Mike I believe they are the same species as we used to have through out europe.Latin name is .er........erm forgot! Hugo something? despite the commercial fishing (trawlers and huge factory ships) there still seems too be loads of them.Very controlled and licenced but you should see the hundreds of tons of them and catfish taken.I am lead to believe that the "Sturgeon" stocked into most English and French waters are Sterlet a smaller member of the family.

Sturgeons are the family Acipenseridae.

Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and
Beluga Sturgeon (Huso Huso).

There is also the Sterlot (Acipenser Ruthensus) which is the only true freshwater sturgeon in Europe.

If you really are interested in sturgeon you really must beg, borrow or steal! and get out to the Fraser river in British Columbia. The sturgeon can attain weights in excess of 1000lbs.
I've been twice and I can tell you it is totally awesome. I caught quite a few up to 250lbs and even had a hundred pounder on a centrepin. Believe it or not I'm just putting some slides together for a Hertfordshire clubs AGM. If any one out there is interested in arranging an evening devoted to the fish I would happily come along to share my experiences with you.
I truly believe it is the ultimate river experience.
All the best,

Steve.

Hugo Hugo,Huso Huso I was prety close not bad for an old fart with memory problems!Thanks for tidying that up Graham.Steve the sturgeon in both the US and Canada are White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus?) they are a terrific fish and do grow too 1000lb.But why bother going all the way to the US and fishing for tiddlers!Go to Russia I know of fish to 3,221lbs taken by commercial fishermen there!It is also a lot cheaper than the US.The days of restricted angling time and a diet of fish stew are long gone!

The Sturgeon that Rik is on about in Fenland Fisheries, Earith don't grow to the massive sizes that they do on the continent, but they don't half give a good account for themselves. In Fenland, there are 3 varieties. The Common Sturgeon, Diamondback Sturgeon and Sterlets. As the primary business of the fishery is an ornamental fish farm, the owner has managed to stock these into one of the lakes for 'growing on' purposes. They love Nash Whiskey boilies. I must say though that the novelty has now worn off a bit with these fish, but they are fun on light carp tackle and even more fun on the pole.

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but I have just joined. (I will find a pic as soon as I can find one that didn't break the camera)

On Sterlets and the like possibly being in Rivers. As you can buy a Sterlet from quite a number of the larger Aquarists shops. I wouldn't be suprised if un-educated people have got them for their 'Koi Ponds' only to dump them once they got too big.

Also after reading a report (sorry I can't find it now) on the amount insurance companies were having to fork out for lost ornemantal fish stocks that were flooded out of peoples ponds and into rivers. A figure of over £100,000 from what I remember. Who knows what we may be catching out of the rivers like the Upper Thames in the future? These fish will have survived under-aerated ponds with poor temperature control and poor filteration and they have still bred. Many will perish, but it only needs a few to survive... Then who knows? Sterlet bashing at the Upper Wensum anyone?

first time ive replied to one of these!but i can tell you a real live wild sturgion was caught just 2 or 3 weeks ago by a trawlerman off the south west coast im not sure where,but it was featured on a reagional t.v. news report! it was small at (if my memory serves me will)40LB or was it KG (on t.v. it looked to be a good 4FT long). it was allso the first for many,many years,and was offered to the queen as this is leagally required, but was "gratiously turned down" sorry about the spelling

I have been doing a little reserch on the subject of 'Sturgeon' since I first initiated this forum thread earlier this year. So I thought that might as well share it with you all.
The last recorded wild Sturgeon caught in the English freshwater systems, was in 1905 on the river Great Ouse, about 4 miles up stream of KIngs Lynn. The fish was offered to the Crown, but was declined. It was then stuffed and mounted, and then exibited in the Kings Lynn town museum. Where it was displayed until the early 1980s ( I remember veiwing, as a teenager in 1978). The fish is around 8feet long and about 330lbs.
Private veiwings of the fish (in storage) can be arranged via the museum curator by telephone appointment only. There are no current plans to put the fish on back general exibition at the moment. There have also been Sturgeon bones excavated at ancient sites around East Anglia. So as far as I am concerned they are an indiginous speices to Great Britain. How about reintroducing them????? (and the Burbot)
During the last bout of winter flooding there where, 10 Diamondback Sturgeon of around 20 inches long washed out of a garden pond and into the river Lark near Bury st Edmunds. This is my local river, so after 16th june, I will be out there fishing for them. It is a pity that the E.A. has banned the use of Crayfish as bait, because these are the staple diet of Sturgeon, when they are in freashwater (and the river Lark has an awful lot of Crayfish in it). Maybe if specimens of this sub speices make it to the open seas it may encourage the real Sturgeon back into the river Great Ouse system. Therefore any tips or techniques for catching these feral fish that you guys can pass on will be gratefully received

I have heard squid boilies, pieces of squid or even swan mussles can get results. But don't quote me on that, I am not exactly an authority on catching anything other than colds :-)