Bester adapts well to different conditions cultivation (combining the properties of anadromous beluga with freshwater sterlet) in both fresh and brackish waters, it can be grown in ponds, cages and pools.
Bester was successfully tested in industrial fish farms and widely spread in the pond farms of the CIS countries. Bester females mature at the 6-8th, males - at the 3-4th year of life. Underyearlings grow up to 100-500 g of a two-year-old - up to 800 g or more.
In cage farms, usually reared juveniles of Bester are reared from ponds of sturgeon hatcheries, where they feed on natural food. It is difficult to accustom Bester's fry to artificial food, while there may be significant waste of malnourished individuals that have not switched to artificial food.
In conditions middle lane in cages, Bester reaches a weight of 0.8-1.0 kg at the age of three. The planting density of Bester in cages does not exceed 10-15 kg/m².
Here Additional Information about Besters:
Bester - fish for the pond
This fish is obtained as a result of artificial hybridization of beluga and sterlet. Bester fish is the most unpretentious of the sturgeon family, which can live even in small ponds and reservoirs.
With an abundant forage base, it grows beautifully and grows up to 8 kg in weight. In terms of taste, this fish is not inferior to sterlet.
Bester - habitat
Bester is the most unpretentious fish from the sturgeon family, therefore they live perfectly in ponds and reservoirs. They live very well in artificial ponds and reservoirs: if the volume allows, they grow up to 8-10 kg.
Bester - wintering
Bester winters well in artificial ponds and reservoirs, even in small ponds with aeration they feel great. Of all the sturgeons, bester is the most unpretentious fish that lives in homestead ponds and reservoirs.
Bester - feeding
Bester feeds well on large dry food. The only thing is that he eats only sinking food, since this is a bottom fish and takes food only from the bottom. Just like any other fish, it feeds on worms and molluscs. There are cases that it even eats from the hand, but only dry sinking food.
Perhaps someday, for the sake of exoticism, I will try to put a few of the yearlings of Bester into one of the small ponds, after stocking it with some low-value fish, which it is not a pity to send into the mouth of the Besters.
I invite everyone to speak in
Sometimes, on a bait or in a net, amateur fishermen come across species of fish that are difficult to recognize. These are hybrids that appear as a result of random crossing (hybridization) of fish belonging to different types. But scientists, fish farmers, conduct targeted hybridization of fish to obtain hybrids with certain qualities that are beneficial to humans. An example of a successful hybrid among sturgeons is bester fish, which is characterized by rapid growth, early maturation and tasty meat and caviar.
To increase inventory sturgeon fish, which have excellent gastronomic qualities (tasty and healthy meat and caviar), hybridization is very important. Obtaining a hybrid and sterlet opens up broad prospects for its cultivation in many inland water bodies (reservoirs, pond farms, and others).
The very first experience of obtaining hybrid sturgeons was undertaken back in 1869. Academician Filipp Ovsyannikov and Professor Alexander Kovalevsky on the middle Volga, where the spawning grounds of sterlet and sturgeon were located, conducted an experiment on the artificial insemination of sterlet caviar. Part of the caviar was fertilized with sturgeon milk, and for the first time a hybrid offspring of sturgeons was obtained. For the next 80 years, these bold experiments were not continued.
The resumption of work on obtaining sturgeon hybrids occurred in 1949 by Nikolai Nikolayevich Nikolyukin, the author of a successfully defended doctoral dissertation “Interspecific hybridization of fish”.
As a result of many years of work on conducting numerous experiments, a hybrid was obtained that inherited the most best qualities of their parents - bester fish, the name of which was invented by Professor Nikolyukin N.I. It is composed by the first syllables of the names of the parent species (beluga and sterlet). Quite coincidentally, it happened that of English language the word "best" is translated as "the best". And the resulting hybrid 100 percent justified the meaning hidden in its name.
Starting to deal with the hybridization of sturgeon, Professor Nikolyukin set as his goal the obtaining of such new forms of these fish that would be able to settle down in reservoirs without making long migrations for reproduction. He carried out his experiments at a small fish farm on the Volga near Saratov.
For successful crossing, it is necessary that the caviar and milk from the producers are fully ripe. This circumstance was insurmountable: it was necessary to constantly catch new fish. And only with the advent of the methodology of Professor Gerbilsky N.L. to stimulate the maturation of caviar and milk by the introduction of a pituitary injection, experiments began to be carried out much faster. After the fish received such an injection, caviar and milt matured in one to two days.
Nikolyukin conducted experiments on crossing sturgeons very carefully, crossing each species with all. Receiving natural hybrids from fishermen (natural hybrids were always found among sturgeons), he crossed them with pure species. Example: a male hybrid (sterlet and stellate sturgeon) crossed with a female sterlet.
