• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.274-282
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• 2019

Female Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii were crossed with male Russian sturgeon A. gueldenstaedtii and the development, ontogenetic behavior, and phototactic characteristics of the resultant hybrid prolarvae were examined. The fertilization rate of the hybrid group was similar to that of Siberian sturgeon (the maternal species), and the overall developmental characteristics of hybrid embryos were not significantly different from those of either parental species. The time window from first hatch to the completion of hatching was wider in Russian sturgeon than in Siberian and hybrid sturgeon groups. The prolarval viability of the hybrid group was similar to that of the maternal species, and significantly higher than that of the paternal species. Hybrid prolarvae displayed ontogenetic behavioral patterns that were quite similar to those of Siberian sturgeon. In an illumination preference test, hybrid prolarvae displayed significant positive phototaxis, similar to the maternal species, and clearly distinct from the negative phototactic character of the paternal species. Taken together, our data indicate that the prolarval traits of hybrid sturgeon from this cross more closely resemble those of the maternal than the paternal species.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.167-168
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• 1996

Experiments were conducted to determine the activities of protease and carbohydrase in growing lensky sturgeon fed with three different diets containing various concentrations of protein and carbohydrate. Neutral pretense activity from growing lensky sturgeon the protein diet (predo-minary, almost $100\%$ protein) was lower then those from fish fed the other diets during the experimental period. The results may indicate that the level of pretense activity is inversely related to the level of protein in the diets.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2013

Normal embryonic development at a constant temperature ($18^{\circ}C$) has been described for the Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Acipenseriformes). Hormone-induced spawning and artificial insemination were performed to prepare embryonic batches for embryologic examination. After insemination, early cleavages of the Siberian sturgeon embryos continued for 7 h post-fertilization (HPF), showing the typical pattern of uneven holoblastic cleavage. Blastulation and gastrulation began at 9 HPF and 19 HPF, respectively. Epiboly formation (2/3 covered) was observed at 25 HPF during gastrulation. Neurulation was initiated with the formation of a slit-like neural groove from the blastopore at 33 HPF. During neurulation, the primary embryonic kidney (pronephros) and s-shaped heart developed. The embryos underwent progressive differentiation, which is typical of Acipenseriform species. A mass hatching was observed at 130 HPF, and the average total length of the hatched prolarvae was 10.5 mm. The hatched prolarvae possessed a typical pigment plug (yolk plug). The results of this study are valuable not only as a reference guide for the artificial propagation of Siberian sturgeon in hatcheries but also as the basis for the derivation of developmental gene expression assays for this species.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.10
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• 2019

Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) is commercially important in Korea because its caviar is highly prized. Although the early ontogeny of the species has been described, behavioral modifications in response to various light intensities or diel photoperiodicity patterns have not been studied extensively. The objective of the present study was to examine the behavioral characteristics of hatchery-produced A. gueldenstaedtii prelarvae over a diel photoperiodic cycle. During a diel light cycle comprising 16 h of daylight (450 lx), 4 h of dim light (10 lx), and 4 h of darkness (< 1 lx), newly hatched A. gueldenstaedtii prelarvae exhibited negative phototaxis in daylight (day 0-day 2), and this early behavior was not significantly affected by changes of light intensities. Rheotactic and non-rheotactic aggregation into schools was typical between days 3 and 6. Under the diel light cycle conditions described, rheotaxis was not influenced by environmental light intensity as much as non-rheotactic schooling behavior. Post-schooling behavior, which progressed from day 7 to day 8, did not change significantly during the diel light cycle. The data from the present study could be of practical value in developing a visual guide for assessing the fitness and quality of Russian sturgeon prelarvae under diel light cycle conditions in hatcheries.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.245-257
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• 2020

Behavioral response to a diel photoperiodicity (500 lx for 16 h, 5 lx for 4 h and < 0.5 lx for 4 h) and phototactic characteristics in dark conditions were examined with Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Chondrostei, Actinopterygii) prelarvae. Siberian sturgeon prelarvae represented both qualitative and quantitative changes in their behavioral patterns according to different light intensities in a diel photoperiodicity. Under daylight conditions (500 lx), prelarvae displayed saltatory changes of behavioral features with ages (Day 0-Day 9) in a general order of swimming-up/drifting, swimming in the upper water column, benthic swimming with rheotaxis, schooling and post-schooling behavior. Compared to daylight conditions, prelarvae tended to show more benthic performances and quantitative reductions of schooling and post-schooling behaviors under dimlight conditions (5 lx). Under dark conditions (< 0.5 lx), prelarvae exhibited a fairly uniform behavioral pattern characterized by the benthic swimming across the bottom of the tank. From phototaxis tests under dark conditions, navigational responses of prelarvae to a spotlight illumination were quantitatively changed as their ages increased. The phototactic responses reached the peak on Day 2, continued until Day 4, and then gradually decreased until Day 8. A partial recovery of positive phototaxis was observed on Day 9. Data from this study suggest that the diel light cycle as well as the light intensity of each interval in the cycle should be considered as important components of a practical guide for evaluating fitness and developmental states of artificially propagated Siberian sturgeon prelarvae.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2020

