Siberian Sturgeon - Siberian Caviar or Bikria
Siberian Sturgeon, family Acipenseridae.
This species is found in all rivers of Siberia from the Ob basin to the Kolyma inclusive. Males reach sexual maturity at 11-13 years of age, while females do not reach it until at least 17-18 years. The fecundity is high. A female weighing 25 kg, caught in the Irtysh River, had 500,000 eggs. The growth rate of sturgeon varies in different rivers of Siberia.
For example, in the Irtysh, two-year-olds measure 27.5 cm and weigh 60 g; by 12 years, they reach 110 cm and weigh 8 kg. In the Kolyma River, a sturgeon aged 7-8 years, as reported by P. A. Dryagin, weighs 70 g, and at 11 years, only 1700 g.
In Kyrgyzstan, Siberian sturgeon is bred artificially. In May 1982, 10,000 larvae and 5,000 fertilized eggs of Siberian (Lena) sturgeon were brought to the Issyk-Kul Biological Station of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR from the Kanakov Fish Farm. After incubating the eggs and raising the juveniles, 6,770 sturgeon juveniles with an average weight of 3.5 g were released into the Toktogul Reservoir near the Chichkan River. In mid-December 1982, three specimens of sturgeon juveniles with absolute lengths of 43.3-50.0 cm and weights of 210-340 g were caught in this reservoir.
According to F. Akhrorov, in July 1983, a specimen of Siberian sturgeon was caught in the Kayrakum Reservoir (Shorkul District) that had an absolute length of 67 cm, a body length of 56 cm, and a weight of 1050 g. The reproductive organs were not developed. The Siberian sturgeon found good conditions for growth in the Toktogul Reservoir and therefore grows significantly faster here than in its native rivers of Siberia.
In 1983-1985, an additional 5,907 sturgeon fry were released into the reservoir, and it is hoped that over time we will have our own commercial sturgeon stock. However, there is concern that during water releases from the reservoir, the sturgeon will migrate downstream past the dam and along the Naryn River beyond the borders of the republic. Unfortunately, such a phenomenon is currently observed with the fish population of the Toktogul Reservoir.
Fish
