likely refer specifically to marine animals. By the way, white whales can sing. It was their singing that formed the basis of the phraseological unit “Roar like a beluga”. roar, of course, do not know how.

And in English language many sturgeon fish, including the beluga, are often denoted by one word - sturgeon. This also often confuses the question of the largest beluga. Some of the declared contenders for the championship belong to other species of the Sturgeon family.

Human factor

The largest beluga caught in our time reaches only 2-3 centners. Uncontrolled fishing and caviar collection, worsening environmental conditions, irrational use of resources - all this negatively affected the population. The number of beluga has decreased, the fish has become smaller, and spawning has become less frequent. The habitat has also shrunk. For spawning, the beluga goes very close to the rivers, trying to stay closer to the sea.

prospects

The largest beluga is a rarity today. Fortunately, humanity is trying to correct the mistakes of the past. Beluga is listed in the Red Book, the state is fighting against poaching. Today, the beluga is artificially bred in many countries. In Russia, several hybrids have been bred that have shown excellent viability and industrial value. This allows you to save the number of beluga in the wild. Positive dynamics gives hope that the beautiful king fish will not sink into oblivion in the coming years, but someday will again amaze people with their huge size.

Beluga fishermen deservedly call the king fish for its gigantic size.. Black and Caspian Sea - permanent place habitats of the beluga, meet her in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea. This fish is a long-liver, able to live 100 years and lay eggs several times in a lifetime. The beluga feeds on molluscs, crustaceans, and fish.

This is a predator. Found in the stomachs of fish ducklings, baby seals. Having reached puberty, beluga go to spawn in freshwater rivers. It is believed that the spawning time of the beluga falls on May - June and lasts for a month. Caviar is deposited in deep-sea rivers with fast current and rocky bottom. Not finding a suitable place, the beluga will not spawn, which will eventually dissolve inside the fish. To take a place for spring spawning, beluga females remain to winter in the rivers, falling into hibernation and becoming overgrown with mucus. One female can carry up to 320 kg of caviar.

Pea-sized eggs dark gray colors. Beluga caviar is eaten by other fish, carried away by the current. Out of 100,000 eggs, 1 survives. Juveniles, having spent a month at the spawning site, roll into the sea. Beluga caviar has a large nutritional value. This was the reason that fish were caught in huge quantities, which led to a decrease in their numbers.

Now the sale of beluga caviar is prohibited by law. After spawning, hungry beluga whales are busy looking for food. Old females swallow even inedible objects: driftwood, stones. They differ from juveniles in their large head and emaciated body. Our ancestors did not eat such fish.

To catch a beluga, fishermen go to sea, sailing 3 km from the coast. With the help of a pole, you need to find a place where there is a lot of shell rock at the bottom, which indicates a feeding place for the beluga. The nozzle is roach, asp, herring. When pulling the caught fish into the boat, one must be careful, because there have been cases when a huge fish turned the boat over and the fisherman ended up in the water. Beluga is listed in the Red Book and is an object of sport fishing. The captured trophy must be released.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the beluga was common commercial fish. Tons of this fish were mined in the Danube and Dnieper, Volga. After the loss of natural spawning grounds, the number of beluga has significantly decreased.

Adults are not found, 98% are juveniles. A hybrid of beluga and sterlet - bester - is artificially grown.

There are stories that beluga weighing 1.5 tons, 2 tons were caught, but these facts have not been confirmed. In 1922, the largest beluga in the world was in the Caspian Sea, weighing 1224 kg.. A 4.17 m long stuffed beluga is exhibited in the museum of Kazan, caught at the beginning of the 20th century in the lower reaches of the Volga. When caught, the fish weighed 1000 kg. The Astrakhan museum keeps a stuffed beluga caught in the Volga delta and weighing 966 kg.

All this allows us to call the beluga the largest freshwater fish. Many facts are known about the capture of beluga weighing 500, 800 kg. All of them date back to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays average weight of this fish from 60 to 250 kg.

Hydroelectric plants, sewage treatment plants, dams - all this interferes with the reproduction, growth and survival of fish.

We present you a video large beluga caught in Atyrau.