Abstract: The aims of this study was to assess the effect of two lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactobacillus curvatus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, originally isolated from gastrointestinal (GI) tract of beluga (Huso huso) and Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus), respectively, on growth, survival and digestive enzyme (amylase, lipase and protease) activities and the population level of LAB in the GI tract. The treatments included 10 different groups; control, separate supplements of L. curvatus and Leu. mesenteroides at three different counts [2 × 109, 5 × 109 and 9 × 109 colony forming units (CFU) per gram food] and three combinations of the two LAB (2 × 109 + 2 × 109, 5 × 109 + 5 × 109 and 9 × 109 + 9 × 109 CFU per gram food). The bacteria used in this study were added in lyophilized form to chopped Chironomidae. In the beluga study, highest specific growth rate, survival and improved intestinal enzyme activities were noted in the rearing group fed 9 × 109 L. curvatus per gram food. In Persian sturgeon, the inclusion level of 2 × 109 Leu. mesenteroides had similar positive effect. The ability of LAB to colonize the digestive tract seems to involve host specificity, and our bacteriological results are relevant to initiate future probiotic studies in sturgeons and future directions will be discussed.

Abstract: The threatened resident beluga population of the St. Lawrence Estuary shares the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park with significant anthropogenic noise sources, including marine commercial traffic and a well-established, vessel-based whale-watching industry. Frequency-dependent (FD) weighting was used to approximate beluga hearing sensitivity to determine how noise exposure varied in time and space at six sites of high beluga summer residency. The relative contribution of each source to acoustic habitat degradation was estimated by measuring noise levels throughout the summer and noise signatures of typical vessel classes with respect to traffic volume and sound propagation characteristics. Rigid-hulled inflatable boats were the dominant noise source with respect to estimated beluga hearing sensitivity in the studied habitats due to their high occurrence and proximity, high correlation with site-specific FD-weighted sound levels, and the dominance of mid-frequencies (0.3–23 kHz) in their noise signatures. Median C-weighted sound pressure level (SPLRMS) had a range of 19 dB re 1 μPa between the noisiest and quietest sites. Broadband SPLRMS exceeded 120 dB re 1 μPa 8–32% of the time depending on the site. Impacts of these noise levels on St. Lawrence beluga will depend on exposure recurrence and individual responsiveness.

