- They are also located in North America
- Weight for weight, some sturgeons are the most valuable of all harvested fish
- Beluga sturgeons can weigh up to 2000 kg
- Sturgeons lack any fish scales
- They can grow up to 5.5m
- Home
- What We Do
- Priority Species
- Albatross
- Antelope - Saiga
- Antelope - Tibetan
- Argali (wild sheep)
- Cacti
- Cichlids (East African)
- Cod
- Coral
- Cork Oak
- Elephants
- Ginseng
- Great Apes
- Korean Cedar Pine
- Leopard - Amur
- Leopard - Clouded
- Leopard - Snow
- Mahogany - Bigleaf
- Paddlefish
- Panda - Giant
- Polar Bear
- Pollock - Alaskan
- Ramin
- Rhinos
- Salmon
- Sharks - Pelagic
- Sharks - Reef
- Sturgeon
- Swordfish & Billfish
- Teak - African
- Tiger
- Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles (Asian)
- Tuna
- Turtles - Marine
- Whales & Dolphins
- Wrasse - Humphead
- Priority Species
- What We Do
Sturgeon
Join WWF on:
Key Facts
-
Family Name
Acipenseridae
-
Endangered
Some species are critically endangered
-
Location
Eurasia and North America
-
Record Breaker
Some sturgeon can live more than 100 years
Related links
© Marco Veringa
Sturgeon are harvested for their roe which is turned into caviar.
Downloads
Living fossils in danger
What and where they?One of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, they are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. They are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales, and occasional great size: Sturgeons ranging from 7–12 feet (2-3½ m) in length are common, and some species grow up to 18 feet (5.5 m). Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, spawning upstream and feeding in river deltas and estuaries. While some are entirely freshwater, very few venture into the open ocean beyond near coastal areas.
A threatened species
Some species of sturgeon are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar. The late sexual maturity of sturgeon (6-25 years) makes them more vulnerable to overfishing. It is estimated that the number of sturgeon in major basins has declined by 70% over the last century. During the 1990s, the total catch was dramatically increased by unprecedented illegal harvest. Poaching activity in the Volga-Caspian basin alone is estimated to be 10-12 times over the legal limits.
Further problems are caused by water pollution, damming, destruction and fragmentation of natural watercourses and habitats which affects migration routes and feeding and breeding grounds.
What is WWF doing?
WWF works to raise awareness of the risk of extinction facing the sturgeon and promotes the sustainable management of the species.
It aims to protect and restore vital habitats and migration routes, including for example the Danube floodplains, especially the Lower Danube Green Corridor.
WWF also intitiated and facilitated development of the Danube Sturgeon Action Plan, which has been adopted by the Bern Convention.
It aims to protect and restore vital habitats and migration routes, including for example the Danube floodplains, especially the Lower Danube Green Corridor.
WWF also intitiated and facilitated development of the Danube Sturgeon Action Plan, which has been adopted by the Bern Convention.
