Biological Traits and Nutritional Requirements of Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869)
Keywords:
Aquaculture, Nutrition, Physiology, Siberian SturgeonAbstract
The Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) represents a species of major interest, recently introduced into Romanian aquaculture due to its adaptability to controlled rearing conditions and its high economic value. As a species with an ancient phylogeny, it exhibits distinct biological and physiological traits that significantly influence growth performance, metabolic processes, and feeding behavior. From a biological perspective, A. baerii is a benthic species characterized by relatively slow growth and late sexual maturation, as well as a high tolerance to variations in environmental conditions, making it suitable for intensive and semi-intensive aquaculture systems.From a physiological standpoint, the species demonstrates efficient oxygen utilization, while its metabolic activity is strongly influenced by temperature and water quality parameters. These factors directly affect feed intake, nutrient assimilation, and overall growth and development performance.From a nutritional perspective, A. baerii requires protein-rich diets and efficiently utilizes lipids as a primary energy source, but exhibits a limited capacity to metabolize carbohydrates, highlighting the importance of optimal feed formulation.This review article aims to synthesize current knowledge regarding the biological, physiological, and nutritional characteristics of the Siberian sturgeon, with the objective of identifying key factors influencing species growth, in order to support the development of efficient and sustainable aquaculture practices.
References
Bemis, W. E., Findeis, E. K., & Grande, L. (1997). An overview of Acipenseriformes. Environmental Biology of fishes, 48(1), 25-71. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007370213924
Birstein, V. J., Desalle, R., Doukakis, P., Hanner, R., Ruban, G. I., & Wong, E. (2009). Testing taxonomic boundaries and the limit of DNA barcoding in the Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii. Mitochondrial DNA, 20(5-6), 110-118. https://doi.org/10.3109/19401730903168182
Geraylou, Z., Souffreau, C., Rurangwa, E., Maes, G. E., Spanier, K. I., Courtin, C. M., Delcour, J. A., Buyse, J., & Ollevier, F. (2013). Effects of arabinoxylan oligosaccharides on gut microbiota and immunity in fish. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 35(5), 1526–1533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2013.08.037
Caimi, C., Gasco, L., Biasato, I., Malfatto, V., & Rimoldi, S. (2020). Effects of dietary insect meal on growth performance, gut microbiota and immune response in fish. Aquaculture Research, 51(4), 1361–1373. https://doi.org/10.1111/are.14485
Guillaume, J. (2001). Nutrition and feeding of fish and crustaceans. Springer Science & Business Media.
Lagler, K. F., Bardach, J. E., Miller, R. R., & Passino, D. R. M. (1977). Ichthyology (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Birstein, V. J., Hanner, R., & DeSalle, R. (1997). Phylogeny of the Acipenseriformes: cytogenetic and molecular approaches. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 48(1), 127-155. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007366100353
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2006). Animal feed resources information system. https://www.fao.org/4/b3310e/B3310E25.htm
Rimniceanu, C., Popescu, A., & Dediu, L. (2023). Research on growth performance and health status in sturgeon species under aquaculture conditions. Scientific Papers: Animal Science and Biotechnologies, 56(1), 120–126.
Sokolov, L. I., & Vasilev, V. P. (1989). Acipenseridae. In Holčík, J. (Ed.), The Freshwater Fishes of Europe, Vol. 1 (Part II), Aula-Verlag.
