Atlantic sturgeon swimming. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Atlantic sturgeon swimming. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
About the Species
Atlantic sturgeon swimming. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Atlantic sturgeon swimming. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Atlantic sturgeon live in rivers and coastal waters from Canada to Florida. Hatched in the freshwater of rivers, Atlantic sturgeon transition to the marine environment, and return to their birthplace to spawn, or lay eggs, when they reach adulthood.
The Atlantic sturgeon has five rows of bony plates known as scutes that run along its body and a snout with four slender, soft tissue projections called barbels in front of its mouth. In addition, the heterocercal tail is like a shark’s where one side, or lobe, is larger than the other. All of these features give the fish its unique look.
Atlantic sturgeon are slow-growing and late-maturing, and have been recorded to reach up to 14 feet in length and up to 60 years of age.
Indigenous tribes have harvested Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon for their meat and eggs (roe) beginning some 4,000 years ago, and sturgeon are credited as the primary food source that saved the Jamestown settlers in 1607. Atlantic sturgeon were once found in great abundance, but their populations have declined greatly due to overfishing and habitat loss. Atlantic sturgeon were prized for their eggs, which were valued as high-quality caviar. During the late 1800s, people flocked to the eastern United States in search of caviar riches from the sturgeon fishery, known as the “Black Gold Rush.” By the beginning of the 1900s, sturgeon populations had declined drastically and continued to decline until the coastwide moratorium. However, historical landings records generally failed to differentiate between Atlantic sturgeon and the smaller shortnose sturgeon, making it difficult to determine historical trends in abundance for populations of either species.
Today, all five U.S. Atlantic sturgeon distinct population segments are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The populations in Canada are not protected species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The primary threats currently facing Atlantic sturgeon are entanglement in fishing gear, habitat degradation, habitat impediments, such as dams and other barriers, vessel strikes, and changing environmental conditions.
NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding Atlantic sturgeon populations along the East Coast. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study these endangered fish, monitor existing and emerging threats, and to fill critical data gaps. Working closely with our partners, these efforts bring us closer to our goal of recovering Atlantic sturgeon populations.
Population Status
The historical and current range of Atlantic sturgeon includes major estuaries, river systems, and marine waters from Canada to Florida. While still found throughout their historical range, some spawning populations have likely been extirpated and the remainder are small and face on-going threats.
Learn more about the population estimates for Atlantic sturgeon
Atlantic sturgeon were listed under the ESA in 2012 as five distinct population segments. A distinct population segment is the smallest division of a species permitted to be protected under the ESA. Atlantic sturgeon that hatch out in Gulf of Maine rivers are listed as threatened, and those that hatch out in other U.S. rivers are listed as endangered. Atlantic sturgeon that hatch out in Canadian rivers are not listed as protected species under the ESA but are protected in Canadian waters under Canada’s Species At Risk Act.
Appearance
Atlantic sturgeon can grow to approximately 14 feet long and can weigh up to 800 pounds. They are bluish-black or olive brown dorsally (on their back) with paler sides and a white belly. They have five major rows of dermal "scutes,” or bony plates, along the length of their body.
Atlantic sturgeon are similar in appearance to shortnose sturgeon but can be distinguished by their larger size, smaller mouth, different snout shape, and tail scute pattern.
Behavior and Diet
An Atlantic sturgeon typically spawns in the same river in which it hatched. Water temperature plays a role in the timing of spawning. In rivers from Georgia to the Chesapeake Bay, scientists have confirmed that adult sturgeon spawn during the late summer and fall as water temperatures decline. In some of these rivers, a separate Atlantic sturgeon population spawns in the spring before water temperatures rise for the summer. In rivers from Delaware to Canada, adults spawn in the spring and early summer. There is no evidence of late summer or early fall spawning in these more northern rivers.
After spawning, males in northern rivers may remain in the river or lower estuary until the fall; females typically exit the rivers within 4 to 6 weeks after spawning. In southern rivers, spawning behavior tends to be specific to a given river and season. However, the general pattern for spring spawning migrations is for males to begin moving upstream to the spawning sites in February to March as waters begin to warm. Males may remain near the spawning grounds for several days to weeks. Females tend to follow days or weeks later. Fall spawning males tend to begin spawning runs in August to September as water temperatures decline with females following thereafter. In both fall and spring spawning seasons, once spawning is complete both sexes tend to leave the spawning grounds quickly, with many animals leaving the river system completely.
Upon hatching, larvae hide along the bottom and drift downstream until they reach brackish waters where they may reside for 1 to 5 years before moving into nearshore coastal waters. Juvenile fish can leave their natal rivers as early as 1 year of age. Tagging data indicate that these immature Atlantic sturgeon travel widely once they leave their birth rivers.So, juvenile aggregations within a river may be composed of two or more different natal populations of fish.
Atlantic sturgeon are bottom feeders. They typically consume invertebrates, such as crustaceans, worms, and mollusks, and bottom-dwelling fish, such as sand lance.
