Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) experienced severe declines due to habitat destruction and overfishing beginning in the late 19(th) century. Subsequent to the boom and bust period of exploitation, there has been minimal fishing pressure and improving habitats. However, lack of recovery led to the 2012 listing of Atlantic sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. Although ha...

Here we present the first isolation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes from two ancient fish, paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis). Seventeen sequences obtained showed high polymorphism and positive natural selection with dN/dS>1. Evolutionary relationships revealed that sequences from paddlefish and Chinese sturgeon distinguished from ot...

Little is known regarding molecular mechanisms involved in sex determination and differentiation in sturgeon species. We addressed this knowledge gap by using next generation pyrosequencing technology to provide transcript libraries and species-specific sequences for mature gonads of shovelnose sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus. We then mined these libraries to identify gender-specific tran...

TheRussian sturgeon,Acipensergueldenstaedtii, is closely related to three other sturgeon species (A. persicus, A. naccarii and A. baerii), with populations in the Caspian Sea containing a cryptic lineage with an A. baerii-like mtDNA profile. Using morphological evidence (morphometrics, meristics) and additional genetic analysis (cytochrome b gene and control region sequencing), cryptic lineages...

A phylogenetic hypothesis is presented illustrating relationships among 23 extant sturgeon species based on nucleotide data from five mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b, NADH5, control region, 16S, and 12S). The tree supports our previous hypotheses regarding relationships among species of Acipenser and Huso. The introduction of Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus to the analysis does not ch...

The micropyle number in the ova of sturgeon species from the South Caspian Sea was investigated. The study was conducted on female broodfishes of three species of sturgeon (Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus, Stetates sturgeon A. stellatus and great sturgeon Huso huso) included 44 Persian sturgeon, 13 stellate sturgeon and 8 great sturgeon specimens. Fifty eggs were randomly collected from eac...

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, Acipenseridae) populations in the United States were listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2012. Because of the endangered/threatened status, a better understanding of Atlantic sturgeon life-history behavior and habitat use is important for effective management. It has been widely documented that Atlanti...

Challenges and regulations associated with handling fish during fisheries management activities have increased efforts to achieve U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for an immediate-release sedative for fish. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify the target concentration of AQUI-S 20E for sedation of Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus to a handleable state followed by rapi...

lactic acid bacteria are characterized as gram-positive, usually non-motile, non-sporulating bacteria that produce lactic acid as a major or sole product of their fermentative metabolism. in this study, the presence of lactobacilli were investigated in the intestines of beluga ( huso huso) and persian sturgeon ( acipenser persicus ), inhabiting caspian sea. the obtained data showed that various...

The micropyle number in the ova of sturgeon species from the South Caspian Sea was investigated. The study was conducted on female broodfishes of three species of sturgeon (Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus, Stetates sturgeon A. stellatus and great sturgeon Huso huso) included 44 Persian sturgeon, 13 stellate sturgeon and 8 great sturgeon specimens. Fifty eggs were randomly collected from eac...