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Species Directory

Adriatic Sturgeon

Overview Conservation & Management Resources
The Adriatic sturgeon is found in the Adriatic sea and the Po River in Italy. Under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries must list threatened and endangered marine species regardless of where they are found. Adriatic sturgeon is listed as endangered

Adriatic Sturgeon

Acipenser naccarii

640x427-adriatic-sturgeon.png

Protected Status

ESA Endangered - Foreign
Throughout Its Range
CITES Appendix II
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Weight
Up to 55 pounds
Length
6 feet
Lifespan
50 years
Threats
Fisheries bycatch, Habitat impediments (dams), Habitat degradation, Habitat loss, Pollutants
Region
Foreign
Adriatic sturgeon swimming along bottom of sea floor. Adriatic sturgeon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Adriatic sturgeon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

About the Species

Adriatic sturgeon swimming along bottom of sea floor. Adriatic sturgeon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Adriatic sturgeon. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

The Adriatic sturgeon is a large, long-lived anadromous species that spawns in freshwater after a period of growth in marine habitat. It is found in the Adriatic sea and the Po River and its inflow rivers in Italy. The Adriatic sturgeon is listed as endangered throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act.

Population Status

Adriatic sturgeon used to be widespread in the Adriatic Sea and may have occurred off the Iberian Peninsula. The only remaining spawning sites are at the confluences of the Po River and its tributaries in Italy, but the last known natural spawning occurred in the early 1980s. Population size is thought to have declined by at least 80 percent over the past three generations.

Appearance

The Adriatic sturgeon has an olivaceous brown back with lighter flanks and a white belly. Like all sturgeon, the species has a cartilaginous skeleton, heterocercal caudal fins (upper lobe larger than lower), single spiracle respiratory openings, a bottom-oriented mouth with four barbels (sensory “whiskers”), a flat snout, a strong rounded body, and unique ganoid scales. 

Behavior and Diet

The species spawns in freshwater after a period of growth in marine habitat, typically at the mouth of rivers.

Where They Live

Adriatic sturgeon used to be widespread in the Adriatic Sea and may have occurred off the Iberian Peninsula. The only remaining spawning sites are at the confluences of the Po River and its tributaries in Italy, but the last known natural spawning occurred in the early 1980s. Population size is thought to have declined by at least 80 percent over the past three generations. Currently, the species has extremely low abundance in the wild, and recovery is dependent on a captive stock that only contains 13 remaining individuals of wild origin.

Lifespan & Reproduction

Male and female Adriatic sturgeon mature at 6 to 7 and 8 to 12 years of age, respectively, and the species has a lifespan of approximately 40 tp 50 years. Adults spawn every other year or more rarely.

Threats

The construction of the Isola Serafini hydroelectric power plant and dam in the early 1960s interrupted the migration of Adriatic sturgeon between freshwater and marine habitats. As a result, wild populations experienced drastic population declines. The dam continues to modify the habitat of the Adriatic sturgeon to such an extent that there is no confirmed record that the species has naturally reproduced in Italy since the 1980s.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Acipenseriformes
Family Acipenseridae
Genus Acipenser
Species naccarii

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 01/30/2023


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Related Species

Chinese sturgeon illustration. Credit: Jack Hornady.

Chinese Sturgeon

European sturgeon illustration. Credit: Jack Hornady.

European Sturgeon

640x427-Sakhalin-Sturgeon.jpg

Sakhalin Sturgeon

640x427-green-sturgeon.png

Green Sturgeon

Management Overview

The Adriatic sturgeon is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.


Regulatory History

In 2012, WildEarth Guardians and Friends of Animals petitioned NOAA Fisheries to list 15 foreign sturgeon species under the Endangered Species Act. After completing a status review, we proposed to list five of the foreign sturgeon species as endangered, including the Adriatic sturgeon, and requested public comment. In 2014, we listed the Adriatic sturgeon as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

5-Year Review of Five Foreign Sturgeon Species

In 2020, NOAA Fisheries announced the initiation of a 5-year review for five foreign sturgeon species: Adriatic Sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii), European sturgeon (A. sturio), Chinese sturgeon (A. sinensis), Sakhalin sturgeon (A. mikadoi), and Kaluga…
  • Notice on Initiation of a 5-Year Review (85 FR 57832, 9/16/2020)
  • 5 Foreign Sturgeon 5-year Review (2021)
Notice,
Foreign
Published
July 20, 2021

Final Rule to List Five Species of Sturgeons as Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

We, NOAA Fisheries, issue a final determination to list five species of foreign sturgeon as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have made our determination that Acipenser naccarii (Adriatic sturgeon), and A. sturio (European sturgeon)…
  • Final Rule (79 FR 31222, 06/02/2014)
  • 12-Month Finding and Proposed Rule (78 FR 65249, 10/31/2013)
  • 90-Day Finding (77 FR 51767, 08/27/2012)
  • Petition to List Fifteen Species of Sturgeon Including Sakhalin Sturgeon Under …
  • Status Review of 5 Species of Foreign Sturgeon Including Sakhalin Sturgeon
Final Rule,
Foreign
Effective
July 2, 2014

More Information

  • Listing Foreign Species Under the ESA

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 01/30/2023

Documents

Document

5 Foreign Sturgeon 5-Year Review

This document is the ESA 5-year review of the species based on the best available data.

National
Document

Status Review for 5 species of Foreign Sturgeon : Adriatic sturgeon, European Sturgeon, Chinese Sturgeon, Sakhalin Sturgeon, Kaluga Sturgeon

This report is the status review for five species of foreign sturgeon. This report summarizes the…

International
More Documents

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 01/30/2023

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