Dabrowski, K., Kaushik, S. J., & Fauconneau, B. (1987). Rearing of sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) larvae: III. Nitrogen and energy metabolism and amino acid absorption. Aquaculture, 65(1), 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(87)90268-7
Szczepkowski, M. (2017). Nitrogen Excretion in Sturgeons with Special Emphasis on the Siberian Sturgeon: Methods and Effect of Food, Feeding and Size of Fish. In The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) Volume 2-Farming (pp. 151-157). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 10.1007/978-3-319-61676-6_9
Ellis, T., Yildiz, H. Y., López-Olmeda, J., Spedicato, M. T., Tort, L., Øverli, Ø., & Martins, C. I. (2012). Cortisol and finfish welfare. Fish physiology and biochemistry, 38(1), 163-188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-011-9568-y
Findeis, E. K. (1997). Osteology and phylogenetic interrelationships of sturgeons (Acipenseridae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 48(1), 73-126. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007372832213
Gisbert, E., Sarasquete, M. C., Williot, P., & Castelló‐Orvay, F. (1999). Histochemistry of the development of the digestive system of Siberian sturgeon during early ontogeny. Journal of Fish Biology, 55(3), 596-616. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb00702
Vizziano-Cantonnet, D., Anglade, I., Pellegrini, E., Gueguen, M. M., Fostier, A., Kah, O., & Pakdel, F. (2011). Gonadal development and sex steroid levels in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 42(2), 234–245. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.2011.00469.x
Ruban, G. I. (2019). Adaptive ecological and morphological features of the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt). Inland Water Biology, 12(2), 210-216. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1995082919020135
Sudakova, N. V., Mikodina, E. V., & Vasilyeva, L. M. (2018). Sturgeon (Acipenseridae) artificial reproduction paradigm changeover under conditions of natural stock deficit of sturgeon in the Volga-Caspian basin. Sel’skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 53(4), 698-711. 10.15389/agrobiology.2018.4.698eng
Ruban, G., & Mugue, N. (2019). Acipenser baerii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved April 17, 2026, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/244/13046607
Segner, H., Sundh, H., Buchmann, K., Douxfils, J., Sundell, K. S., Mathieu, C., & Vaughan, L. (2012). Health of farmed fish: its relation to fish welfare and its utility as welfare indicator. Fish physiology and biochemistry, 38(1), 85-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-011-9517-9
Fontana, F. (2011). Cytogenetics as a Tool for an Exploration of A. sturio Status Within Sturgeons. In Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L. 1758: The Reunion of the European and Atlantic Sturgeons (pp. 13-21). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20611-5_2
National Research Council (2011). Nutrient requirements of fish and shrimp. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
McCormick, S. D. (2001). Endocrine control of osmoregulation in teleost fish. American zoologist, 41(4), 781-794. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/41.4.781
Muscalu, C., & Muscalu, R. (2009). Biology and growth of sturgeons. Cluj-Napoca: Bioflux.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (2002). Review of sturgeon aquaculture: Document AC16 Doc. 7.2 (Annex 1). Geneva: CITES Secretariat. Retrieved April 17, 2026, from https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/com/ac/16/16-7-2a1.pdf
Ludwig, A., Belfiore, N. M., Pitra, C., Svirsky, V., & Jenneckens, I. (2001). Genome duplication events and functional reduction of ploidy levels in sturgeon (Acipenser, Huso and Scaphirhynchus). Genetics, 158(3), 1203-1215. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/158.3.1203
Hoseinifar, S. H., Sun, Y. Z., Wang, A., & Zhou, Z. (2016). Probiotics as means of diseases control in aquaculture, a review. Reviews in Aquaculture, 10(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12198
Nita, V. N., Nenciu, M. I., RAYKOV, V. S., & Nicolae, C. G. (2018). First attempt of rearing the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt, 1869) in Black Sea water. AgroLife Scientific Journal, 7(1).
Luo, L., Wang, Y., Zhou, Q., & Zhang, Y. (2015). Effect of dietary probiotics on growth performance and immune responses in fish. Aquaculture Nutrition, 21(4), 455–465. https://doi.org/10.1111/anu.12166
Gardiner, B. G. (1984). Sturgeons as living fossils. In Living fossils (pp. 148-152). New York, NY: Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8271-3_15
Kaushik, S. J., Luquet, P., Blanc, D., & Paba, A. (1989). Studies on the nutrition of Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baeri: I. Utilization of digestible carbohydrates by sturgeon. Aquaculture, 76(1-2), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(89)90254-8
Palmegiano, G. B., Gai, F., Daprà, F., Gasco, L., Pazzaglia, M., & Peiretti, P. G. (2005). Effects of dietary Spirulina on growth performance and immune response in fish. Aquaculture International, 13(1–2), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-004-9023-0
Médale, F., Blanc, D., & Kaushik, S. J. (1991). Non-protein energy use in sturgeon. Aquaculture, 93, 143–154.
Fauconneau, B., Aguirre, P., Dabrowski, K., & Kaushik, S. J. (1986). Rearing of sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) larvae: 2. Protein metabolism: Influence of fasting and diet quality. Aquaculture, 51(2), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(86)90133-X
Peng, Z., Ludwig, A., Wang, D., Diogo, R., Wei, Q., & He, S. (2007). Age and biogeography of major clades in sturgeons and paddlefishes (Pisces: Acipenseriformes). Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 42(3), 854-862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2006.09.008
Barton, B. A. (2002). Stress in fishes: a diversity of responses with particular reference to changes in circulating corticosteroids. Integrative and comparative biology, 42(3), 517-525. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/42.3.517
Moyle, P. B., & Cech, J. J. (2000). Fishes: An introduction to ichthyology (4th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Billard, R., & Lecointre, G. (2000). Biology and conservation of sturgeon and paddlefish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 10(4), 355-392. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012231526151
Hochleithner, M., & Gessner, J. (2001). The sturgeons and paddlefishes of the world. Aquatech Publ Kitzbuehel, 202.
