Scaphirhynchus suttkusi

Alabama Sturgeon

FWS Focus

Overview

Characteristics
Overview

The Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirhyncus suttkusi) is a slender freshwater fish and opportunistic bottom feeder. Its historic range encompassed all major rivers in the Mobile Basin below the Fall Line, including the Alabama, Tombigbee, and Cahaba River systems. Recent collections have been restricted to the lower Alabama River below Millers Ferry Lock and Dam to the confluence of the Tombigbee River and in the lower Cahaba River near its confluence with the Alabama River. The last capture of an Alabama sturgeon was on April 3, 2007, by biologists at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). The Alabama sturgeon is one of the rarest and most endangered fish in the nation and may be close to extinction. It was listed as an endangered species on May 5, 2000 (65 FR 26438)

Scientific Name

Scaphirhynchus suttkusi
Common Name
Alabama sturgeon
FWS Category
Fishes
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Habitat

Characteristics
Habitat

Very little is known of the habitat requirements of the Alabama sturgeon. Based on capture data, it inhabits the main channel of large coastal plain rivers of the Mobile River Basin. Most specimens have been taken in moderate to swift current at depths of 6 to 14 m, over sand, gravel or mud bottom. Similar preferences have also observed in shovelnose sturgeon. Most historical and recent sturgeon capture sites are at or near features that include rock walls, river channel training devices, deep pools, mussel beds, confluences with tributaries, and/or stable sand and gravel bottoms. The presence of mussel beds represents stable channel habitats that are likely important feeding areas for sturgeon, while deep pools and confluence areas with tributaries may be used as thermal refugia during times of low flow.

River or Stream
Characteristic category

Similar Species

Characteristics
Similar Species
Characteristic category

Food

Characteristics
Food

Alabama sturgeon are generally considered opportunistic bottom feeders that primarily eat aquatic insects, plant material, and mollusks. Commercial fisherman report that sturgeon have been captured on trotlines with a variety of bait, including poultry parts, fish, and commercially prepared bait. Juvenile shovelnose sturgeon prefer feeding in sandy substrates and actively avoid gravel areas, and juvenile Alabama sturgeon may share this feeding preference.

Characteristic category

Behavior

Characteristics
Behavior

Adult shovelnose sturgeon and juvenile shovelnose sturgeon are more active at night, but their habitat preferences do not vary from day to night. Alabama sturgeon may have similar habitat preferences. This type of behavior was also observed in juvenile shovelnose sturgeon and may apply to Alabama sturgeon. One Alabama sturgeon that was tagged and tracked from April 2007 to June 2008 displayed varied movement patterns. During the summer months, the fish was stationary and resided around the confluence of a small spring-fed stream called Sizemore Creek in the lower Alabama River. Water temperatures in Sizemore Creek were typically 4-5? cooler than the Alabama River, which suggest the fish was using this area as a thermal refuge. Movement was greatest during the spring and may indicate that the fish was attempting to migrate upstream to spawn.. The greatest movement was associated with water temperatures between 16 and 21?, and no clear correlations were made between upstream movement and increased river discharge.

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Size & Shape

The Alabama sturgeon is a slender freshwater fish that grows to about 30 inches (0.7 m) in length.

Weight

An adult Alabama sturgeon weighs 2-3 pounds.

Color & Pattern

Its eyes are larger and extend into the head width more than those of a shovelnose sturgeon. Its back and most of its fins are brownish orange, while its sides are golden-yellow and its belly is creamy white.

Characteristic category

Life Cycle

Characteristics
Life Cycle

River sturgeons (Scaphirhynchus spp.) require extensive areas of flowing water habitats to complete their life cycle. Adults will often migrate upstream to spawn. Alabama sturgeon larvae drift downstream for 12-13 days after hatching. Pallid sturgeon larvae drift downstream for 11 days and can drift for more than 125 miles before they settle in the bottom of the river. Alabama Sturgeon may require some minimum distance of flowing river conditions for larval development and for sustainable recruitment of the species.

Life Span

Life span of the Alabama Sturgeon is unknown. Although few individuals probably exceed 12 to 15 years of age, it is possible the species may live longer.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity of the Alabama sturgeon is believed to occur at 5-7 years of age. Spawning frequency of both sexes is likely influenced by food supply and fish condition and may occur once every 2-3 year years. As with most riverine sturgeon, spawning is likely initiated by environmental cues such as temperature, photoperiod, and an increase in river discharge during the late winter and early spring. The development of numerous large-river impoundments in the Mobile Basin may influence these cues.

