How many sturgeon are there?

How many sturgeon are there?

There are 26 species of sturgeon and paddlefish in the Acipenseriformes group and many of these species are harvested as food. Living in a range of habitats, from subtropical to subarctic waters, sturgeons are found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

How many sturgeon are left?

Among the largest, longest-living fish in freshwater, sturgeon can reach seven feet long, weigh 350 pounds and survive to be 70. Today there are only two distinct populations of North American green sturgeon, with an estimated 1,300 adult sturgeon left in the southern population in California.

How many white sturgeons are left?

The wild population now consists of an aging cohort of large, old fish. The population has declined from approximately 7,000 white sturgeon in the late 1970s to 760 fish in 2000. At the current mortality rate of 9 percent per year, fewer than 500 adults remained in 2005 and there may be fewer than 50 remaining by 2030.

What is the rarest sturgeon?

Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) was formerly the most widely distributed sturgeon in the Danube river. Today the species is very rare and listed in IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species™ as “Critically Endangered”.

Why is it illegal to keep sturgeon?

Honor System. Sturgeons are highly vulnerable to illegal fishing because they begin breeding relatively late, at about age 15, and they spawn infrequently—only every two to seven years. If populations are depleted, recovery is slow.

What was the biggest sturgeon ever caught?

The International Game Fish Association, the keeper of fishing world records, lists a 468-pound white sturgeon caught by Joey Pallotta III in Benicia, Calif., in July 1983 as the official world record. So a true world record isn’t likely to be established anytime soon.

Will sturgeon go extinct?

Sturgeons are the most endangered species group on earth. These gentle giants have been around since the age of the dinosaurs, but are now on the brink of extinction due to overfishing, a flourishing illegal caviar trade and habitat loss.

What is the biggest white sturgeon ever caught?

For that reason, the IGFA world record for a white sturgeon stands at only 468 pounds. However, the largest white sturgeon caught by a fisherman is believed to be the estimated 1,100-pounder measuring 12 feet, 4 inches caught in July 2012.

How many Atlantic sturgeon are there per year?

In 2013, the first year spawning was confirmed, an estimated 75 adult individuals participated in that year’s spawning run. Since that time, annual abundance estimates have been calculated, ranging from 52 per year to about 219 per year with a total adult population of approximately 300 individuals.

How old are the Sturgeons of the Great Lakes?

This ancient family of fishes has been recognized since the Upper Cretaceous period (136 million years ago), at a time when dinosaurs were at the height of their development. Lake sturgeon are the only sturgeon species endemic to the Great Lakes basin and are the largest freshwater fish indigenous to that system.

Are there any species of sturgeon that are extinct?

Some species of sturgeon are extinct, several are on the verge of extinction, including the Chinese sturgeon, the highly prized beluga sturgeon, and the Alabama sturgeon. Many species are classified as threatened or endangered with noticeable declines in sturgeon populations as the demand for caviar increases.

How many sturgeon are in the York River?

Mark recapture sampling in the Delaware River in 2014 resulted in 181 juvenile sturgeon being marked and four of those were recaptured. The resulting estimate of juvenile abundance that year was 3,656 individuals. The York River is one of the more recent Atlantic sturgeon spawning populations discovered.