Fish
Shortnose Sturgeon
Acipenser brevirostrum · also called shortnose sturgeons
Along the muddy bottom of an Atlantic coast river, a shortnose sturgeon sweeps its sensitive barbels ahead of a toothless mouth, an armoured, ancient-looking fish that has kept largely the same body plan for tens of millions of years and now depends on rivers increasingly blocked by dams.
Overview
The shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, is a small, bottom-feeding sturgeon native to rivers and estuaries along the Atlantic coast of North America, from Canada’s Maritime provinces south to Florida. Its ancient, largely unchanged body plan, smaller size relative to other North American sturgeon, and federally endangered status make it one of the more conservation-significant fish in eastern North American rivers.
A river specialist among ocean-going relatives
While its larger relative the Atlantic sturgeon ranges widely into the open ocean, the shortnose sturgeon spends the great majority of its life within rivers and estuaries, a more river-bound lifestyle that has not spared it from the same dam-related and pollution pressures affecting sturgeon more broadly.
Status
Endangered, with populations declining significantly due to dam construction blocking spawning access, water pollution, dredging, and historical overharvest, though some protected river populations show signs of stability.
Shortnose Sturgeon: common questions
How is the shortnose sturgeon different from the Atlantic sturgeon?
The shortnose sturgeon is notably smaller and spends the great majority of its life within rivers and estuaries rather than venturing far into open ocean water, unlike the larger, more strongly ocean-going Atlantic sturgeon, even though the two species can share some of the same river systems along the Atlantic coast.
Why is the shortnose sturgeon endangered?
This species has declined significantly across much of its historical range due to dam construction that blocks access to spawning grounds upstream, along with water pollution, dredging, and historical overharvest, pressures that together led to its federal endangered listing in the United States, though some protected river populations have shown signs of stability or slight recovery.
What does a shortnose sturgeon eat and how does it find food?
This species feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as worms, molluscs, and crustaceans, locating them using sensitive barbels that dangle in front of its toothless, tube-like mouth, allowing it to detect prey hidden in riverbed sediment without relying on eyesight alone.
How can you identify a shortnose sturgeon?
Look for rows of hard, bony plates called scutes running along the body instead of ordinary scales, combined with a notably smaller overall size than several other North American sturgeon species, including the Atlantic sturgeon it sometimes shares river systems with.