Species Profiles. Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic). Atlantic and Shortnosed Sturgeons

• Main Author: Gilbert, Carter R.
• Other Authors: FLORIDA UNIV GAINESVILLE FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Ecology; Biological Oceanography; *FISHES; ESTUARIES; ENVIRONMENTS; POPULATION; PROFILES; HISTORY; RIVERS; LIFE(BIOLOGY); WATER QUALITY; ENDANGERED SPECIES; AQUATIC ORGANISMS; DETERIORATION; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; TAXONOMY; AQUATIC BIOLOGY; REQUIREMENTS; COASTAL REGIONS; STURGEON; ACIPENSER OXYRHYNCHUS; ACIPENSER BREVIROSTRUM; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA225440; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA225440

This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms. The profiles are designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief comprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental requirements of the species and to describe how populations of the species may be expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Each profile has sections on taxonomy, life history, ecological role, environmental requirements, and economic importance, if applicable. This report considers the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus), and A. Brevirostrum. Sturgeons mature slowly, and individuals of both species less than 5 years old use estuaries and large rivers during most of the year. These factors, combined with overfishing, damming of rivers, (which prevent the fish from reaching their spawning grounds), and general deterioration of water quality, have resulted in a serious decline of stocks of both species. Consequently, the Atlantic sturgeon is protected over much of its range, and the shortnose sturgeon is classified as a federally endangered species.