Atlantic Sturgeon
Acipenser
oxyrinchus (Mitchill, 1815)
Range: Atlantic Coast of Canada and United States
Habitat: Coastal Waters, Estuaries, Rivers
Diet: Crustaceans, Worms, Mollusks
Social Grouping: May congregate during migrations, at food sources
Reproduction: Reproductive maturity dependent on body size (fish breed based on when they reach a certain size, not a certain age), spawning begins in spring, traveling into rivers to lay up to 8 million eggs. Males breed every 1-5 years, females every 2-5 years
Lifespan: 60 Years
Conservation: IUCN Near Threatened, CITES Appendix II
- Body length up to 4.3 meters, weigh up to 370 kilograms
- Dorsal (back) surface is blue-black or olive-brown, while ventral (belly) side is white. The back is covered with five major rows of hard scales. Heavy cylindrical body with an elongated, pointy snout
- Anadromous - meaning that adults spawn in freshwater, but spend most of their lives in saltwater (likely that cold, clean freshwater is needed for larval development)
- Sturgeon are occasionally seen breaching (jumping out of the water) - the reason why is unknown, but it may be an attempt to ride themselves of parasites
- Two subspecies: A. o. oxyrinchus (Atlantic) and A. o. desotoi (Gulf of Mexico)
- Historically have been threatened by overfishing, largely for meat, roe (caviar), and oil, as well as habitat degradation through pollution, dredging, or dam construction.
- US Atlantic sturgeon fisheries have been closed since 1997; fishing is regulated but allowed in Canada. Sometimes accidentally captured by fishermen targeting other species
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