Mommsen, T. P., Vijayan, M. M., & Moon, T. W. (1999). Cortisol in teleosts: dynamics, mechanisms of action, and metabolic regulation. Reviews in fish biology and fisheries, 9(3), 211-268. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008924418720
Kottelat, M., & Freyhof, J. (2007). Handbook of European freshwater fishes (Vol. 13). Cornol, Switzerland: Publications Kottelat. 10.1007/s10228-007-0012-3
Ruban, G. I. (1997). Species structure, contemporary distribution and status of the Siberian surgeon Acipenser baerii. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 48(1), 221-230. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007372932444
Yun, B., Ai, Q., Mai, K., Xu, W., Qi, G., Luo, Y., & Zhang, W. (2014). Effects of dietary probiotics on growth, immune responses and intestinal microbiota of fish. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 38(2), 272–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2014.03.023
Williot, P., Nonnotte, G., & Chebanov, M. (2018). The Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869): Volume 1 – Biology. Cham: Springer.
Kasumyan, A. (2017). Olfaction and gustation in Acipenseridae, with special references to the Siberian sturgeon. In The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) Volume 1-Biology (pp. 173-205). Cham:
Springer International Publishing.10.1007/978-3-319-61664-3_10
Manea, G. I. (1980). Sturgeons: Biology and aquaculture. Ceres.
Babaei, S., Abedian Kenari, A., Hedayati, M., Yazdani Sadati, M. A., & Metón, I. (2016). Effect of diet composition on growth performance, hepatic metabolism and antioxidant activities in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) submitted to starvation and refeeding. Fish physiology and biochemistry, 42(6),1509-1520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-016-0236-0
Kolman, R., & Kapusta, A. (2018). Sturgeon aquaculture development and perspectives. Aquaculture International, 26(2), 471–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-017-0213-8
Grande, L., & Bemis, W. E. (1996). Interrelationships of Acipenseriformes, with comments on “Chondrostei”. Interrelationships of fishes, 85-115. 10.1016/b978-012670950-6/50006-0
Xie, S., Zhu, X., Cui, Y., & Wootton, R.J. (2006). Effects of feeding level on growth and energy budget of fish. Journal of Fish Biology, 68(2), 493–507. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-1112.2006.00933.x
Hamlin, H. J., Moore, B. C., Edwards, T. M., Larkin, I. L., Boggs, A., High, W. J., ... & Guillette Jr, L. J. (2008). Nitrate-induced elevations in circulating sex steroid concentrations in female Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) in commercial aquaculture. Aquaculture, 281(1-4), 118-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2008.05.030
Gisbert, E., & Williot, P. (2002). Advances in the larval rearing of Siberian sturgeon. Journal of Fish Biology, 60(5), 1071-1092. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01705.
Hung, S. S., & Lutes, P. B. (1987). Optimum feeding rate of hatchery-produced juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus): at 20 C. Aquaculture, 65(3-4), 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(87)90243-2
Nikoljukin, N. I. (1971). Acipenseridae (Sturgeons). Leningrad: Nauka.
Hamlin, H. J. (2006). Nitrate toxicity in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri). Aquaculture, 253(1-4), 688-693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2005.08.025
Pelissero, C., & Le Menn, F. (1991). Evolution of sex steroid levels in males and first time maturing females of the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri) reared in a French fish farm. Acipenser. Cemagref, Antony, 87-97.
Rodriguez, A., Gallardo, M. A., Gisbert, E., Santilari, S., Ibarz, A., Sanchez, J., & Castello-Orvay, F. (2002). Osmoregulation in juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 26(4), 345-354.https://doi.org/10.1023/B:FISH.0000009263.83075.68
Ceuca, T., Valenciuc, N., & Popescu, A. (1983). Zoology of vertebrates. Bucharest: Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing House.
Williot, P., et al. (2018). Hormonal stimulation in sturgeon. In The Siberian sturgeon (pp. 351–365). Springer.
Nonnotte, G., Maxime, V., Truchot, J. P., Williot, P., & Peyraud, C. (1993). Respiratory responses to progressive ambient hypoxia in the sturgeon, Acipenser baeri. Respiration physiology, 91(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-5687(93)90090-W
Xue, M., Cui, Y., & Yang, Y. (2012). Effect of dietary probiotics on growth performance and immune response in fish. Aquaculture Research, 43(5), 745–754. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2011.02879.x
