Short-nosed Sturgeon, Ten-Pounder 285 



as caviar. This species, formerly common, is now rela- 

 tively rare and taken only incidentally in the commercial 

 fisheries for other species of fishes. 



Short-nosed Sturgeon 

 Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur 



Color: Olive-black or red-brown above; sides reddish mixed 



with violet, sometimes with oblique black bands. Belly 



white. 



Distribution: Coastal waters from Massachusetts to South 



CaroHna. 



Size: Largest recorded about 3 feet long. A 31 -inch fish 



weighed IVa, pounds. 



General Information: Spawns in rivers in spring. Little is 



known about its life history. Uncommon throughout its 



range. 



Economic Importance: None. 



Ten-Pounder 

 Elops saurus Linnaeus 



Color: Back bluish; sides silvery; belly slightly yellow. 



Distribution: Recorded from Brazil to Massachusetts. Most 



abundant in southern Florida and the West Indies. 



Size: Reported to reach a length of 3 feet. 



General Information: Rare in the Chesapeake and Middle 



Atlantic regions. 



Economic Importance: None. 