Abstract: International SturgeonResearch Institute, Guilan, IranSummaryThe influence of colored light and tank color was investigatedon growth performance (body weight, growth rate, carcasscomposition, etc.) and physiological status (blood and plasmaparameters) of beluga (Huso huso) juveniles. The study wasconducted using 64 specimens for colored light treatments withinitial weight 98.83 ± 1.42 (mean ± SE) g which were rearedunder white, red, green and blue light and using 80 specimensfor tank color treatments with initial weight 98.50 ±1.24 (mean ± SE) g which were reared in white, red, green,black and blue tanks, all for 12 weeks. Red light had asignificantly negative impact on beluga growth performance(in contrast with blue light) accompanied with reduced livertotal lipids and plasma albumin and elevated plasma cortisol,glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride (in contrast with the othertreatments). No significant effects of tank color were detectedon growth performance. Nevertheless, most of growth param-eters suggested a positive impact of black tank. Althoughplasma glucose levels in white tank were significantly higherthan the other tank colors, no significant effects of tank colorwere detected for the other physiological parameters. There-fore, based on the obtained results, blue light by establishingcomfort in beluga juveniles spelled increased growth perfor-mance and had positive significant effect on physiologicalconditions. Moreover, taking into consideration the consis-tency of all growth parameters among beluga juveniles rearedin black tanks, it is suggested that considerable results inregard to this treatment may be achieved if the rearing periodprolongs.IntroductionThe living fossil status of the lineage and the unusualmorphologic traits of sturgeons make the research on themscientifically valuable (Gardiner, 1984; Bemis et al., 1997).Caspian Sea is the habitat for the four commercial species ofsturgeon (Khodorevskaya et al., 1997) where their populationsare declining due to overfishing for meat and caviar produc-tion, habitat destruction, and environmental pollution (Billardand Lecointre, 2001). The beluga, Huso huso, is an importantcommercial species in the Caspian Sea and a good candidatefor aquaculture because of their fast growth, market price,propagation in captivity and high marketable value of theircaviar. In order to optimize the cultivation of this species,realizing its behavior and performance in culture conditions issubstantial. Among environmental factors that may influencefish performance in culture are colored light and tank color(Barton, 2002). The effects of colored light on disparate aspectsof fish physiology have been investigated such as growth,survival, neuro-hormonal system, reproduction, behavior andstress response (Head and Malison, 2000; Ruchin, 2001, 2004;Volpato and Barreto, 2001; Bayarri et al., 2002; Naor et al.,2003; Boulcott et al., 2005; Marchesan et al., 2005; Karak-atsouli et al., 2007, 2008). Each of the above studies has beenindicated that various light colors have relieved the physio-logical processes in different species. Hence, it is likely that thisspecies-specific quality relates to consistencies of fish visualstructure with its particular natural habitat traits. The effectsof tank color on different aspects of fish physiology have alsobeen investigated including growth performance, survival, skincolor and stress response (Papoutsoglou et al., 2000, 2005;Tamazouzt et al., 2000; Rotllant et al., 2003; Van der Salmet al., 2004; Jentoft et al., 2006; Strand et al., 2007). Thesestudies have indicated that reactions to tank color may varyaccording to fish species and life stage (Papoutsoglou et al.,2005). While light is easily adjusted in intensive indoor fishcultivation and it is possible to have tanks manufactured inany color, determining suitable light and tank color forfarming beluga is important for optimizing its production andcomfort. The present study aimed to investigate whethercolored light and tank color could affect beluga growthperformance and physiological status (blood and plasmaparameters). For this reason, fish were reared separately underwhite, red, green and blue light and in white, red, green, blackand blue tanks.Materials and methods

Abstract: Due to their lipophilic properties, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are commonly assessed using the blubber of marine mammals. However, these chemicals are also accumulating in other tissues including the liver. Some pollutants, namely perfluorinated alkyl acids, are found predominately in the liver and blood of marine mammals, and thus monitored in those tissues. This raises the question whether any tissue would represent an identical trend of POPs in the SLE beluga. The current study reports the first temporal trends of PBDEs and PCBs in the liver of 65 SLE belugas. Neither ∑₇PBDEs nor major individual PBDE-homolog group concentrations showed significant trends between 1993 and 2007. Also, ∑₃₂PCBs did not change over years, although, tetra-, penta- and hepta-PCB decreased by 7.1, 6.8 and 8.5%, respectively, in males, whereas tetra-, penta- and octa-PCBs declined by 11, 12 and 12.9%, respectively, in females. In order to compare the distribution of POPs between liver and blubber, a lipid normalised concentration ratio R (blubber/liver) for PBDEs and PCBs was calculated for each individual beluga. For all PBDE and several PCB homolog groups, mean R values were not statistically different from unity indicating that the partitioning of these POPs is governed by the tissue lipid-content. Temporal trends of R ratios of PBDEs and PCBs were also examined. There were generally no significant temporal trends except for PBDEs in males where R increased in average by 12.7 ± 2.9% yearly. The stratification of the blubber into a metabolically active (inner) and less active layers (outer blubber) may result in a slower response time of the blubber (full depth) than the liver to the recent change of contamination in the environment and explain the time trend differences between both tissues. This study suggests that the liver is more representative of recent exposure to lipophilic contaminants.

