Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt) in the Curonian Lagoon of the Baltic Sea

Abstract The paper presents the results of the observations of the mass appearance of specimens of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) in the Curonian Lagoon, released during an accident on a fish farm on the Grabova River in Poland. About 50 000 individuals of Siberian sturgeon and some Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) entered the Baltic Sea. In 36 days, the first Siberian sturgeon individual was caught in the Curonian Lagoon. From the end of October the catches of sturgeon became mass in the Curonian Lagoon. The last sturgeon was caught on November 23, 2017. The volunteers managed to trace 27 catches of Siberian sturgeon. The area near the mouth of the Neman River was where the majority of catches occurred. It is possible that Siberian sturgeon may appear in the Neman River.