![]() ![]() This luxury food led to a huge market for sturgeon, especially in the United States, Canada, and Russia. Instead, sturgeon have been especially popular for their roe, which is used to make caviar. In general, the entire sturgeon is not commercially used as a food source, though some may use the meat for steaks. Some tribes held ceremonies to honor the sturgeon, while others led ceremonies to summon them, or required newcomers to get special permission to hunt them. ![]() ![]() Due to their large size, one sturgeon could feed many people. Indigenous people in North America often used sturgeon as a food source, and many had specific rituals related to the fish. Sturgeon are very sensitive to poor water quality, and as such are very valuable bioindicators of water quality and health.Ī History of Sturgeon in Culture & Cuisine Native Americans greatly revered sturgeon, and only those with very special permissions could hunt them. Due to their late age of maturity, and the fact that they do not usually spawn every year, sturgeon populations have a difficult time bouncing back after overfishing. A big reason for this overexploitation is that many species of sturgeon are prized for their roe, which is used for caviar. Researchers say that sturgeon are now more critically endangered than any other species group in the world. Unfortunately, sturgeon have suffered from over-exploitation by humans. Sterlets are usually considered to be the smallest sturgeon species, and even they grow to an average of three feet (one meter) in length. Sturgeon grow slowly, but can eventually reach impressive sizes, and are often referenced as being among the largest fish species! Sturgeon size depends on specific species-the beluga sturgeon is the largest and can grow as large as 24 feet and 3,500 pounds. Sturgeon are quite long-lived, and some have even been known to reach 150 years of age! These fish take a long time to mature, and typically do not produce any young until they reach 15-20 years of age. To this day, these fish have held on to some interesting primitive features: they have rows of special bony plates called scutes instead of scales, and have special sensory organs called barbels near their mouths to help them locate the snails, clams, crayfish, and leeches that they eat. The earliest sturgeon fossils ever found date back to the Late Cretaceous period, making this family of fish hundreds of millions of years old! You have likely heard of sturgeon, but many people do not realize just how rare and historically important they are! The 27 species of sturgeon are considered living fossils due to their long history. 1.4 Live & Let Live (To Eat Or Not to Eat?) Sturgeon are massive, prehistoric gentle giants that help control aquatic invertebrate populations and serve as indicators of water quality. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |