The white sturgeon we study at Malaspina is found only on the west coast of North America. Sturgeon are in the family Acipenseridae which can be dated approximately 160,000,000 years. Sturgeon as we know them now date back about 125,000,000 years. Historically sturgeon have been reported to live up to 200 years. Today, they generally live 80 to 125 years.
Sturgeon are terminal carnivores.
They are usually bottom feeders and feed on invertebrates and fish. There have been reports of sturgeon growing to over 1800 pounds. Today's population generally grow to about 600 pounds. In the wild, females reach maturity between 15 and 20 years of age and males between 7 and 15 years. In captivity, because of diet and temperature control, maturity for females is reduced to between 10 and 12 years and for males between 5 and 7 years.