The fertilized eggs sink and attach to the bottom to hatch. Research indicates that water flow is one of the key determinants of larval survival. As a result, water diversions for municipal and industrial uses, irrigation projects, and power generation projects that reduce the amount of water in the rivers can negatively impact green sturgeon. Accumulation of PCBs and other contaminants can also reduce sturgeon survival. Feeding on algae and small invertebrates while young, green sturgeon migrate downstream before they are two years old.
Juveniles remain in the estuaries for a short time and migrate to the ocean as they grow larger.
Adult green sturgeon feed on benthic invertebrates and small fish. The green sturgeon can become highly migratory later in life. They have been documented as traveling over 600 miles between freshwater and estuary environments. The green sturgeon is commercially caught along with the white sturgeon in the Columbia River, Grays Harbor, and Willapa Bay. The green sturgeon is not as valuable as the white sturgeon because its flesh is considered inferior to that of the white sturgeon.