Shortnose Sturgeon are unique fish. They have five rows of bony plates on there body which are called scutes. The scutes give the fish an armored look. This fish can live for more than 30 years, and have reached 4.5 feet in length and up to 60 pounds. Remains of this species have been dated back to 70 million years ago!
Shortnose Sturgeon Feeding. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://thevlm.org/shortnose-sturgeon-feeding/
Charlie. (1970, January 01). SC Utility News Digest. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://scutilitynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2011_02_27_archive.html
The shortnose sturgeon scientific name is Acipenser brevirostrum.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Acipenseriformes
Family
Acipenseridae
Genus
Acipenser
Species
brevirostrum
Niche and Habitat
Shortnose sturgeons have been known to be found in the East coast of North America in rivers. From about the Saint Jon River in Canada all the way to the St. Johns River in Florida. “Currently, shortnose sturgeon occur in 41 bays and rivers along the East Coast, reproducing in 19 of them.”(Noaa. Shortnose Sturgeon)
Generally, shortnose sturgeon are amphidromous fish. This means they are born in fresh water but take migratory trips intro salt water for feeding then return into fresh water. The fish’s life span has been correlated to where they live. Shortnose sturgeon that live more north have been found to reach up to 60 years old while more south east shortnose generally live between 20- 30 years old. This seems to do with how fast they reach sexual maturity. An image if where short nose sturgeons occur is shown below.
Evolutionary History
The shortnose sturgeon is a species of fish that has been able to survive for millions of years. The species has been able to adapt to varies environments. Since the species is considered amphidromous its able to survive in both fresh water and saltwater conditions giving it an advantage over other species that cannot do this. It has also been found that the genetic diversity remains high within this species which gives it an even better chance of survival. “The methods uncovered moderately high levels of gene diversity suggesting population structuring across and within three metapopulations (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast) that encompass seven demographically discrete and evolutionary distinct lineages. The predicted groups are consistent with previously described behavioral patterns, especially dispersal and migration, supporting the interpretation that A. brevirostrum exhibit adaptive differences based on watershed.”(King, T., Henderson. 2014)
Environmental Impacts
Shortnose sturgeon are typically known as bottom dwellers and have no negative impact on the environment. The only thing that is negative is what has been happening to their environment such as pollution, locks and dams being formed, habitat degradation, and bycatch. These are all human caused problems for the shortnose sturgeon that have been taking place for many of years.
Conservation
Over the years human interactions directly and indirectly have negatively impacted the shortnose sturgeon population. In some parts of the country sturgeon eggs have been considered a delicacy and can be sold for a hefty profit. This has caused over exploitation of these fish. Along with this and other negative activities from humans such as pollution being dumped into the Hudson river by various companies in 18-1900’s and various cases of habitat degradation has led this species to be conserved endangered.” Officially listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as endangered, the shortnose sturgeon is fully protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is unlawful to kill or possess this fish.” (Shortnose Sturgeon Fact Sheet. 2015)
Friends or Foes?
The shortnose sturgeon is not a friend to many fish although they tend to be bottom feeders, so they do not have many enemies besides there pray. Their prey generally includes cray fish, aquatic insect larvae, plants, shrimp, snails, and sludge worms. These Bottom feeders use their barbels to locate food and then their mouth extends out to vacuum up the prey and consume it.
Web Resources for Audience to Explore
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/esa_works/profile_pages/ShortnoseSturgeon.html
(This site gives many more locations of where the shortnose sturgeon has lived.)
(This site gives you more facts about how rare this species of fish is and why its endangered.)
(This site goes over a recovery plan introduced to increase the shortnose sturgeon population.)
https://habitat.fisheries.org/potential-spawning-habitat-for-endangered-shortnose-sturgeon/
(This website goes over potential spawning sites for the shortnose sturgeon)
https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/Fisheries-Management/Shortnose-Sturgeon-Research
(This site goes over research methods for studying these fish such as implantation devices to track and follow the specie.)
King, T., Henderson, A., Kynard, B., Kieffer, M., Peterson, D., Aunins, A., & Brown, B. (2014, August 28). A nuclear DNA perspective on delineating evolutionarily significant lineages in polyploids: The case of the endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4148239/
Shortnose Sturgeon Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26012.html
Noaa. (n.d.). Shortnose Sturgeon. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/shortnose-sturgeon
Shortnose Sturgeon Feeding. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://thevlm.org/shortnose-sturgeon-feeding/
Shortnose sturgeon. (2020, April 18). Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortnose_sturgeon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OPPBK1Jul8