Fishes of the IVestern North Atla?itic 5 5 



that empties into the Gulf of Maine. There are also definite records of Sturgeon taken 

 off the open coast from the Bay of Fundy southward to Cape Cod (jj: 83), and along 

 the coasts of southern New York. Along the Middle and South Atlantic seaboard 

 of the United States there are several rivers that formerly maintained important 

 fisheries: the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, York, James, St. Marys 

 (Georgia), and St. Johns (Florida).5« 



At Quebec, it seems that young A. oxyrhynchus pass their entire growth in the 

 fresh and brackish water of the St. Lawrence River, for Sturgeons of all sizes are taken 

 there — from a few inches long up to nine feet or longer {^8: 53-56). Why it was that 

 some half-grown tagged fish were recaptured several hundred miles from the place of 

 release is not known (pp. 51, 52). But the small number of these stragglers does not ap- 

 preciably change the impression that the majority of the Atlantic Sturgeon produced in 

 the St. Lawrence River does not venture far from the estuary, for they are taken there 

 in some numbers throughout the entire fishing season. 



In the Hudson River, where gill nets used for shad and other species accidently 

 capture Sturgeon 11-34 inches long and 2-8 winters old (age determinations based 

 on otoliths), there is abundant evidence from both winter and summer catches that 

 these immature Sturgeon inhabit the freshwater areas of the river throughout the 

 year. But there is a wide gap in the Hudson River collections between these and the 

 adults; since immature Sturgeon are frequently encountered in salt water in the 

 general vicinity, it seems likely that all of them go to sea sooner or later to complete 

 their growth. This rule seems to apply also to the rivers of the Gulf of Maine. However, 

 some of the Delaware River Sturgeon seeking salt water may remain within the lower 

 reaches of Delaware Bay while others go to sea, as proven by catch records of fish 

 taken in the pound nets near Ocean City, Maryland. In Chesapeake Bay, fish of all 

 sizes are taken in both the upper and lower parts of the Bay throughout that portion 

 of the year when the pound nets are in operation (jp: 73). But it is not known how 

 many Sturgeon stray beyond the outer headlands, from Chesapeake Bay, the sounds 

 of North Carolina, or the rivers farther southward. 



Published reports of Sturgeon taken at sea are mostly for waters close to shore, 

 but landings of 3,700 pounds in 1950 and 3,900 pounds in 1952 in New York 

 and New Jersey by otter trawlers show that some wander out on the Continental 

 Shelf; and to the east, some even stray to the offshore fishing banks. Thirty 

 Sturgeon, for example, were landed in Boston and Portland from Brown Bank, 

 Georges Bank, the South Channel, and Nantucket Shoals by otter trawlers during 

 the years 1 927-1 934; and landings of 5,300 pounds in 1940 and 6,600 pounds 

 in 1947 in New England ports from these offshore grounds correspond to about 

 50 and 70 fish, respectively, if an average weight no greater than 100 pounds is 

 assumed. ^^ 



50. We believe that the specimens from South Carolina and Florida, referred to as A. bre'virostris by Jordan and Ever- 

 mann {43: 106) and by several subsequent authors, were oxyrhynchus. 



51. From data collected by the late Walter H. Rich, U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and from notices in the daily press. 



