Many people know that beluga is the largest freshwater fish that currently exists. Mention of it is found in many historical documents. In Russia, this fish, brought to the capital city from the distant Caspian Sea, was served to the table of princes and tsars. There are many descriptions of fantastic specimens, reaching simply incredible sizes. Not surprisingly, many have the question of which of these testimonies corresponds to reality, and which is an absolute fiction.
The largest beluga, whose existence is confirmed by sufficient evidence, is striking in size. There are many applicants for this title, but, unfortunately, all the facts of the existence of giant belugas were recorded long ago. Nowadays, large specimens are almost never found.
King fish
Beluga is a long-living fish. She can live a hundred years. During this time, the largest beluga can grow to gigantic dimensions of several meters. This species is considered one of the largest marine fish on the planet.
This fish spawns several times in life. Experts say that beluga caviar masonry is also gigantic - weighing up to half a ton.
Females go into spawning into rivers flowing into the sea, sometimes rising upstream several kilometers. It is noteworthy that if there is no suitable place for the kids, the fish will not spawn, and the caviar inside will gradually resolve.
Where does beluga live?
The largest beluga is found in the Caspian, Black, Adriatic, Mediterranean and Azov Seas.
During spawning, this fish can be found in the Volga, Terek, Don, Kama, Dnieper and many other rivers that flow into the seas. Large females, who did not have time to spawn, sometimes even stay in the rivers for the winter, hibernating.
How to catch the largest beluga?
Today, commercial fishing of this fish is prohibited. No less strict veto was imposed on the collection of beluga caviar. But the law does not prohibit sport fishing. For her, special gear is used that minimally injures the fish.
Fishing is one way to establish and document facts. The largest beluga in the world, caught by an enthusiast in the competition, will certainly be measured, weighed, photographed, and after that it will be released back home. If this did not happen regularly, we would know much less about the life of these amazing fish.
To catch the thunderstorm of seas and rivers, you need to swim 3 kilometers from the sea into the river. Beluga is a voracious predator; in her stomach, fishermen have repeatedly found even ducks and squirrels. When choosing bait, you should give preference to raw meat and fish. Professionals know: the beluga, although not aggressive, as, for example, catfish, is quite capable of seriously misbehaving. In an attempt to get away from the fisherman, she might even turn the boat over.
Largest representatives: confirmed facts
The largest beluga, caught in Russia in 1922, still holds the palm. She weighed 1224 kg and was caught in the Caspian Sea. The giant fish was filled with caviar. The photo of the largest beluga is simply amazing. The king fish is comparable in size to ocean monsters: sharks, killer whales, and narwhals.
Several other facts of the catch of giant beluga were confirmed. In Kazan, there is even a stuffed giant fish, which weighed a ton during its lifetime. The carcass 4.17 m long was presented to the city by Nicholas II himself, and today the stuffed animal made of it is exhibited in the museum. Anyone can admire the huge fish.
The exhibit is slightly more modest than the Kazan one is in one of the museums of Astrakhan - the beluga caught in the Volga reached 966 kg. Another interesting specimen during life had a length of almost 6 meters and a weight of up to a ton. His story is amazing. This beluga was caught by poachers, gutted valuable caviar, and thrown out the carcass. But of course, they simply could not know what treasure fell into their hands! Afraid of being arrested for illegal activities, the poachers simply called the museum and told where they had dumped the carcass. It was damaged by careless cutting, but taxidermists managed to make a scarecrow out of it.
The language barrier
Sometimes confusion arises for very unusual reasons. For example, for a very long time the word "beluga" in the Russian language was also applied to the whale, today known as beluga whale. Whales, of course, are larger than sturgeons, but this did not prevent the emergence of fantastic rumors. Eyewitness accounts of the catch of two-ton belugas most likely relate specifically to marine animals. By the way, belugas can sing. It was their singing that formed the basis of the phraseology “Roaring like a beluga”. Sturgeons, of course, do not know how to roar.
And in English, many sturgeons, including beluga, are often indicated by one word - sturgeon. This, too, often confuses the question of the largest beluga. Some of the claimed applicants for the championship belong to other species of the Sturgeon family.
Human factor
The largest beluga, caught in our time, reaches only 2-3 centners. Uncontrolled fishing and collection of caviar, environmental degradation, wasteful use of resources - all this negatively affected the population. The number of beluga decreased, the fish chopped, spawning became less frequent. The habitat has also declined. For spawning, the beluga leaves very close to the river, trying to stay close to the sea.
