Although in past history lampreys appear to have been considered a deli- 

 cacy there is no market today. In some sections fishermen use the larvae for bait. 

 At present there is no commercial market. 



STURGEON FAMILY (Acipenseridae) 

 ATLANTIC STURGEON 



Acifenser oxyrhynchus (Linnaeus) 



The Atlantic sturgeon is characterized by the bony plates covering the head 

 and the five rows of bony shields or scutes which armor the body. The snout is 

 elongate and flattened. General range is both sides of the North Atlantic, from 

 the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico on the American coast. The 

 Atlantic sturgeon is anadromous running to fresh water to spawn. In the past 

 lengths of 1 8 feet have been recorded for this sturgeon but today where they 

 are numerous they average much less. 



These fish are apparently quite old when they first become sexually ma- 

 ture with estimations running from 20 to 30 years as the age when they first 

 spawn. Females may spawn as many as 1,000,000 eggs, but present knowledge 

 indicates that breeding probably does not take place every year. The spawning 

 site is usually in water up to 10 feet in depth and over small rubble or gravel. 

 The adult fish are supposed to begin their spawning runs in spring about the same 

 time as the salmon, shad, and alewives. Actual spawning may not take place until 

 July. There is no parental care of the eggs or young. A few days after spawn- 

 ing the young hatch and remain in the stream from one to three years. 



The ventral mouth of the sturgeon preceded by the four barbels provides 

 the fish with the ideal combination of a bottom feeder. Routing around in the 

 bottom mud the barbels are quick to detect any food that may be uncovered and 

 the protrusible mouth is used to suck up the food. 



The scarcity of the sturgeon precludes a large commercial market for the 

 species. The roe of the sturgeon is the well-known caviar. 



HERRING FAMILY (Clupeidae) 

 ALEWIFE 



Pomolohus fseudo-harengus (Wilson) 



The alewife is characterized by a row of spiny scutes along the midline of 

 the belly which are strong and sharp and have led to the use of the common 

 name "sawbelly" in some sections. The general range of the alewife is from 

 Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Carolinas. Although the 

 species has become landlocked in the Great Lakes as far as is known it is anad- 

 romous in all the waters of Maine. 



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