Shortnose Sturgeon

Acipenser brevirostrum

The shortnose sturgeon is an ancient-looking fish with a brown, tan or bluish-black body and a grayish-white belly. Adults have:

• Five rows of bony plates, called scutes, covering the head and body.
• A short, broad snout with a bluntly pointed tip.
• A soft, toothless mouth and four sensory barbels on the underside of the snout.

Shortnose sturgeon usually grow to about 40 inches.

Where does the shortnose sturgeon live?

Historically, shortnose sturgeon were found in the fresh and brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. But today they are classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species, making them a rare find in the Bay.

What does the shortnose sturgeon eat?

Shortnose sturgeon are bottom-feeders, using their snouts to root through the mud to find their prey. They feed on a variety of benthic creatures, including crustaceans, clams and other mollusks, and worms and other insects.

How does the shortnose sturgeon reproduce?

Shortnose sturgeon are anadromous fish. Between February and April, they migrate to the swift waters above the fall line to spawn.

• The female shortnose sturgeon lays 27,000 to 208,000 eggs over an area with a rocky bottom.
• Once hatched, the tadpole-like sturgeon larvae remain in sheltered areas for about two weeks before being slowly carried downstream to merge with the adults.
• By the time they are just an inch long, juvenile sturgeon begin to resemble and act like adults.

Other facts about the shortnose sturgeon:

• The shortnose sturgeon is the smallest sturgeon species.
• Shortnose sturgeon can live up to 40 years.
• Sturgeons are prehistoric fish that have been around since the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
• Shortnose sturgeon are endangered because of drastic population declines due to environmental factors such as dams and pollution in the rivers and streams where they spawn.
• Because they are an endangered species, shortnose sturgeon cannot be legally caught for any commercial or recreational purpose.