Abstract: Summary The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the prebiotics Immunoster and Immunowall (two commercial prebiotics) on growth performance of juvenile beluga (Huso huso). Prior to the feeding trials, fish were fed the basal diet to apparent satiation four times per day for a 4-week acclimatization period. The basal diet contained 42% crude protein, 14.5% crude lipid, 10.06% ash and 6.1% moisture. Then, 450 beluga juveniles weighing 95.6 ± 9.4 g were randomly distributed into 15 fiberglass tanks (2 · 2 · 0.53 m) in three replicates and kept at a density of 30 fish per tank. Two levels (1 and 3%) of Immunoster and two levels (1 and 3%) of Immunowall were added to the basal diet in place of cellulose. Diets were manufactured by extrusion processing. Juvenile belugas were fed four times daily at rates approximately apparent to satiation for 8 weeks. Average Daily Growth (ADG), Body Weight Gain (BWG), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Condition Factor (CF) and Hepatosomatic Index (HSI) were monitored and assessed. Generally, fish fed Immunoster and Immunowall had better growth characteristics during the 8-week feeding trial. Survival rate was 100% in all treatments. Final weight and final length were significantly affected by Immunoster and Immunowall (at both levels) in all experimental groups in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). The highest and the lowest final weight were observed in Immunowall 1% (241.6 ± 85 g) and control (199.2 ± 84.7 g), respectively. It can be declared that two mentioned prebiotics can improve growth performance of beluga sturgeon.

Abstract: A comparison of the fatty acid, amino acid and proximate composition between the roe of wild and cultivated beluga (Huso huso) sturgeon from Iran are presented here. The fatty acid profile varied between wild and cultivated sturgeons but there was no differences observed for proximate composition and amino acid profile. The wild sturgeon roe contained higher amounts of n-3 fatty acids particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) (wild: 2.9%, cultivated: 1.24%) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) (wild: 5.1%, cultivated: 2.38%). Linolenic and linoleic acids were the predominant fatty acids in roe from cultivated beluga, a reflection of diet and also a likely physiological adaptation to a higher temperature environment. Low levels of PUFA in cultivated sturgeon negatively affected fertilization and hatching ratios which were significantly lower than for the wild fish. Hence, in order to culture beluga, feed with higher fatty acid with more n-3 is necessary to reach high quality roe and fertilization and hatching ratio.

Abstract: An understanding of the adaptability of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) to changing ice conditions is required to interpret and predict possible changes in habitat selection in response to projected loss of sea ice throughout the circumpolar Arctic. We analyzed beluga observations made during spring aerial surveys for ringed seals conducted from 1975 to 1979 in the eastern Beaufort Sea. Despite inter-annual variability in the extent and distribution of sea ice, belugas consistently selected areas with water depths of 200–500 m and heavy ice concentrations (8/10 to 10/10) while areas of open water to light ice concentrations (0/10 to 1/10) were not selected. Belugas were also found in proximity to regions with ≥0.5 degrees seafloor slope which include the continental slope and other areas with the potential for oceanographic upwellings. In most years (4 of 5), fast-ice edges and coastal areas were not selected. In the lightest ice year analyzed, belugas showed less specificity in habitat selection as their distribution expanded and shifted shoreward to fast-ice edges. The observed distribution is discussed in terms of predator–prey relationships particularly with reference to beluga feeding on polar cod (Boreogadus saida). More research is required to examine and compare possible changes in distribution since the late 1970s and to investigate the factors driving the patterns described.

Abstract: Sturgeon populations in the Danube River have experienced severe decline during the last several decades, mostly due to the poorly regulated fishery, river fragmentation and water pollution. This study focuses on gaining better understanding of sturgeon life history primarily by addressing the assessment of microelement accumulation in sturgeon pectoral fin rays, especially of strontium and calcium, as a method that can reveal migration patterns of anadromous sturgeons. Analysis was performed on pectoral fin samples of three anadromous Danube sturgeon species (beluga, Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon) by the use of a Nuclear Microprobe technique. The most frequent pattern in analyzed samples was represented by a low Sr:Ca ratio in the innermost annuli, followed by an increased ratio in the middle annuli segment, and often with a decreased ratio in the outermost annuli. Probability density estimate has revealed three distinguished maxima of the Sr:Ca ratio, 7.08×10 �3 , 8.98×10 �3 and 9.90× 10 �3 , which might correspond, respectively, to fresh, brackish and saltwater. Although the analysis of the Sr:Ca ratio in sturgeon pectoral fin rays has revealed changes that might indicate probable migration between habitats with different water salinity, further studies are needed for improvement of this method. This study represents the first analysis of this kind that was conducted on sturgeon species from the Black Sea basin.