Geography

Characteristics
Range

The Alabama sturgeonโ€™s historic range encompassed all major rivers below the Fall Line in the Mobile Basin, including the Alabama, Tombigbee, and Cahaba River drainages. Recent collections have been restricted to the lower Alabama River below Millers Ferry Lock and Dam to the confluence of the Tombigbee River and in the lower Cahaba River near its confluence with the Alabama River.

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Timeline

Explore the information available for this taxon's timeline. You can select an event on the timeline to view more information, or cycle through the content available in the carousel below.

21 Items

Listing

Listing

Critical Habitat

Listing

Listing

Listing

Notice

Listing

Notice

Notice

Notice

Listing

Listing

Critical Habitat

Notice

Critical Habitat

Five Year Review

Recovery Plan

Recovery Plan

Five Year Review

Recovery Plan

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Listing

Dec 30, 1982

Dec 30, 1982 Listing
Review of Vertebrate Wildlife for Listing as End. or Thr. Species
  • Publication type: CNOR
  • Population:
Item 1

Listing

Jun 15, 1993

Jun 15, 1993 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Proposed Endangered Status and Designation of Critical Habitat for the Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Proposed
  • Population:
Item 2

Critical Habitat

Jun 15, 1993

Jun 15, 1993 Critical Habitat
ETWP; Proposed Endangered Status and Designation of Critical Habitat for the Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Proposed
  • Population:
Item 3

Listing

Dec 15, 1994

Dec 15, 1994 Listing
ETWP; Withdrawal of Proposed Rule for Endangered Status and Critical Habitat for the Alabama Sturgeoโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Withdrawal
  • Population:
Item 4

Listing

Sep 19, 1997

Sep 19, 1997 Listing
Review of Plant and Animal Taxa
  • Publication type: CNOR
  • Population:
Item 5

Listing

Mar 26, 1999

Mar 26, 1999 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Proposed Rule to List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangered
  • Publication type: Proposed
  • Population:
Item 6

Notice

Jul 12, 1999

Jul 12, 1999 Notice
Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangereโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Comment Period Reopening
  • Population:
Item 7

Listing

Oct 25, 1999

Oct 25, 1999 Listing
Review of Plant and Animal Taxa That Are Candidates or Proposed for Listing as Endangered or Threateโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: CNOR
  • Population:
Item 8

Notice

Jan 11, 2000

Jan 11, 2000 Notice
ETWP; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Comment Period Reopening
  • Population:
Item 9

Notice

Feb 7, 2000

Feb 7, 2000 Notice
Notice of Withdrawal of Released Study, Submission of New Report, and Opening of Comment Period on tโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Comment Period Reopening
  • Population:
Item 10

Notice

Feb 16, 2000

Feb 16, 2000 Notice
Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangereโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Comment Period Reopening
  • Population:
Item 11

Listing

May 5, 2000

May 5, 2000 Listing (Endangered)
Final Rule To List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangered; Final Rule
  • Publication type: Final
  • Population:
Item 12

Listing

Oct 30, 2001

Oct 30, 2001 Listing
ETWP; Review of Plant and Animal Species That Are Candidates or Proposed for Listing as Endangered oโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: CNOR
  • Population:
Item 13

Critical Habitat

May 27, 2008

May 27, 2008 Critical Habitat
Designation of Critical Habitat for Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi): Proposed rule.
  • Publication type: Proposed
  • Population:
Item 14

Notice

Jan 28, 2009

Jan 28, 2009 Notice
Designation of Critical Habitat for the Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhyncus suttkusi): Proposed rule; exโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Comment Period Extension
  • Population:
Item 15

Critical Habitat

Jun 2, 2009

Jun 2, 2009 Critical Habitat
Designation of Critical Habitat for Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi)
  • Publication type: Final
  • Population:
Item 16

Five Year Review

Jul 6, 2009

Jul 6, 2009 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews of 23 Southeastern Species
  • Publication type: Notice
  • Population:
Item 17

Recovery Plan

Apr 12, 2012

Apr 12, 2012 Recovery Plan (Document Availability (non-FR))
Notice of Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan for Alabama Sturgeon
  • Publication type: Draft
  • Population:
Item 18

Recovery Plan

Aug 6, 2013

Aug 6, 2013 Recovery Plan (Document Availability (non-FR))
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Availability of the Recovery Plan for Alabaโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Final
  • Population:
Item 19

Five Year Review

May 7, 2018

May 7, 2018 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
5-Year Status Reviews for 35 Southeastern Species
  • Publication type: Notice
  • Population:
Item 20

Recovery Plan

Aug 6, 2019

Aug 6, 2019 Recovery Plan (Document Availability (non-FR))
28 Draft Recovery Plan Revisions for 53 Species in the Southeast, Mountain-Prairie, and Pacific Soutโ€ฆ
  • Publication type: Draft
  • Population:
Item 21