Bester is a fish of hybrid origin. To obtain it, beluga caviar and sterlet milk were used. The name came from the first letters of "parents", and if translated from English ("best"), you get the "best". This is an exclusively Russian work begun by Professor N.I. Nikolyukin and subsequently continued by his students under the guidance of I.A. Burtseva.
Today, bester is a fish that is grown on an industrial scale not only in Russia, but also in the USA, the Baltic states, France, Belarus, Italy. Perhaps years will pass, and the first man-made animal species will lay the foundation for a whole group of domesticated fish.
Bester is a fish obtained after many unsuccessful experiments, since Nikolyukin carried out various sturgeon crosses, and did not even connect the beluga with the sterlet in his thoughts. Not only are their masses incomparable (beluga grows to a ton, and sterlet - up to 2 kg), spawn at different times and in different places, so they also belong to different sturgeon genera. And when interbreeding, as you know, the offspring are sterile. A study of the genetics of these fish species revealed that they have the same number of chromosomes, that is, a “marriage” between them is possible.
The zeal of our scientists paid off. Sturgeon fish, for which any change in habitat was fatal, became possible to grow in
ponds like carps. It turned out that the hybrid requires deeper water bodies. And he can live both in sea water and in fresh. Bester cultivation began to be carried out in cages, that is, fenced areas of the sea or reservoirs with a “roof” and a “bottom” so that the fish would not float away.
Took from the "parents" the best fish Bester. The photo confirms this. Intensive growth and predatory way of food came from beluga, and meat and precocious taste were excellent from sterlet. In addition, this hybrid is quite fertile. A female can sweep up to 150 thousand eggs (more than a sterlet, but less than a beluga).
In nutrition issues, there were pluses too. Bester is a lazy fish, he doesn’t have enough food, like salmon or trout, for example, but he takes it as if reluctantly. It is impossible to overfeed him. By the way, trout from gluttony even dies. Without food, a hybrid can survive a couple of months.
Bester - the fish are not schooling. Each individual is individual, moves in the pool (cage) by itself or stands still, not paying attention to others. Reflexes work out well. For example, the boat with which the feeding is carried out,
know perfectly, swim to her. Hybrids are little susceptible to disease, which cannot be said about other fish grown in large quantities. They are hardy, balanced and calm.
Given that most of the caviar is used for food, doubts may arise as to whether beluga and sterlet are enough in nature to get enough bester. Undoubtedly, you can get tons of fish from every kilogram of fertilized caviar.
Since the receipt of third-generation hybrids, deviations from the norm began to appear in the form of underdeveloped eyes, intergrown bugs, and others. The offspring of bester is very variable in length of the snout, growth rate, mouth shape. Breeders have yet to stabilize the hereditary system and increase the viability of the offspring. Science does not stand still, and there is hope that scientists will be able to solve the tasks.