Abstract: The late sexual maturity in sturgeon and the absence of morphological differences between males and females makes sex discrimination difficult. Identification of sex at an early life stage is of high interest in caviar production because it allows efficient selection of females. In this study, the genome of 10 mature male and 10 mature female specimens of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) and beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) were screened using AFLP and 100 primer combinations. Results showed a total of 3771 and 3779 scoreable bands in A. persicus and H. huso, respectively. Approximately 30% of markers in A. persicus and 29.6% H. huso were polymorphic. No sex specific makers were identified. The results of the present study suggest that the sex chromosomes are not extensively differentiated in sturgeon species, or possibly the methods utilized were not sufficiently sensitive to recognize them. © 2011 Progress in Biological Sciences, Vol 1, No.1, 55-60

Abstract: Summary The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the current status of efforts on the potential rehabilitation of sturgeon populations in Turkish waters, describing the structure and the outcome of projects carried out since 2006 and identifying the strategic needs for sturgeon conservation measures at a national level. It is well known that there were six sturgeon species occurring around Turkish Black Sea coasts while entering the rivers, mainly Kizilirmak, Yesilirmak, Sakarya and Coruh Rivers for spawning. Anadromous sturgeon species have been strictly protected throughout Turkey since 1997. Conservation and management measurements have been implemented since 1970s. However, this was apparently with little success as stocks continued to decline and habitats deteriorated further, threatening the stocks with extinction. At the same time the needs for survival are not well documented. A project was initiated on 30 January 2006, consisting of seven-work packages including studies on population structure, reproduction, habitat assessment, genetic variability between and within stocks and the development of protective management strategies and plans. The work covered the Turkish Black Sea coastline and the rovers Yesilirmak, Kizilirmak, Coruh and Sakarya. Actively sampled and/or accidentally caught specimens have been tagged by T-bars and released after measurements and tissue sampling for genetic analyses. In addition, broodstocks of Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Beluga (Huso huso), and stellate (A. stellatus) are being built by rearing fish at the Central Fisheries Research (Yomra, Trabzon, Turkey) Institute. Reproduction studies have mainly focused on sperm collection, cryopreservation and induced spawning as well as on larval rearing.

Abstract: Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) was produced from the viscera of beluga (Huso huso). Hydrolysis conditions (enzyme activity, temperature, and time) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Lack-of-fit test revealed a non-significant value for the model, indicating that the regression equation was adequate for predicting the degree of hydrolysis under any combination of the variables (P < 0.05). The optimum conditions to reach the highest degree of hydrolysis were: 39.21 °C, 114.2 min, and a protease (Protamex) activity of 27.41 AU/kg protein. The amino acid composition of protein hydrolysates of beluga in optimum conditions showed a high nutritional value of protein hydrolysates from beluga viscera.

Abstract: This study investigated the effect of manipulated photoperiod on haematological parameter in beluga sturgeon (Huso huso). One hundred eight fish (24-month old) were randomly allocated into 18 tanks. Each tank received one of six photoperiod regimes for 73 days: natural photoperiod, 24Light (L):0Dark (D), 16L:8D, 12L:12D, 8L:16D and 0L:24D. Different photoperiods had no significant effects on hormonal and cytological features of blood in young beluga sturgeon.

Abstract: Beluga calls were detected during two consecutive deployments of autonomous acoustic recorders in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. During the first deployment, calls were recorded between July and October 2007, primarily near the Barrow Canyon in July and August. During the second deployment, calls were detected in November 2007 off Point Lay and again between mid-April and June 2008 in a broad area 90 – 150 km off Point Lay and Wainwright, Alaska. The summer and fall 2007 detections were consistent with movement and residency patterns identified through satellite tagging studies. In the following spring, detections were recorded by four out of five monitoring stations for 19 to 37 consecutive days (depending on the station) between 13 April and 21 June 2008. These acoustic detections provide additional information about the timing and distribution of beluga migrations in the Chukchi Sea in spring.

