GULF STURGEON 



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Common Name: GULF STURGEON 

 Scientific Name: Acipenser oxyrynchus 



Listing Date: 09/30/91 



Species Status: Threatened 



Species Trend: LInknown 



Current Estimated Population: Unknown 



SPECIES BIOLOGY 



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 1 80 to 240 cm in length, with adult 

 females larger than adult males. The skin is scaleless, brown dorsaliy 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 is believed to occur 

 in areas of deep water with clean (rock, gravel or sand) bottoms. The eggs are sticky and adhere 

 in clumps or strings to snags, outcroppings, or other clean surfaces. Sexual maturity is reached 

 between the ages of 8 and 1 2 years for females and 7 and 1 years for males. 



SPECIES DISTRIBUTION 



Historically, the Gulf sturgeon occurred from the Mississippi River to Tampa Bay. 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, possibly because this portion of the Gulf has 

 predominantly hard bottoms that are better suited to the Gulf sturgeon's feeding habitat. 

 Breeding takes place in the Appalachicola and Suwannee River systems, with adults returning to 

 the same river systems in which they hatched in order to breed. 



MAJOR IMPACTS 



The Gulf sturgeon fomierly ranged from the Mississippi River eastward to the Tampa Bay area 

 on the west coast of Florida. Three major rivers (the Pearl in Mississippi, the Alabama in 

 Alabama, and the Appalachicola in Florida) within the range of the Gulf sturgeon have been 



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