Atlantic Sturgeon

Atlantic Sturgeon

It's rather rare to see a picture of a fish on fotocommunity, so let’s give it a try.

The Atlantic Sturgeon is an anadromous fish, meaning a fish that spends most of its life in the sea but migrates to fresh water to breed.

However, in the past this species has been extremely fished to the brink of extinction for its highly prized flesh and for the eggs, better known as caviar.
As a result, the Sturgeon is now classified as ‘critically endangered’ on the Red List of threatened species !

In Europe it was once abundant along all coasts, nowadays it’s restricted to only 1 (yes only 1 !) reproductive wild population (the Gironde River, France).

Dutch name : Atlantische Steur
German name : Europäische Stör
Latin name : Acipenser sturio

The shot was made under a difficult light situation on the site of castle ‘the Commandery’ at Sint-Pieters-Voeren, Belgium (see picture below) where a great nursery of trout and sturgeon is located.