Abstract: This study is aimed at evaluating when sex could be determined in beluga by examining levels of plasma steroids. Blood was taken from beluga from two stations (Shahid Rajaee: SR, Sari farm: SI) which were kept at 19°C at the age of 24 and 36 months and plasma testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (KT) and estradiol (E2) concentrations and plasma calcium were determined. The results revealed that, plasma T and KT levels were significantly higher in males than females in both stations at the age of 24 and 36 months (P<0.05). There were no differences in E2 and calcium concentrations between males and females at both ages. In addition, the results showed that, plasma T increased significantly in both locations, with increasing age from 24 to 36 months. Histological analysis of gonads revealed that all but six of the SI farm fish at the age of 24 months had well differentiated testes with spermatogonia undergoing mitosis in cysts (Stage 2). The six of the population in SI farm, which had no differentiated gonad, had also the lowest weight in comparison to differentiated fish. It also appears that proliferation of spermatogonia is necessary for production of androgens and growth rate is influenced by water temperature. The results of this study revealed that, plasma T and KT can be used as good markers to determine the sex in the early life stage of beluga. Key words: Sturgeon, cultured beluga, sex determination, sex steroids.

Abstract: An independent scientific review panel was formed under the auspices of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) to review the results of research on belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), or white whales, in the Sakhalin–Amur region of eastern Russia and to assess the sustainability of recent live-capture removals.

Abstract: Archaeozoological data from the Upper Paleolithic onwards provide evidence of the presence of sturgeon in the Iberian Peninsula suggesting both a refuge during the last glaciations and their apparent scarcity during ancient times The species recorded in all cases was apparently the European sturgeon Acipenser sturio Genetic data demonstrate a sub-structuring in the Iberian Peninsula Populations increased during the eighteenth and nineteenth century resulting in commercial exploitations in the Guadalquivir and Ebro rivers Overfishing and river damming have been key factors causing extinction during the early twentieth century In addition to the European sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon (A oxyrinchus), beluga (Huso huso) and Adriatic sturgeon (A naccarii) are discussed as presumably former endemic species Such status remains open given that the occurrence of isolated specimens is not taken as conclusive evidence for the upgrading of these taxa to a native species status

Abstract: OTTERSTAD, O., CAPOTA, P. A and SIMION, A., 2011. Beluga Sturgeon Community Based Tourism (Best Combat). In: Micallef, Anthony, (ed.), MCRR3-2010 Conference Proceedings, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 61, pp. 183-193. Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy, ISSN 0749-0208. This paper is based on a contemporary Norwegian-Romanian project where sustainable tourism is used to counteract an ongoing extinction of an extremely valuable natural resource, the Beluga sturgeon (Huso Huso). This fish is the world's biggest freshwater fish and it has been appreciated by humans since ancient times due to the good fish meat and the fish eggs, better known as the world's most expensive food commodity, the Beluga (also called ‘Russian’) caviar. The decline of the species has several reasons, among them the building of river dams and irrigation systems. During the last decades the most important threat has been intensified fishing. One of the places left to find it is in the lower Danube and the Black Sea, whe...

Abstract: Comparative analysis of several morphological characters is conducted in experimentally obtained hybrids between Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii and beluga A. huso, in parental species, and in gynogenetic progeny of Siberian sturgeon. The gynogenetic individuals are similar to Siberian sturgeon by all characters used for differentiation between Siberian sturgeon and beluga that supports gynogenetic origin of these individuals. Based on the data obtained on the hybrid specimens, the features of inheritance of the studied characters in sturgeons and their variation in postlarval ontogeny are discussed.

Abstract: Sturgeons belong to one of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, having their first appearance in the fossil records approximately 200 million years ago. Their natural habitats are found in the subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. In the Romanian waters, five anadromous species of sturgeon, out of the total 25 species known by science, once migrated from the Black Sea into the Danube for spawning: beluga; Huso huso, Russian sturgeon; Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, stellate sturgeon; A. stellatus, ship sturgeon; A. nudiventris and the European Atlantic sturgeon; A. sturio (Knight, 2009). The NW Black Sea and Lower Danube River sturgeons, like many Acipenserids, were seriously affected by the rapid changes brought by human development. Being one of the finest caviar producers in the world they were intensively harvested for many centuries. Heavy uncontrolled fishing and destruction of habitat led to the collapse of most of the Acipenserids and the total disappearance of the European Atlantic sturgeon (A. sturio) from the NW Black Sea. Public attention was focused world wide on sturgeons after their listing in the IUCN Red List of Threatened species in 1996. In 1998, after evaluating their abundance in the wild, CITES also decided to strictly regulate the international trade in all Acipenserids. The paper aims to analyze and review conservation measures that were taken locally, nationally and internationally by humans and the effect they had on one of Europe’s only naturally reproducing sturgeon populations.

