European Sturgeon :: Acipenser sturio

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 029

On today’s show we learn about the European Sturgeon, a critically endangered fish native to Western Europe, specifically the Gironde Estuary on the west coast of France in the Gironde Department.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (30:47) Citations
• (32:58) Music
• (37:59) Pledge

For more information about the conservation and protection of the European Sturgeon please visit the World Sturgeon Conservation Society at https://www.wscs.info

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• “Acipenser sturio Recovery Research Actions in France.” Williot, P., Rochard, E., Rouault, T., Kirschbaum, F. (2009). In: Carmona, R., Domezain, A., García-Gallego, M., Hernando, J.A., Rodríguez, F., Ruiz-Rejón, M. (eds) Biology, Conservation and Sustainable Development of Sturgeons. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht – https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8437-9_15 
• “Biological characteristics of European Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, as the basis for a restoration program in France.” Williot, P. et al. (1997). In: Birstein, V.J., Waldman, J.R., Bemis, W.E. (eds). Sturgeon Biodiversity and Conservation. Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes, vol 17. Springer, Dordrecht. – https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-46854-9_24 
• “Biological Observations on the Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio)”. Borodin, N. (1925). Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, Vol. 55 No.1, p 184–190 – https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1925)55[184:BOOTAS]2.0.CO;2 
• "Conservation Status and Effectiveness of the National and International Policies for the Protection and Conservation of Sturgeons in the Danube River and Black Sea Basin". Strat, Daniela, and Iuliana Florentina Gheorghe. 2023. Diversity Vol. 15, no. 4: 568 – https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040568 
• “Energy audit and carbon footprint in trawl fisheries.” Sala A, Damalas D, Labanchi L, Martinsohn J, Moro F, Sabatella R, Notti E. Scientific Data. 2022 Jul 20;9(1):428. – https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01478-0 
• “The Evolution of the Spiracular Region From Jawless Fishes to Tetrapods”. Gai Zhikun, Zhu Min, Ahlberg Per E., Donoghue Philip C. J. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Vol. 10. 2022 – https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.887172 
• IUCN – https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/230/242530547
• “Meristic and morphological features of the Baltic sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.)”. Debus, L. (1999). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, Vol. 15: 38-45. – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.1999.tb00203.x 
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries. Species Directory: European Sturgeon – https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/european-sturgeon/overview 
• “Phylogenetic Biodiversity Metrics Should Account for Both Accumulation and Attrition of Evolutionary Heritage”. James Rosindell, Kerry Manson, Rikki Gumbs, William D Pearse, Mike Steel. Systematic Biology, Volume 73, Issue 1, January 2024, Pages 158–182 – https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syad072 
• “Phylogeography of the European Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio): A critically endangered species”. Olivier Chassaing, Nathalie Desse-Berset, Catherine Hänni, Sandrine Hughes, Patrick Berrebi. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 94, Part A, 2016, Pages 346-357 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.020
• “Reasons for the decline of Acipenser sturio L., 1758 in central Europe, and attempts at its restoration”. J. Gessner. Bulletin of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography Vol. 16 no. 1-4. 2000 pp 117-126 – https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71764893.pdf
• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_sea_sturgeon

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A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m an ambient musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.