| Summary: | Very little is known about the diet of the European sturgeon Acipenser sturio L., 1758 in its natural environment. For juveniles, improved knowledge in this field could lead towards the determination of the species's major feeding habitats in the estuary, in order to then improve their preservation or protection. From May 1998 to March 1999, the stomach contents of 61 juveniles were collected by gastric lavage. The first were caught during monthly trawling campaigns to monitor sturgeon migration in the Gironde estuary. Specimens were mainly caught during spring and summer in two areas of increased abundance. The gastric lavage method used had been previously tested on Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii Brandt, 1869 in captivity. Twelve taxa of prey were found. The highest proportions in number identified consisted of polychaetes, mainly represented by Heteromastus filiformis (Claparede, 1864) in zone 7 and Polydora Bosc, 1802 sp. in zone 1. Crustaceans were the second most abundant group of prey.
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