Abstract: Cook Inlet belugas (CIBs) are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Their current seasonal distribution is essentially unknown and the factors impeding their recovery over the past decade are unknown, yet could include anthropogenic activities that impact their acoustic ecology, including coastal development, oil and gas exploration, shipping and military activities. Beginning in 2008, a cooperative research project has acquired new information on background noise levels and the seasonal presence of CIBs throughout Cook Inlet using passive acoustic monitoring. Mooring packages containing ecological acoustic recorders (EARs) and echolocation loggers (C‐PODs) have been deployed at ten sites to continuously monitor the presence of CIBs. Cook Inlet is a challenging environment for acoustic monitoring because of extreme tides and currents, sediment dynamics, debris from rivers and seasonal ice that characterize the area. Noise from both natural and anthropogenic sources often make beluga call detection challenging. However, the effort to date has met with success and is providing valuable insights into beluga movement patterns and the acoustic environment they face. This methodology also allows monitoring other odontocetes such as killer whales (Orcinus orca), detected mostly in the lower inlet, and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) detected throughout the inlet.

Abstract: Fisheries Faculty, Mugla University,Ko¨tekli, Mugla, TurkeySummaryThe objective of this study was to investigate the acclimationcondition for by-catch sturgeons taken to farming facilities,monitoring, condition factor and mortality rates of threedifferent sturgeon species (Huso huso, Linnaeus 1758;Acipenser stellatus, Pallas 1771; Acipenser gueldenstaedtii,Brand& Ratzeberk 1758) which were caught along the BlackSea coasts. A total of nine individuals from by-catch of twodifferent sites were used. First site is the mouth of SakaryaRiver (41 07¢N; 30 38¢E; Yenimahalle) which flows to theBlack Sea, and the second was side of Istanbul Bosphorus(41 11¢N; 29 07¢E; Anadolukavagi) in the Black Sea. Theseindividuals were transfered from the catching area to theland by sustenance tank with marine water. Tests to adjustfish from live feed to manufactured feed under captiveconditions were also undertaken. Live food wet feed andmanufactured feed were used in this acclimation experiment.As a live feed tubifex food and earthern worms, as a wet feedchicken liver and minced white meat and as a manufacturedand sturgeon feed were used. Five individuals from threespecies were adapted to the farm conditions and manufac-tured feed in different days. The most sensitive sturgeon wasobserved stellat sturgeon, beluga and Russian sturgeon,respectively.IntroductionSturgeons (Acipenseriformes) are one of the most ancientgroup of the Osteichthyes with 27 species distributed in thetemperate waters of the Northen Hemisphere (Birnstein, 1993).The Black Sea inhabite (Huso and Acipenser) which wereBeluga (Huso huso), sturgeon (Acipenser sturio), Russiansturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstadtii), Stellate sturgeon or Sev-ruga (Acipenser stellatus), Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), Ship(Acipenser nudiventris) (Memis, 2007).Environmental pressures, such as water pollution, damconstruction and development of adjacent watersheds forirrigation proposes, which have been responsible for the loss ofspawning grounds, has declined populations and their diverstyis currently threatened due to human influences (Wirgin et al.,1997; Pourkazemi et al., 1999; Vasilev, 1999; Gisbert andWilliot, 2002; Rosenthal et al., 2006).As a result of these declines, all sturgeon species worldwidewere included in Appendix II of the Convention on theInternational Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES) regulations on 1 April 1998. This provided aregulatory mechanism for import and export of sturgeon andtheir products helping to control the illegal caviar trade and itsdetriment to wild populations (Mohler, 2003). Turkey also wassigned this convention in 1998. From this date catching of allsturgeon species in Black Sea are forbidden by Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Affair.The first experiment of controlled propagation of sturgeonwas carried out with 1869 A. ruthenus eggs in 1869. Insubsequent years, insemination and incubation were alsoperformed for some other sturgeon species (Dettlaff et al.,1993).Sturgeon aquaculture can be the only solution to theconservation of wild populations through restocking and byproviding a consistent supply without exploiting wild popula-tions. The main species used in aquaculture productionworldwide are white sturgeon (A. transmontanus), Siberian(A. baeri), Russian sturgeon (A. gueldenstadtii), sterlet(A. ruthenus) and hybrid called bester (beluga female x sterletmale) (Mims et al., 2002).There was six sturgeon species in the Black Sea region ofTurkey. But recently, only three species (A. gueldenstadtii,A. steallatus and H. huso) are still occurring occesionally onsouthern Black Sea coastline. The aim of this study is caught asby-catch different species of sturgeons from Black Sea andIstanbul Bosphorus mouth were adapted to aquaculture_conditions for evaluation as future broodstock management.Materials and methodsIn this study nine specimens of three species (Huso huso,Acipenser stellatus, and Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) were usedfor application to culture conditions in order to built graduallyan initial broodstock. These specimens were from Black Sea(41 07¢N; 30 38¢E) by-catches and from those of the IstanbulBosphorus (41 11¢N; 29 07¢E). All by-catches were transferredto Istanbul University Sapanca Inland Fish AquacultureResearch and Applied Station (SIFARAS) in a 150 L tankusing water from the catch area. Two locations were about 70and 120 km distances from the culture site. Catching locationsand biometric datas of sturgeon were recorded. Every fishwere tagged and named as Russian sturgeon (G1, G2, G3),Stellate sturgeon (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) and Beluga sturgeon (H1)(Table 2).

