Nutrition

The nutrition habits of Huso huso appear to be relatively simplistic, as the sturgeon will eat most anything that can fit in the relatively large mouth that the fish possesses. Though they will eat most anything, the preferred prey sources for the species differ depending on their location and age. For example, the adult beluga sturgeon that inhabit the Black Sea will feed almost exclusively on Black Sea anchovies, flounder, gobies, haddock, mullet and pickarel, while the adult beluga that are found in the Caspian Sea tend to consume herring, gobies, and Caspian roach (Berg, 1962). Now the anchovies eaten by beluga sturgeon may not be prepared to same level as those to the right, but they seem to have always hit the spot for the fish. The juvenile sturgeon prefer to eat smaller invertebrates until they reach the age of maturity and are better equipped to catch the prey preferred by adults. (Hudson, 2003)

The constant decrease in beluga populations have led to many studies on the eating behaviors of these fish. Several studies suggest that these fish have chosen their prey due to the nutrition they need to be the optimal size and fitness. High lipid concentrations have proven to increase growth rates in Huso huso, and it was also found that fish oil, when compared with soybean oil, was most beneficial to these sturgeon in captivity. (Ahmadi, 1022) Other studies have proven that increasing the frequency that beluga eat would not cause them to have increased growth rates, rather the fish weren't hungry if their internal feeding schedules were not attended to. (Mohseni, 2006) These two studies suggest that there in the wild, beluga sturgeon do what is best for their survival. This should not come as much of a surprise as these fish have been in existence for thousands of years. (Kottelat, 2011) You would think they have figured out how to eat by now!

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