Fish, sturgeon family
Sterlet
- Origin
- Native species
- Minimum size
- 45cm
About the species Sterlet
How to recognise it
An elongated body with rows of bony scutes, a spear-shaped snout and an underslung mouth with four barbels. It is the smallest of our sturgeons.
Where it lives
The Danube and lower reaches of large rivers; rare.
What it feeds on
Insect larvae, worms and small molluscs from the bottom.
Classification under the decree
Decree of the Ministry of the Environment of the SR no. 381/2018 Coll. on fisheries.
Classification
A native species of fish or lamprey (Section 13, paragraph 1 of the decree).
Closed season, minimum size and daily limit
What the Fisheries Act says about sterlet. For guidance only; check it in the fishing regulations of the district.
Closed season
§ 10 of the Decree- 15 Mar – 31 May
this species may not be fishedoutside this period
It does not depend on the closed season for all fish by water type. You can find this and the other rules on the fishing district page in the Law and fishing rules section.
Minimum size
§ 12 of the Decree45 cm
below the size limit: return it to the waterfrom the size limit: you may keep it
You must not keep a fish shorter than 45 cm. The total length is measured from the front of the head to the end of the longest ray of the tail fin (§ 12, para. 4). The district user may raise the size; the one in the permit and the fishing regulations applies.
Daily limit
§ 14 of the Decree- 1pcsBlue groupsterlet, Siberian sturgeon, wels catfish
The limit applies per day, also when fishing in several districts. The district user may set a lower limit in the permit, in which case the stricter one applies.
Summary of Act no. 216/2018 Coll. and Decree no. 381/2018 Coll. (as of 6 Nov 2026). It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters. The permit and the fishing regulations of the district are binding. The fishing law, rule by rule.
Where it was recorded
Fishing districts around which a record of this species exists (GBIF).
We do not yet track where this species occurs in individual fishing districts. So far we have records from the GBIF database only for species with numerical water-temperature data.
Catches of Sterlet
Approved catches by anglers on this portal.
Nobody has logged a catch of this species yet. Be the first; once approved it will appear here and on the leaderboard.
Similar species
Photo credits
- Sterlet: Photo: Karelj, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Siberian sturgeon: Photo: This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Russian sturgeon: Photo: Daniel Döhne, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Minimum sizes, protection periods and permitted fishing methods are set by the fishing regulations and the conditions of the specific fishing district. Check them before you fish.