Where They Live
Historically, Atlantic sturgeon ranged along the Canadian and U.S. Atlantic Coast from Labrador to Florida. The abundance of natal populations is much less than historical levels and some populations have likely been extirpated. Those that remain have the same basic traits of all anadromous fish. Atlantic sturgeon eggs are spawned in freshwater of a river, upon hatching the fish live in the river for at least several months before migrating to the sea and, upon reaching adulthood, back again to the same freshwater to spawn. Tagging data indicate that immature Atlantic sturgeon travel widely up and down the East Coast and as far as Iceland when they are at sea.
Lifespan & Reproduction
Atlantic sturgeon growth and lifespan is correlated with water temperature. In general, the colder the water in which they live, the slower their growth, the later their age to maturity, and the longer their lifespan. For example, Atlantic sturgeon from the Saint Lawrence River population mature at 22 to 34 years old and they live up to 60 years. Atlantic sturgeon from the South Carolina populations mature at 5 to 19 years of age and likely live only 25 to 30 years.
Atlantic sturgeon spawning intervals range from 1 to 5 years for males and 2 to 5 years for females, with males returning almost every year and females usually returning every other year or every third year. Female egg production correlates with age and body size, and ranges from 400,000 to 2 million eggs. Atlantic sturgeon take approximately 3 to 10 times longer than other bony fish species to reach 50 percent of their maximum lifetime egg production. In the Hudson River, females reach 50 percent of their maximum lifetime egg production at approximately 29 years. Fish from more southern rivers reach this production metric at an earlier age and fish from Maine and Canada reach it at a later age.
Threats
The most significant threats to Atlantic sturgeon are unintended catch (bycatch) in some commercial fisheries, dams that block access to spawning areas, poor water quality (which harms development of sturgeon offspring), dredging of spawning areas, water withdrawals from rivers, vessel strikes, and changing environmental conditions.
Fisheries Interactions and Bycatch
Bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon can occur in multiple fisheries including those that use gillnets, pound nets, or trawls. The likelihood of bycatch is influenced by environmental factors, the abundance of Atlantic sturgeon in the fishing area, and the gear characteristics (e.g., mesh size). The likelihood of sturgeon survival in the gear is influenced by factors such as the water temperature and the length of time that the sturgeon is caught in the gear with survivals more likely in cooler waters. Fisheries conducted within rivers where Atlantic sturgeon spawn may intercept Atlantic sturgeon of any life stage, while fisheries conducted in the nearshore and ocean waters are more likely to capture older juveniles and adults.
Learn more about fishing gear and risks to protected species
Habitat Degradation
Atlantic sturgeon habitat can be disrupted, degraded, or lost because of various human activities, such as dredging, damming, and withdrawing water. Groundwater pumping and dredging has resulted in saltwater intrusion, and industrialization and development has impacted sediments and water quality through the introduction of nutrients and other contaminants. Sturgeon need hard bottom substrates in freshwater reaches for successful spawning, so any activity that affects those features directly (e.g., dredging) or indirectly (e.g., sedimentation or saltwater intrusion) would affect Atlantic sturgeon habitat. All life stages of Atlantic sturgeon also require sufficient water quantities and qualities, which are often impacted by the activities above.
Habitat Impediments
Locks and dams on the Cape Fear River, North Carolina; the Santee-Cooper rivers, South Carolina; Savannah River, South Carolina/Georgia impede access to upstream spawning habitat. Dam removal projects on the Penobscot River, Maine and Rappahannock River, Virginia, have increased accessibility to upstream habitats.
Vessel Strikes
Atlantic sturgeon can be struck by boats or by the blades of boats’ propellers. They are struck and killed by large commercial vessels as well as smaller vessels such as recreational vessels throughout their range. The risk of injury and mortality can be high in areas with high ship traffic, including the Hudson, Delaware, and James rivers. Information is emerging that suggests vessel strikes are also a threat to Atlantic sturgeon in the Savannah, Cooper, and Cape Fear rivers. We do not know how many sturgeon are struck by vessels or how many sturgeon are struck and survive their injuries.
Changing Environmental Conditions
A changing environment poses several risks to the Atlantic sturgeon populations, including saltwater intrusion into rivers where the development of Atlantic sturgeon larvae relies upon very low salinity waters. Changes in precipitation and water temperature may also affect riverine habitat and alter spawning cues. For example, reduced river flows can increase the concentration of nutrients and toxic chemicals due to a reduced flushing rate and decrease dissolved oxygen concentrations in surface waters, particularly when combined with warmer water temperatures. Both of these can reduce survival of juveniles. A warmer, wetter climate could ameliorate poor water quality conditions in places where human-caused concentrations of nutrients and pollutants currently degrade water quality. However, significantly higher river flows could impede spawning by affecting spawning cues or making traversing up river too difficult to attempt. A warming ocean can also alter the growth rates of Atlantic sturgeon which in turn influence age to maturity and lifespan. Given the Atlantic sturgeon’s strong affinity to return to its natal river to spawn, a population will likely continue to return to its spawning river even when a changing environment results in poor offspring survival in that river.
Learn more about how to report an injured or dead sturgeon
Scientific Classification
| Animalia |
Chordata |
Actinopterygii |
Acipenseriformes |
Acipenseridae |
Acipenser |
oxyrinchus |
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/05/2026