In this sequence of experiments, an attempt to fertilize beluga eggs with milk obtained from sterlet turned out to be practically the final one. And it was as a result of this experiment that the famous bester fish was obtained.
Together with Nikolai Nikolaevich, his wife (Timofeeva Nina Apollonovna) also worked. It was she who started the experiment by crossing the beluga and the sterlet. AT natural conditions hybrids of these two fish have never been found, probably because their sires do not meet each other.
The reasons for this were obvious:
Another important circumstance usually stops breeders: intergeneric crossing is not distinguished by the fecundity of offspring. Therefore, in his experiments, Nikolyukin considered different variants crossing fish of only the genus Acipenser (thorn, sturgeon, sterlet and stellate sturgeon) from the Aral and Caspian Seas. Beluga belongs to another genus Huso, as well as living on far east. It turns out that the experiment laid by Nina Apollonovna to obtain a hybrid of beluga and sterlet was unplanned. But he gave the best result.
In the course of the experiment, hybrids of the second generation were even obtained, both of whose parents were hybrid individuals, that is, offspring were obtained from a mature female and male Bester. It was a real sensation.
The reason for the successful experiment to obtain bester lies in the genetic characteristics of sturgeon fish. All sturgeon (excluding sturgeon) have the same number of chromosomes. The reason for the sterility of hybrids based on sturgeon, which has 2 times more chromosomes than all the others, has become clear.
Due to genetic similarity, that is, the presence equal number chromosomes, beluga (which is the most big fish sturgeon family) and the smallest of this family (sterlet) can successfully “marry” and produce viable offspring with other advantages.
The photo of bester fish is remotely very similar to the photo of any other sturgeon fish: five rows of bone scutes are clearly visible along the body (one on the back, two on the sides and two on the ventral side).
With a closer study of the appearance of the bester, the features of each of the "parents" are visible:
The contrast between the dark back and the light belly is more pronounced than in other sturgeons, which is also noticeable in the photo of bester fish.
Bester fish is capable of reproduction, but in aquaculture conditions this hybrid is bred artificially. Offspring always get artificial insemination beluga caviar with the sperm of a male sterlet. For this purpose, spawners are caught in natural reservoirs and the development and maturation of reproductive products (caviar and milk) are accelerated in them. The eggs of one female beluga are fertilized with a mixture of sperm taken from several male sterlet. Incubation of eggs lasts five to ten days (depending on the temperature of the water). Hatched larvae are planted first in trays. After the transition of juveniles to self-feeding, they are transferred to special rearing ponds.
Bester fish has the best qualities inherited from its parents:
Bester(according to the first syllables of the words BELuga and sterlet) - a fish of the sturgeon family, is a hybrid of beluga and sterlet. Adults of bester reach a length of 180 cm and a weight of 30 kilograms. Bester adopted the appearance from the "parents", but looks more attractive. The color of bester can vary from gray to dark gray with a beige tint. For the first time, a hybrid of beluga and sterlet was obtained in 1952 in the USSR by N.I.Nikolyukin. Bester combines the high growth rate of the beluga and the early maturation of the sterlet.
Bester- the only representative of sturgeons, the existence of which has been maintained in aquaculture for more than half a century, with reproduction of three generations. In terms of fish breeding and economic qualities, it compares favorably with the original species - beluga and sterlet. In addition to the main form - bester, which has equal shares of the heredity of the original species, back-crosses of bester with the beluga (B.BS) and sterlet (S.BS) are obtained and reproduced further "in themselves", having ¾ of the heredity of the beluga or sterlet and, accordingly, characterized by deviation in their direction of signs and properties. To date, these forms have received official status. 3 breeds of bester: "Burtsevskaya" (Beluga + Sterlet), "Vnirovskaya" (Beluga + BeSter) and "Aksay" (Sterlet + BeSter), which have confirmed their stability for decades of cultivation in aquaculture.
Bester Burtsevsky- an intergeneric hybrid from crossing a female beluga and a male sterlet, first obtained in 1952. According to appearance very similar to a sterlet. Sexual maturity occurs in males at the age of 4 years, in females - at 8 years. Fertility - 120 thousand eggs. Underyearlings reach a mass of 100 grams, two-year-olds - 700 grams, three-year-olds - 1500 grams.
This hybrid is an object of commercial fish farming, the final product of which is fish with a body weight above 1 kg. Along with this, it is used for the production of black caviar, which is in great demand in the market.
Bester Aksai, or bester sterlet - an intergeneric returnable hybrid from crossing a female sterlet with a male bester. It was first received in 1958. In 1969 and 1973 returnable hybrids "sterlet x bester" were also obtained in the Aksai fish farm Rostov region. In appearance, it resembles a sterlet, but has a larger size and greater body weight. It is characterized by early puberty compared to the original forms. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years, males - at the age of 2 years. The average fecundity is 40 thousand eggs. Underyearlings reach a mass of 60 grams, two-year-olds - 500 grams and three-year-olds - 1000 grams.