Abstract: The objective of this paper was to study anatomy and histology of pyloric caeca in 2 years old beluga (Huso huso (Linnaeus, 1758)). In this study 12, 2-year old male and female H. huso were included. Anatomical position of pyloric caeca was studied through dissection. Histological specimens were fixed in 10% formalin buffer phosphate for 72 h. The specimens were processed through paraffin embedding and 7 micrometer sections were cut and stained by Hematoxylin and eosin and observed under light microscope. It was shown that pyloric caeca in H. huso were attached and formed a large mass between stomach and duodenum. The capsule was a smooth muscle that had dispatched trabeculae into the organ and formed lobules. There were numerous villi with simple columnar epithelium in different sizes in each lobule. It was demonstrated that pyloric caeca in H. huso like other sturgeon fish were attached to each other and formed an organ called pyloric caeca with a long leaf-shaped villi.

Abstract: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducted aerial surveys of the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, 31 May - 9 June 2011 as a continuum of surveys conducted since 1993. Eight of the days in 2011 resulted in complete surveys of the beluga habitat in the upper inlet (north of East Foreland and West Foreland); and the remaining two days included surveys of the lower inlet. Beluga groups were dispersed by the last day of the survey (9 June) effectively excluding this day from the abundance analysis. During the remaining seven surveys of the upper inlet, 26 beluga groups were observed, and up to 12 counting passes were made per group. This season there was a fairly typical presentation of beluga groups, with two or more large groups in the Susitna area and a few smaller groups in Chickaloon Bay on each survey day. No beluga groups were found in Knik Arm, Turnagain Arm, or elsewhere in Cook Inlet. After excluding the 4 June survey because of a low estimate that was likely due to poor sighting conditions and dispersed groups, six complete surveys were considered to be of sufficient quality to use for estimation of abundance. The estimated abundance for June 2011 is 284 (CV 16%, 95% CI 207 to 389, Nmin = 248) with a ten-year trend (2001-2011) of -1.1% per year (SE = 1.1%). The trend since the management of the beluga hunt began in 1999 (i.e. 1999–2011) is -1.7% per year (SE = 0.9%).