A question came to WSBS MSU’s web site:
«Dear colleagues, could you please confirm or deny if a sturgeon was caught near the WSBS in the middle of november 1993. Could it possibly be the atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill 1815)?»

We forwarded this question to the experts from the Chair of Ichthyology at the MSU Biological Faculty, who have worked at the WSBS MSU for a long time and are the experts in this area.
Here is the answer:
«No one here remembers a sturgeon being caught exactly in the WSBS region. As for species determination of this specimen, unfortunately, the photos provided are of a poor quality. It is impossible to determine the exact species just using these photos. Another problem is that this is not a fully grown specimen, thus the species characteristics aren’t clearly visible. Nevertheless, using the elimination method, we can say the following: it is unlikely that this sturgeon belongs to the Acipenser oxyrhynchus, since it should have several rows of large star-shaped bone plates between the main rows of scutes. Besides that, this sturgeon’s anal fin should start under the middle of the spinal one, and the photo clearly shows that the anal fin starts under the back edge of the spinal one. According to the same characteristic, it cannot be a shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum.It is most likely the atlantic sturgeon, the main doubt being that there are no rows of of large bone plates between the rows of scutes on the sturgeon’s body, just a lot of small plates. However in young sturgeons it could be that the large plates have not formed yet. It would probably be right to think that this sturgeon is atlantic — Acipenser sturio«.
IF ANYONE REMEMBERS CASES OF STURGEONS BEING CAUGHT IN THE WSBS AREA – TELL US!!