The lake sturgeon is New York's largest freshwater fish. Mature adults average between three to five feet in length and ten to 80 pounds in weight, but can occasionally grow to be as large as seven plus feet, and 300 plus pounds. Primitive in appearance, the lake sturgeon has a torpedo-shaped body that is covered with five rows of bony plates. The top and side bony plates are the same color as the dull grey body. There are four barbels on the underside of the sharp, cone-shaped mouth.
Lake sturgeon are some of the longest-lived and slowest to mature freshwater fish species.
Females do not reach maturity until 14 to 23 years old and males eight to 19 years old. Adult lake sturgeon display interesting behavior during spawning, sometimes leaping out of the water to fall with a loud splash. Lake sturgeon are primarily found in freshwater lakes and large rivers, but can also occur in brackish waters. In New York, lake sturgeon have been collected in Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the St. Lawrence River, Niagara River, Oneida and Cayuga Lakes, Lake Champlain, the Oswegatchie River, Grasse River and Black Lake. However, their current numbers in these waters are a mere shadow of what they once were.