Atlantic sturgeon are large, slow-growing, late-maturing, long-lived, estuary-dependent fish that live the majority of their lives in salt water, but hatch and spawn in freshwater.
Historically, Atlantic sturgeon were present in major estuary and river systems from Labrador to Florida. Migratory populations have been documented in 35 U.S. rivers and spawning is believed to occur in 20 of these.
The marine range of Atlantic sturgeon can be very broad regardless of where individuals originated.
Historical catch records indicate that these fish were once abundant, supporting important colonial fisheries. The U.S. commercial sturgeon fishery collapsed in 1901 when landings were about 10 percent of the peak. Landings by fisheries targeting sturgeon declined until a moratorium on landings was established in 1998. It is currently illegal to fish for, catch, or keep Atlantic sturgeon from U.S. waters.
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