King Diniz of Portugal catches a remarkable sturgeon
1321 CE • Spain
“In February 1321, King Diniz of Portugal (reigned 1279-1325) ordered the publication of a text ‘as a record for those who may later read this public document’reporting the capture of a sturgeon at Valada (Santarém), nearly 100 km from themouth, which measured approximately 3.75 m in length (17 palms in the measurements of the time) and weighed some 275 kg (17.5 arrobas). It exhibited 30lateral scutes ‘from head to tail, like shells’. The size of this specimen, the rarity ofthe sturgeon in the Tagus, or both, justified this official document.”
C. Almaça and B. Alvin, “Past and Present Distribution of Acipenser Sturio L., 1758 on the Iberian Peninsula,” BOLETÍN INSTITUTO ESPAÑOL DE OCEANOGRAFÍA 16 (2000): 11-16.
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