WhaleTimes Fishin' for Facts: Atlantic Sturgeon

Scientific name: Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus

Size

6-9 ft average; Max Length: 14 ft (425 cm) long

Max Weight: 800 lb (363 kg)

Where are they found?

Atlantic sturgeon spawn freshwater rivers on the east coast of the United States and Canada.

What do they eat?

They root through the sand in search of snails, , clams, worms, insect larvae, bottom-dwelling shrimp, isopods, small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and invertebrates from ocean bottom.

What eats them?

Lampreys, seals, striped bass,

Lifespan

60 years

Highlights

The Atlantic sturgeon have 5 rows of cool overlapping plates called "scutes." (Rhymes with "cute") Sturgeon are one of the oldest living species of fish. When you look at one, you're seeing what fish may have looked like back when dinosaurs ruled. Most fish have bony skeletons (not including sharks, skates, rays...), but a sturgeon's skeleton is made of cartilage.

Atlantic sturgeon live most of their lives in the ocean, but like salmon, in May and June, they swim up rivers to spawn and lay eggs. The sticky eggs adhere to rocks and plants. Like many fish, females can lay 2 million eggs when they spawn. After she lays the eggs, she returns to sea.

Threats:

	IUCN: Near threatened; Cites: Appendix II; "Species of Concern"; listed as endangered in many states and it is extinct in much of it's original habitat.
	Atlantic sturgeon are one of many fish species that have been overfished. From the 1950s to 1990s 100,000 to 250,000 pounds were fished yearly. Though there is a moratorium on fishing, sturgeon are caught in nets for other fish and by individuals who fish. Plus, sturgeon have few of their historical rivers to spawn in because of human population growth, development, dams, and dredging,

If you think the Atlantic Sturgeon is awesome, vote for it in our Ugly-Beauty contest!

Citation: Musgrave, Ruth A. Fishin' for Facts: Atlantic Sturgeon. WhaleTimes, Inc. (whaletimes.org) 2011