A small sturgeon (smallest in North America) restricted to Atlantic coastal rivers. Federally endangered since 1967; sometimes confused with juvenile Atlantic sturgeon.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The shortnose sturgeon is a small and endangered species of North American sturgeon. As with most sturgeons, it is an anadromous bottom-feeder, which migrates upstream to spawn but spends most of its life feeding in rivers, deltas and estuaries.
Source: Wikipedia — Shortnose sturgeon Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small armored sturgeon with shorter snout than other US sturgeons; rows of bony scutes; dark olive-brown coloration.
Similar species. Atlantic Sturgeon (much larger; longer snout). Lake Sturgeon (different range). Pallid Sturgeon (different range; lighter).
Voice. Silent.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Aquatic insects, small mollusks, small fish, organic detritus.
Behavior. Federally endangered (listed 1967 — one of the original ESA species). Anadromous; lives mostly in estuaries with occasional spawning runs into rivers. Sensitive to dam construction blocking migration; populations isolated in many river systems. Smaller and more easily-overlooked than the related Atlantic Sturgeon.
§ Range
Atlantic coast rivers from New Brunswick to Florida
§ Habitat
Anadromous in some populations; freshwater in others — large rivers
§ Threats
Dams blocking migration, river dredging, water pollution.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the shortnose sturgeon is currently classified as Vulnerable.
§ What helps
Support dam removals. Buy line-caught fish (not gillnetted). Donate to sturgeon recovery.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Shortnose sturgeon
- www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Acipenser brevirostrum
- IUCN Red List · taxon 230
- iNaturalist · taxon 49546
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Acipenser brevirostrum
§ Sources cited
- USFWS
- NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Sturgeon
- Maine Department of Marine Resources
- IUCN Red List 2004
