History and status of sturgeon stock (Acipenseridae) in the Caspian pool

Analysis of materials from long-term studies characterizing the current state of sturgeon stocks in the Volga-Caspian fisheries basin, and the dynamics of commercial catches of beluga, sturgeon and stellate sturgeon in the XX – XXI centuries indicates that the Northern Caspian occupies the leading value in catch volumes, where more than 70 % of sturgeon fish are annually harvested. In the first half of the twentieth century sturgeon stocks were determined by the scale of natural reproduction in rivers and fishing volumes; in the second half, natural and anthropogenic factors began to intensively influence the formation of sturgeon stocks. The development of hydraulic construction on rivers, an increase in the withdrawal of freshwater runoff, a decrease in sea level to –29.0 mBS, pollution by industrial and agricultural runoff have necessitated the development of a set of measures for the reproduction, conservation and rational use of the Caspian’s aquatic biological resources. As a result of the studies, the response of the sturgeons to the changed conditions of reproduction has been determined in order to restore and increase their commercial stocks; high ecological adaptability of sturgeons to various living conditions within their range, their exceptional plasticity and pronounced intraspecific differentiation have been established. These indicators point to the possibility of creating conditions that meet the requirements for water quality for the life of sturgeons during migration and reproduction. In the course of the analysis of the obtained data, the influence of regulation of the Volga River flow on the efficiency of natural reproduction of sturgeons has been evaluated; the role of industrial sturgeon breeding in sturgeon stock formation has been shown; the abundance of juveniles in the North Caspian and adult individuals on feeding pastures of the sea has been estimated; trends in the number of sturgeon producers migrating in the Volga to spawning sites have been identified; the prospects for the restoration and rational use of sturgeons in the Volga-Caspian basin have been determined.