Two kaluga sturgeon (Huso dauricus) males from the Primorsky Aquarium have been successfully released into the Amur River. The Aniuiskii Hatchery, Amur Branch of the Glavrybvod (=Main river basin authority on fishery and conservation of aquatic biological resources), included the males in the 2024 breeding campaign.
Earlier this year, in June, the keepers the Primorsky Aquarium accomplished a very challenging two-step task to move five large kaluga to Khabarovsk krai, over a distance of about a thousand kilometers. The fish outgrew the tanks of the Science and Acclimation Building, in which they had lived since 2012. Each sturgeon reached a length of 2.5 meters or more and an average weight of 160 kilograms. A decision was made to hand the fish over to the Aniuiskii Hatchery, which annually takes part in the program of sturgeon population restoration.
The aquarists put gigantic fish into a transport tank and covered the water with inflated plastic pillows to prevent splashing out. The temperature and the dissolved oxygen content in the water were monitored every two hours. In about 20 hours, the sturgeon safely arrived at the final destination.
The two adult males were released in July. As specialists from the Amur Branch of the Glavrybvod said, the other three sturgeon have not yet reached their full maturity. They will spend more time at the hatchery and their sperm will be used to fertilize eggs. They grew accustomed to the new diet which is the sign that their acclimation is successful.