The White Sturgeon

By Matt Landry - Jun 18, 2003

Eight Species of Sturgeon occurr in North America, including the largest of North American gamefish, Acipenser transmontanus, the White Sturgeon. The majority of White Sturgeon along the West Coast of North America are anadromous; a certain portion of their life is spent at sea. There are as many as 18 landlocked Sturgeon populations in the Pacific Northwest, with the majority of these located in Oregon. The range of the North American White Sturgeon is vast and they can be found from Ensanado Mexico (just south of San Diego), all the way to Cook Inlet Alaska.

To say the Sturgeon is a unique fish is an understatement...these fish are modern day dinosaurs, relics from the past. All species of Sturgeon have a cartilaginous skeleton and tubelike, protractile mouths. A Sturgeons eyes are tiny in comparison with their body, so they rely on sensory barbels to locate food.The Sturgeon wears a coat of body armour with large bony scutes (plates) on the head and along the back and sides. Coloring ranges from a greenish gray on the back to a white belly.

Food sources are dependant on locality but may include finfish such as Eulachon, sculpins and stickleback as well as freshwater eels. In rivers that support Salmon populations, Sturgeon will forage on decaying Salmon parts including roe skeins.

The White Sturgeon lives a long time and may reach ages that exceed 100 years. In large river systems such as the Fraser River in southern British Columbia, and Oregons Columbia River, lengths in excess of 15 feet and weights over 1500 pounds are possible. Growth rates are extremely slow ; after an initial growth spurt rates may only average between 1 and 1.5 inches per year. One Fraser Sturgeon that weighed 149lb (79kg), at 7.5 ft (2.3 meters) was reliably aged at 71 years old.

The Landlocked variety of White Sturgeon do not achieve the same massive growth as the anadromous fish. For instance, the largest Kootenai River Sturgeon (landlocked) on record is 90kg.

Being Anadromous, the life cycle of migration patterns of the White Sturgeon are somewhat of a mystery, although thanks to tracking studies more info is becoming available. Sturgeon generally move into large river systems in the Spring months and spawn in fast ,rocky stretches of river.

Spawning takes place every 5-10 years. A female will release between 100,000 and 3,000,000 during the spawning dance. The larger the fish, the larger the number of eggs deposited (and also the longer the interval between spawning years). In between three to five weeks the eggs have hatched and evolved into free swimming fry.

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