Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Mitchill, 1815

Atlantic sturgeon

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Acipenseriformes \| Acipenseridae \| Acipenserinae
Synonyms	Acipenser oxyrinchus, ... more
Common names	American Atlantic sturgeon, Esturgeon noir d'Amérique, Esturgeon noir, ... more

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Image of Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (Atlantic sturgeon)

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Aquamaps of Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. 1991. (Ref. 5723)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 403 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26938); 430 cm TL (female); common length :250 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 368 kg; max. reported age: 60 years (Ref. 39404)

Environment

Demersal; anadromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range ? - 46 m (Ref. 4639)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 56°N - 10°S, 102°W - 33°W (Ref. 54265)

Western Atlantic: Hamilton River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada to northeastern Florida, USA. Occurs occasionally in Bermuda and French Guiana (Ref. 7251). Northern Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 26938). International trade restricted (CITES II, since 28.6.79).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 30 - 46; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 22 - 32. Elongate fish, pentagonal in cross section and shark-like fins (Ref. 26938). Double row of pre anal shields. Presence of a soft fontanelle. Bony shields are oval. Carina on dorsal shields do not have a conspicuous hook. Head and back bluish-black and lower surface whitish (Ref. 37032). Snout long, sharply V-shaped. 2 pairs of short, slender barbels in transverse line midway between end of snout and anterior edge of mouth (Ref. 4639). Viscera pale (Ref. 7251).

Inhabit shallow waters of continental shelf. Adults are highly migratory while at sea (Ref. 57533). Ascend coastal rivers to spawn. Eggs demersal, measuring 2.55 mm in diameter and hatching in 1 week at 17.8°C (Ref. 9980). Juveniles may remain in fresh or brackish water until 3-5 years of age or 76-91.5 cm long (Ref. 4639). Females take 8 to 30 years to reach sexual maturity and spawn only every 3-4 years. Exact time of spawning depends on temperature (Ref. 26938). Used smoked and fresh (Ref. 37032).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Near Threatened (NT)	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.03; tm=7-34; tmax=60; Fec=1.03 million)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high vulnerability (85 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Luna, Susan M.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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