| U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean |
Alaska to Baja (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Substrate |
Large cobblestone (for spawning)
Clean sand (adults and juveniles) (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Behavior |
Move from ocean to estuaries in late winter/early summer (Love 1996)
Swim near bottom (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| General Temperature Range (°C) |
10–20 (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| General Salinity Range (ppt) |
More marine-oriented than white sturgeon (Emmett et al. 1991, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Often in brackish water (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Can enter mouths of rivers (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length (cm) |
213.4 (Love 1996)
210 (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Average Maximum weight (kg) |
159 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Overall Maximum Age (years) |
60 (CH2M Hill 1985 in Emmett et al. 1991, Love 1996) |
| Overall Length at Maturity (cm) |
150–210 (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Type of Reproduction |
Oviparous (Love 1996, Emmett et al. 1991)
Gonochoristic, iteroparous
Broadcast spawner (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Fecundity |
60,000–140,000 (Artyukhin and Andronov 1990 in Emmett et al. 1991, Love 1996) |
| Spawning Habitat |
Rivers (Love 1996, Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Spawning Behavior |
Anadromous (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Time of Year of Spawning |
Spring–Early summer (Love 1996)
March–July
Mid-April–Mid-June (peak) (CH2M Hill 1985 in Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Description of Eggs |
Eggs stick to cobblestones (Love 1996)
Demersal (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Habitat where Juveniles are found |
Freshwater
Migrate to ocean by second year (Love 1996)
Demersal (Emmett et al. 1991)
Marine, estuarine, freshwater (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Habitat where Adults are found (depth in meters) |
Demersal (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Salinity for Adult Survival (ppt) |
Euryhaline (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Adult Food Preference |
Benthic invertebrates, Shrimp, Small Fish (Love 1996, Radtke 1966 in Emmett et al. 1991, Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Commercial Fishery |
Small fishery in Oregon and Washington (Love 1996)
4.7–15.9 tons per year average catch (Washington) (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Market |
Not as valuable as white sturgeon (Emmett et al. 1991) |
| Ornamental Market |
In aquarium guide (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Additional Remarks |
White sturgeon is already farmed (Love 1996)
Little is known of their life history (Emmett et al. 1991)
Difficult to raise (Riehl and Baensch 1997) |
| Location where Species has been Researched/Farmed |
The Atlantic sturgeon is being researched and cultured in several areas in Florida including Mote Marine Laboratory and through state agencies (Rust 2003) |
