Green Sturgeon 



enlarged and granular; lower lobe of caudal rather sharp and long, 

 nearly as long as upper. 



Colour, dark-grayish, scarcely olive-tinged, and without stripes. 



Green Sturgeon 



Acipenser medirostris (Ayres) 



The geographic range of the green sturgeon is approximately the 

 same as- that of the white sturgeon. It probably does not occur 

 much south of San Francisco and is not common north of the 

 Straits of Fuca. It is not so abundant as the white sturgeon 

 and does not attain so large a size. 



Its habits do not differ materially from those of the white 

 sturgeon. As a food-fish, however, it is of very inferior rank; 

 indeed, it is commonly believed to be poisonous, but this belief 

 is without any warrant. Its flesh, however, is dark, has a strong, 

 disagreeable taste, and an unpleasant odour, and is regarded as 

 quite inferior to that of the white sturgeon. In the Columbia 

 River it is said to reach a length of 7 feet and a weight of 350 

 pounds, though the average size is considerably smaller. In the 

 Sacramento they run from 35 to 150 pounds. 



This sturgeon is rarely found in fresh water, but is practi- 

 cally limited to salt or brackish waters. It is seen about the 

 river-mouths during August and September. 



There appear to be no regular fisheries for it, the flesh, bring- 

 ing only a nominal price, and the roe not being utilized at all. 



Head 4^; depth 7^; D. 33 to 35; A. 22 to 28; dorsal plates 

 9 to 1 1 ; lateral 26 to 30; ventral 7 to 10. Shields with a strongly 

 hooked spine, the surface very rough; space between lateral and 

 dorsal rows of shields with about => series of stellate plates in- 

 terspersed with smaller ones; last dorsal shield moderate, more 

 than half as large as next to last; snout sharp in the young, 

 becoming blunt with age, usually rather shorter than rest of head; 

 barbels nearly midway between tip of snout and mouth; gillrak- 

 ers scarcely longer than broad, about 17 in number; upper lobe 

 of tail with some scattered plates; caudal fulcra not enlarged; 

 lower caudal lobe short and blunt, scarcely more than half length 

 of upper; anal fin nearly as long as dorsal and mostly behind it. 



Colour, olive-green, with an olive stripe on the median line 

 of belly and one on each side above the ventral plates, these 

 stripes ceasing opposite the vent. 



