TEHRAN- As announced by a provincial official, the production of sturgeons has increased by 30 percent in Golestan province, in the northeast of Iran, in the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 21, 2022).

Mahmoud Saqli, a director of the Fisheries Department of the province, said that the production of sturgeons has reached 150 tons in this year, while the figure was 118 tons in the whole of last year.

He further stated that sturgeon production has been transferred to the private sector, adding that all sturgeon breeding farms are operated by the private sector, but the breeding of sturgeon fry is done by the fisheries breeding centers of this department in order to preserve aquatic stocks.

Saqli announced the activity of eight sturgeon breeding centers in the province and stated: “Three farms are operating in Bandargaz, three farms are in Kordkoui, one farm is in Agh-Qala and one farm is in Aliabad-Katul.

In relation to the provision of fish feed, the official said supplying fish feed is the responsibility of the private sector and Fisheries Department has no role in this field.

The Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae. It is found in the Caspian Sea and to a lesser extent the Black Sea and ascends certain rivers to spawn, mainly the Volga, Kura, Araks, and Ural Rivers.

MA/MA