Commercial sturgeon farming in China, initiated around 1995, has evolved into a global industry leader, accounting for 80% of global production by 2009 and 85% by 2020 according to FAO statistics. China's sturgeon industry has shifted its focus from "quantity" to "quality," with the selection of superior breeds becoming a key strategy. Hybrid breeding plays a critical role in sturgeon development. Notable achievements include the cultivation of "Jinglong No. 1," a fast-growing hybrid sturgeon for meat production, and "Xunlong No. 1," which is optimized for caviar production. Sex control is another essential aspect of sturgeon breeding, with the ultimate goal being all-female breeding. Sturgeon follows the ZW sex-determination system. Through sex-reversal techniques, female sterlet sturgeons (Acipenser ruthenus) have been induced to develop as males, creating "neomales." Artificial breeding of these neomales has produced over 100,000 offspring, with the aim of identifying "WW" superfemales. Gene-editing tools (CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN) demonstrate >90% knockout efficiency through microinjection, enabling precise trait modification. While most farmed sturgeon reach sexual maturity in 6-8 years (extending to >10 years in kaluga, Huso dauricus), genomic selection accelerates breeding cycle. This method has been successfully applied to optimize traits such as growth rate, fecundity, and egg color in sturgeon. To ensure CITES compliance and genetic integrity, genome-resequencing-derived diagnostic markers now authenticate China’s five principal farmed species—A. gueldenstaedtii, A. baerii) A. ruthenus, A. schrenckii, H. dauricus—alongside their hybrids.
 

sturgeon aquaculture, hybrid breeding, sex-reversal, gene-editing, genomic selection.