Polyodon spathula – a review on its biodiversity, meat quality, and environmental impact in Romania

The sturgeon and caviar trade limiting as a result of Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (starting with 1st of April 1998), as well as the increased human demand for fish consumption, made necessary the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) monoculture rearing system development, or in association with Romanian or imported and acclimated common fishes such as Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharingodon idella and Hypophthalmichtys molitrix. Besides its increased productivity, the P. spathula rearing is recommended by its high meat nutritional values, which are in close relationship with its high protein, unsaturated fat, vitamin, and mineral contents. P. spathula pisciculture may bring economic benefits to its growers, and could have a positive impact on sturgeons protection and conservation in their natural areas. The events so far shown that P. spathula present a minimum ecological risk in different Romanian fish populations; its planktonofag feeding make it a non competitor for the native fishes. Moreover, the genetic distance with indigenous acipenseride make impossible the introgression process. In order to obtain a high quality fish meat, and to improve the economical value of Romanian fish meat production, P. spathula might be recommended to be used in different aquaculture farms, at the present time being no conclusive data regarding its negative impact on the autochthonous ichtyofauna, and its role into another fish extinctions or dramatically decreasing of their number.