Sturgeon is a large, ancient type of fish found in the temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere, best known as the source of prized caviar.

What is a sturgeon?

  • Sturgeons are a family of about 29 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, native to rivers, lakes, and coastal seas of North America and Eurasia.
  • They are often described as “living fossils” because their ancestors have existed for more than 100 million years with relatively little change.

How do they look?

  • Sturgeons have long, torpedo‑shaped bodies, shark‑like heterocercal tails (upper lobe longer than lower), and an elongated snout.
  • Instead of typical fish scales, they are armored with five rows of bony plates called scutes, and have four whisker‑like barbels in front of a toothless, bottom‑sucking mouth.

Where do they live?

  • Most species are bottom‑dwelling and live in coastal seas but migrate up rivers to spawn (anadromous), while some live entirely in freshwater lakes and rivers.
  • They occur across the Northern Hemisphere, including the Great Lakes and major North American rivers, European rivers flowing into the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas, and large rivers in Russia and Central Asia.

Why are they important?

  • Sturgeons are valued for their meat and especially their roe, which is processed into high‑end caviar.
  • Heavy historic fishing, habitat destruction, dams, and pollution have caused severe declines; many species are now critically endangered or otherwise at high risk.

Quick facts

  • Many species grow 2–3.5 m long; some individuals have exceeded 6–7 m and over 1,500 kg.
  • They are slow‑growing and long‑lived, with some white sturgeon living for more than 100 years.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.