Changes of gonadal morphology and mRNA expression patterns of vitellogenin were investigated in Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Chondrostei) during its early gonadal maturation period. Early differentiations and morphological transitions of both ovaries and testes appeared to occur actively until the age of 3 years, however from then on, the maturation patterns to full maturity were largely gender-dependent, in which males showed a faster progression of maturation than did females while females experienced a steady-state progress with a lagged interval before entering the final maturation. Expression of vitellogenin mRNAs are closely correlated with transitional patterns of gonadal appearances. In both females and males, hepatic mRNA levels of vitellogenin exponentially increased in the earliest interval (up to 1-year-old). However, in subsequent periods, vitellogenin expression in females continued to increase with age, whereas in males, the expression stabilized at a younger age. Nevertheless, at the age older than or equal to 7-year-old, fully matured individuals showed a quite low level of vitellogenin expression in both females and males. Collectively, results from this study could be useful as a fundamental guideline to address the gonad maturation of this sturgeon species, which is helpful for making practical decisions about farming practices and management for caviar production on local sturgeon farms.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.23.1-23.8
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• 2018

Background: Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) is an emerging candidate species in the Korean aquaculture domain owing to its highly valued caviar. Although the embryonic development of this species was previously described, the complete image data on the morphological differentiation of developing embryos have not been yet fully available. Further, with the viewpoint of larval production in hatchery, the effects of temperature on embryonic viability and the temporal window of hatching event have not been extensively studied. Hence, the objective of this study was to provide a complete set of photographic image data on the embryogenesis and also to examine the effects of incubation temperatures on embryonic viability and hatching event in farm-bred Russian sturgeon. Results: Typical characteristics of embryonic development including uneven, holoblastic cleavages with unequal blastomeres, followed by the formation of germ layer, neurulation, and organogenesis until hatching, were documented. Under different temperature conditions (12, 16, or $20^{\circ}C$), viability of embryos incubated at $12^{\circ}C$ was significantly lower as relative to those of 16 and $20^{\circ}C$ incubated embryos. Hatchability of embryos was higher, and the timing of hatching event was more synchronized at $20^{\circ}C$ than at 12 and $16^{\circ}C$. Conclusion: Data from this study suggest that the incubation of Russian sturgeon embryos at $20^{\circ}C$ would be desirable in the hatchery practice with respect to the good hatchability of embryos and the synchronization of hatching events. Additionally, the updated image data for complete embryonic development could be a useful reference guide for not only developmental researches but also artificial propagation of Russian sturgeon in farms.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.719-724
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• 2008

The overall objectives of this study were to examine the potential of sturgeon as an intermediate moisture food (IMF) by measurement of nutritional components, such as minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and water activity. Chemical compositions were as follows:moisture 73.2%, crude protein 19.9%, crude lipid 5.7%, ash 1.1%, and carbohydrate 0.1%. Minerals were K 317.70, P 259.88, and Mg 29.78 mg/100 g. Fatty acids detected were oleic acid (40.46% of total), palmitic acid (23.27%), and linoleic acid (15.35%). In addition, sturgeon was very rich in glutamic acid (1,189.71 mg/100 g) and deficient in serine (55.12 mg/100 g). Moisture content and water activity of sturgeon dried at $40^{\circ}C$ after soaking in different concentrationsof sugar and salt solutions were 15.12-16.24% and 0.68-0.79, respectively. Sensory evaluation of sturgeon soaked in different concentrations of sugar and salt solutions indicated that sturgeon soaked in 3.0% (w/v) sugar and salt solution scored highest.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2013

Early ontogenic development in Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii was documented and the effects of different temperatures on embryonic and prelarval development were examined. Photograph-assisted data on morphogenesis in Siberian sturgeon prolarvae agreed well with published descriptions of their ontogeny and ecological behaviors, although certain aspects of differentiation, such as gill covering and scute development, could be rearing condition-sensitive. The present study provides the first characterization of the transient development of teeth during early larval stages; the pattern was congruent with the transition of prolarvae to exogenous feeding. From examinations of embryonic and prelarval development under different temperature conditions ($12-24^{\circ}C$), developmental speed was inversely related with temperature. Overall, hatchability was higher and hatching events were more synchronized at $20^{\circ}C$ than at lower temperatures. After hatching, similar patterns of temperature-dependency were observed in yolk sac absorption and the evacuation of the pigment plug. Our results suggest that the incubation of Siberian sturgeon embryos and prolarvae at temperatures close to $20^{\circ}C$ would be advantageous in hatcheries, based on reductions in the duration and uniformity of egg and prolarval developmental stages.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2015

A 10-day trial was conducted to evaluate the salinity tolerance and hematological responses of juvenile ship sturgeon Acipenser nudiventris under different salinity levels. A total of 240 fish averaging $6.2{\pm}0.13g$ (mean${\pm}$SD) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks in groups of 20, and each tank was then randomly assigned to one of three replicates of four different salinities at 0, 4, 8 and 12‰. At the end of 10 days of experimental period, plasma protein value of fish exposed to 0‰ and 4‰ salinities was significantly higher than those of fish exposed to 8‰ and 12‰ salinities (P < 0.05). Significantly higher values for plasma cortisol and glucose were obtained in fish exposed to 12‰ salinity compared to the fish exposed to 0‰ and 4‰ salinities (P < 0.05). Plasma potassium and sodium values increased significantly by increment of salinity levels (P < 0.05). Therefore, these results indicated that in natural environments, juvenile ship sturgeon, A. nudiventris in migratory populations could be able to migrate and adjust successfully into brackish water with a salinity of up to 8‰ without any short-term hematological stress responses.