gulf-sturgeon
Species Facts

Science Name: Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
Other Names: Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, sea sturgeon
Range: The Gulf of Mexico states
Description

The Gulf sturgeon, also known as the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, is a subspecies of the Atlantic sturgeon. It is a large fish with an extended snout, vertical mouth, chin barbels, and with the upper lobe of the tail longer than the lower. Adults are 180 to 240 cm (71-95 inches) in length, with adult females larger than adult males. The skin is scaleless, brown dorsally and pale ventrally and imbedded with 5 rows of bony plates.

Adult fish are bottom feeders, eating primarily invertebrates, including brachiopods, insect larvae, mollusks, worms and crustaceans. Gulf sturgeon are anadromous, with reproduction occurring in fresh water. Most adult feeding takes place in the Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries. The fish return to breed in the river system in which they hatched. Spawning occurs in areas of deeper water with clean (rock and rubble) bottoms. The eggs are sticky and adhere in clumps to snags, outcroppings, or other clean surfaces. Sexual maturity is reached between the ages of 8 and 12 years for females and 7 and 10 years for males.

Abundance & Distribution
Historically, the Gulf sturgeon occurred from the Mississippi River to Charlotte Harbor, Florida. It still occurs, at least occasionally, throughout this range, but in greatly reduced numbers. The fish is essentially confined to the Gulf of Mexico. River systems where the Gulf sturgeon are known to be viable today include the Mississippi, Pearl, Escambia, Yellow, Choctawhatchee, Appachicola, and Swannee Rivers, and possibly others.

Habitat
This fish is anadromous; immature and mature individuals participate in fresh water migrations. Adult fish spend 8 to 9 months each year in rivers and 3 to 4 of the coolest months in estuarine or Gulf waters. Young fish under 2 years of age apparently do not migrate out of rivers and estuaries. In the Suwannee River, adult sturgeon frequent areas near the mouths of springs and cool-water rivers during the summer months. Adult fish tend to congregate in deeper waters of rivers with moderate currents and sand and rocky bottoms. Seagrass beds with mud and sand substrates appear to be important marine habitats.

Protection and Management
Due to the limited breeding habitat that has resulted from the damming of most of the large rivers within the Gulf sturgeon’s range, the recovery of this and other anadromous species will likely require some means for these species to pass dams that are currently blocking their migrations. Protection of existing spawning areas is critical; any main channel or tributary construction or maintenance should be avoided during spawning periods.