Bester Vnirovsky, or bester beluga - an intergeneric returnable hybrid from crossing a female beluga with a male bester, first obtained in 1958. The second time crossing was carried out in 1965 at the Rogozhsky sturgeon plant in the Rostov region. Since 1965. work on its selection is carried out at the Aksai fish farm of the Rostov region.
By their own outward signs bester Vnirovsky approaches the beluga. It is larger than bester, has a large body mass. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 8 (males) and 14 (females) years. The fertility of females is 2.5 times higher than that of Bester and almost 6 times higher than that of Sterlet Bester; on average, it is 300 thousand eggs. It is more demanding on the quality of feed and growing conditions.
Bester actively and for a very long time cultivated in cage and basin farms. Due to the fact that the bester has adopted the best qualities from the initial forms, it has become a very valuable fish for artificial stocking of reservoirs for private use, paid fishing and breeding in closed water supply installations. It is highly durable, high speed growth and weight gain, early reaches puberty. Bester gains weight quite quickly, reaching a mass of 1.5-2 kilograms in the second year of life, and 3 kilograms in the third.
Bester is currently being successfully produced by fish farms Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, countries Central Asia and the Baltics. Bester shows excellent adaptability to external conditions and survival, it can inhabit both fresh and brackish water. Bester is hardy, gets sick a little, besides it is absolutely not aggressive. Bester is undemanding to heat - the growth temperature range is 0.5-30 degrees. Both fresh and slightly salty water is suitable for growing a hybrid.
Bester winters well in artificial ponds and reservoirs, even in small ponds with aeration they feel great. Of all the sturgeons, bester is the most unpretentious fish that lives in homestead ponds and reservoirs.
Bester- a predator, its diet is quite diverse. Bester mainly feeds on insects and their larvae, small crustaceans, worms, mollusks and small fish. Easily copes with the task of cleaning reservoirs and private ponds from small low-value fish, replacing pike, zander or perch.
Bester feeds well on large dry food. The only thing is that he eats only sinking food, since this is a bottom fish and takes food only from the bottom. There are cases that it even eats from the hand, but only dry sinking food.
Everyone knows that sturgeon meat is incredibly tasty, but not everyone knows that the taste of bester meat exceeds ordinary sturgeon. Bester meat products have excellent taste due to a more even distribution of fat in muscle tissue and the characteristics of the changes that occur during the cooking process. Bester fat is located not only in the spinal part, but also in the thickness of the meat, this feature gives a special taste to balyk and boiled products. A large amount of vitamins has a positive effect on the overall functioning of the body, and on the work of its individual organs and systems: cardiac, nervous, immune, circulatory, vascular. Amino acids and fatty acids improve brain activity and vision, are a prophylactic against heart attacks and malignant neoplasms. The use of bester is recommended for people on low-calorie and low-fat diets. Bester cannot be called a very dietary fish, but it is wrong to attribute it to high-calorie foods. 100 grams of this fish contains 147 kcal.
Bester caviar smaller than beluga, but its delicate taste is very similar to it. Eggs reach a diameter of 2.5 millimeters, the color varies from silver gray to anthracite shades. Bester caviar is slightly fatter than meat and has almost the same set of useful elements.
you can buy live bester, grown in a closed eco-system, for your pond for decorative purposes or for fishing with friends. Bester is caught with float or bottom rods. Feeding is not required. Biting is almost round the clock, but bester is best caught during the day on the bottom. The best bait will be the mollusk, also the bester bites well on caddis flies, maggot, bark beetle larvae. Bester is also caught on a lure. With a successful catch, you will be rewarded not only with positive emotions from the fishing process, but also when you cook fresh fish. After all, no one will argue with the fact that the taste of fish grown in ideal conditions, just caught with their own hands, cannot be compared with the store.
Watch the video on the channel " Fish of Siberia " in YouTube:
And sterlet milk. The name was formed by the first letters of the “parents”, and if translated from English (“best”), it will turn out to be “the best”. This is an exclusively Russian work, started by Professor N.I. Nikolyukin and subsequently continued by his students under the guidance of I.A. Burtsev.
To date, bester is a fish that is grown on an industrial scale not only in Russia, but also in the USA, the Baltic states, France, Belarus, and Italy. Perhaps years will pass, and the first kind of animal created by man will lay the foundation for a whole group of domesticated fish.
