Are Sturgeons Freshwater Fish or Saltwater Fish? Explained Clearly in One Article

Sturgeon is a fish of the order Acipenseriformes. Its meat is thick and its bones are soft, it tastes delicious, and it is rich in nutrients. Its eggs can be processed into caviar, which, together with foie gras and truffles, is known as “one of the world's three great delicacies”. So, are sturgeons freshwater fish or saltwater fish?

1. Are sturgeons freshwater fish or saltwater fish?

There are many species of sturgeon. According to their living habits, there are freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and brackish-water fish. In the world there are currently 27 extant species of sturgeon in 1 order, 2 families and 7 genera, distributed only in the Northern Hemisphere. In China's natural waters there are 8 species, namely the Amur sturgeon, the Kaluga sturgeon, the Sakhalin sturgeon, the Chinese sturgeon, the Dabry's sturgeon, the Chinese paddlefish, the ship sturgeon and the Siberian sturgeon. Among them, the Chinese sturgeon is a freshwater fish.

2. Introduction to the distribution and feeding habits of sturgeons

1. Amur sturgeon: distributed in the Heilongjiang River, the Ussuri River, the Songhua River and other places. It is an animal-eating fish, and occasionally eats aquatic plants when animal food is scarce. Young fish mainly feed on zooplankton, benthic animals and aquatic insect larvae, while adult fish feed on aquatic insects and aquatic insect larvae, mollusks, benthic crustaceans, lamprey larvae, etc., and sometimes eat small fish.

2. Kaluga sturgeon: mainly distributed in the Heilongjiang River and the lakes connected to its larger tributaries, especially in the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River; next it is distributed in the Ussuri River and the lower reaches of the Songhua River and other waters, and is occasionally found in the lower reaches of the Nenjiang River. It is a large carnivorous freshwater fish. The young mainly feed on benthic invertebrates, crustaceans and small fish, small shrimp, insect larvae, etc.

3. Sakhalin sturgeon: in China it is found in the Tumen River system. It is a large carnivorous fish, and the young feed on benthic insects and small fish.

4. Chinese sturgeon: mainly distributed in the main stream of China's Yangtze River from below Jinsha River to the estuary, and occasionally appearing in other river systems such as the Gan River, Xiang River, Min River, Qiantang River and Pearl River system. It is an omnivorous fish that mainly feeds on animal food. The young fish in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River mainly feed on chironomid larvae, dragonfly larvae, mayfly larvae and plant debris, etc. The young fish in the brackish waters of the estuary feed on shrimp, crabs and small fish, and the parent fish do not feed during migration.

5. Dabry's sturgeon: distributed only in the main stream and tributaries of China's Yangtze River. It is an omnivorous fish. The young feed on aquatic oligochaetes, dragonfly larvae, dipteran larvae, chironomid larvae and small fish, etc., while larger young fish and adult fish mainly feed on humus and benthic invertebrates, and generally stop feeding during the spawning period.

6. Chinese paddlefish: mainly produced in the main stream and tributaries of China's Yangtze River from Yibin to the Yangtze estuary, and also found in the Qiantang River and the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It is a large ferocious fish. Both adult and young fish mainly feed on fish, and also eat a small amount of shrimp, crabs and other animals.

7. Ship sturgeon: distributed in the Ili River in Xinjiang. It is a carnivorous fish. The young feed on insect larvae, and adult individuals feed on mollusks and fish.

8. Siberian sturgeon: found in the Irtysh River in Xinjiang, China. It has a relatively broad diet and mainly eats chironomid larvae, mollusks, worms, crustaceans and small fish, etc.