Kaluga (Huso dauricus)

Scientific name: Huso dauricus Georgi, 1775

The Kaluga (Huso dauricus) is a freshwater fish of the family Acipenseridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 10–20°C (50–68°F).

Kaluga care at a glance

Temperature: 10–20°C (50–68°F)

Biology

Adults inhabit rivers and lakes. Adults do not spawn every year but at least every other year. With increasing age, the spawning interval increases to three, four and more years. Feed on invertebrates in the first year then switch to juveniles of pelagic fishes, e.g., Oncorhynchus keta, at age 3 to 4 yrs., kaluga feed on adult fishes.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Huso dauricus
Family: Acipenseridae (Sturgeons)
Order: Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and Paddlefishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 560
Depth range: 0–50 m (0–164 ft)
Environment: Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous; depth range 0 - 50 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: Asia: Amur basin, ascending far up to the Argun, Shilka, and Onon. In the Amur Liman to the Amur estuary in the Sea of Okhotsk. Adults inhabit some lakes, like Orel Lake above Nikolaevsk. Also in the Ussuri and Sungari, China. International trade restricted (CITES II, since 1.4.98; CMS Appendix II).Four populations are recognized in the Amur River basin: one lives in the estuary and coastal brackish waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan, second is found in the lower Amur, third in the middle Amur, and fourth in the lower reaches of the Zeya and Bureya rivers in the Russian river banks. Two ecological morphs are present in the estuary population, the 'freshwater' and the 'brackish' water forms.
Conservation status (IUCN): Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bd)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=14-23; tmax=55; Fec=600,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026