Bester is a fish obtained after many unsuccessful experiments, since Nikolyukin carried out various crosses of sturgeon, and did not even combine beluga with sterlet in his thoughts. Not only are their masses incomparable (the beluga grows up to a ton, and the sterlet - up to 2 kg), they spawn in different time and in different places, so they also belong to different genera of sturgeons. And with intergeneric crossing, as you know, the offspring is sterile. The study of the genetics of these fish species revealed that they have the same number of chromosomes, that is, "marriage" between them is possible.
The efforts of our scientists have justified themselves. for which any change in the habitual habitat turned out to be disastrous, it became possible to grow in
ponds like carps. It turned out that the hybrid requires deeper water bodies. And he can live in sea water, as well as in fresh water. Cultivation of bester began to be carried out in cages, that is, fenced areas of the sea or reservoirs with a “roof” and “bottom” so that the fish would not swim away.
Taken from parents best fish bester. The photo confirms this. From the beluga got intensive growth and predatory image nutrition, and from the sterlet - meat of excellent taste and precocity. In addition, this hybrid is quite prolific. The female can spawn up to 150 thousand eggs (more than the sterlet, but less than the beluga).
In terms of nutrition, there were also pluses. Bester is a lazy fish, he does not have enough food, like salmon or trout, for example, but takes it as if reluctantly. It's impossible to overfeed him. By the way, trout even die from gluttony. Without food, a hybrid can live for a couple of months.
Bester is not a schooling fish. Each individual is individual, moves in the pool (garden) by itself or stands still, not paying attention to others. Reflexes are well developed. For example, a boat from which feeding is carried out,
perfectly recognize, swim up to her. Hybrids are not very susceptible to disease, which cannot be said about other fish grown in large quantities. They are hardy, balanced and calm.
Considering that most of the caviar is used for food, there may be doubts whether there will be enough sturgeons and sturgeons in nature to get enough bester. Undoubtedly, tons of fish can be obtained from each kilogram of fertilized caviar.
Since the receipt of third-generation hybrids, deviations from the norm began to appear in the form of underdeveloped eyes, fused bugs, and others. The offspring of besters are very variable in snout length, growth rate, and mouth shape. Breeders have yet to stabilize the hereditary system and increase the viability of offspring. Science does not stand still, and there is hope that scientists will be able to solve the tasks.
Sturgeon fish are recognized as the most valuable species living in Russian reservoirs. The main habitats of such fish are the seas, but their catch is increased due to breeding in fishing ponds. The ideal option Bester fish are considered for breeding in ponds. This species is a hybrid, but since its breeding has won the hearts of numerous anglers.
Sturgeon bester is considered the most the best view for breeding in ponds The history of breeding Bester begins in 1952, when Professor Nikolyukin, together with his wife, decided to fertilize beluga caviar with sterlet milk. After the Beluga-sterlet cross was carried out, no one expected that it would become new trend in fishing, but after a week fry appeared from the eggs.
It was not known how long the fish would mature, because the sterlet matures at the age of 6-8 years, and the beluga - 5-6 years. But here, too, a surprise was presented to the scientists, since the males were already mature by the age of 3 years. With females, everything was much more complicated, since they froze at the second stage of maturation due to the fact that there was no accumulation of yolk, which the embryo feeds on.
Bester was bred by crossing beluga and sterlet
The experiment was continued in 1963 when the hybrids were transported to more warm climate. In just over the summer, the females reached puberty, and a year later, second-generation hybrids appeared.
The fish got its name from Professor Nikolyukin, he simply added the first syllables of fish varieties, but as a result it turned out English word"best", which translates as "the best".
Bester is a hybrid, which in its appearance practically does not differ from other types of sturgeon fish, and clearly defined rows of bone bugs are placed along its body (5 in total).
With a detailed study of the appearance of the hybrid, one can clearly distinguish features of each of the "parents":
There is a more pronounced contrast between the dark back and the light belly than in other representatives of sturgeons.
Bester is a fish whose breeding has already gained an industrial scale, but not all anglers know that there are several varieties of bester. Among the species of bester present today distinguish the following:
To breed this hybrid, its enhanced feeding is required. Optimal temperatures for growing this type of fish are indicators from 20 to 25 degrees, so it is preferable to breed these individuals in ponds in the southern regions of Russia.
In the case of commercial fish rearing, the salinity of the water should be 10–12%, since bester develops much better in brackish water than in fresh water.
During the incubation of eggs and during the rearing of larvae, the salinity of the water must be reduced to 2–3%.
Cultivation of bester is best carried out in polyculture with fish that feed on vegetation, for example, silver carp and grass carp, they do not compete for him in nutrition. It is strictly forbidden to breed bester together with carp, since these fish species are seriously competing with each other.
Bester reproduction in ponds is carried out only artificially and includes several stages:
Compliance with all these stages allows you to grow a large number of bester.
