Kaluga (fish)

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Kaluga
A kaluga in an Asamushi Aquarium
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acipenseriformes
Family:	Acipenseridae
Genus:	Huso
Species:	H. dauricus
Binomial name
Huso dauricus (Georgi 1775)
Synonyms[3][4]
Acipenser dauricus Georgi 1775 Acipenser mantschuricus Basilewsky 1855 Acipenser orientalis Pallas 1814 Huso orientalis (Pallas 1814) Ichthyocolla daurica (Georgi 1775) Acipenser kaluschka Steller 1814

The kaluga (Huso dauricus), also known as the river beluga, is a large predatory sturgeon found in the Amur River basin. With a maximum size of at least 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) and 5.6 m (18.6 ft), the kaluga is one of the biggest of the sturgeon family. Like the slightly larger beluga, it spends part of its life in salt water. Unlike the beluga, this fish has 5 major rows of dermal scutes and feeds on salmon and other fish in the Amur. They have gray-green to black backs with a yellowish green-white underbelly.

The kaluga has been hunted to near extinction for its valuable roe. Despite constant anti-poaching patrols, poachers still continue to catch the fish. In Russia, illegally fishing for kaluga anywhere in the Amur River is a felony punishable by law. However, kalugas are known to have an aggressive nature, and instances of them toppling fishing boats and drowning fishermen have been reported, although no concrete evidence exists of them assaulting or hunting people.