Pallid Sturgeon
(Scaphirhynchus albus)
Species Description: The pallid sturgeon (Facts sheet) has a flattened, shovel-shaped snout, possesses a long and slender and completely armored caudal peduncle, and lacks a spiracle and belly scutes. Pallid sturgeon are a bottom-oriented species. The species can be long-lived (40 + years), with females reaching sexual maturity later than males. Pallid sturgeon at the northern end of their range can obtain sizes much larger than pallid sturgeon at the southern end of their range.
Location: Pallid sturgeon are found only in portions of the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. More specifically, the species is known to occur in: the portion of the Missouri River in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; the portion of the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois (downstream from Melvin Price Locks and Dam), Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri (downstream from Melvin Price Locks and Dam), and Tennessee; the Platte River in Nebraska downstream of Elkhorn River confluence; the portion of the Kansas River downstream from Bowersock Dam in Kansas; the Yellowstone River in North Dakota and Montana downstream of the Bighorn River confluence; and the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana. This is illustrated in the figure above. There have also been rare or occasional observations in the lower Big Sioux River, South Dakota, the Grand River, Missouri, and the Mississippi River near Keokuk, Iowa.Actions: In 1990, we listed the pallid sturgeon as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (Act). Threats identified in the listing package were habitat modification, small population size, limited natural reproduction, hybridization, pollution and contaminants, and commercial harvest.
- Determination of Endangered Status for the Pallid Sturgeon (55 FR 36641, September 6, 1990) (2.25 MB PDF)
In 1993, we released the pallid sturgeon recovery plan. The short-term recovery objective was to prevent species extinction by establishing three captive broodstock populations in separate hatcheries. The long-term objective was to downlist and delist the species through protection, habitat restoration, and propagation activities by 2040.
- Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) Recovery Plan (9.65 MB PDF)
In June 2007, the Service completed a 5-year review of the status of the Pallid Sturgeon. This status review concluded no change in its listed status under the Act was necessary.
- 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation (1.8 MB PDF)
Proposed Rule to Treat the Shovelnose Sturgeon As a Threatened Species
On September 21, 2009, we announced a proposed rule to treat the shovelnose sturgeon as a threatened species under the Act. The shovelnose sturgeon and the endangered pallid sturgeon are difficult to differentiate in the wild and inhabit overlapping portions of the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. Four States where the two species commonly coexist allow for commercial fishing of shovelnose sturgeon and their roe (eggs sold as caviar). Because of the close resemblance in appearance between the shovelnose and pallid sturgeon, fishermen, State regulators, and law enforcement personnel have substantial difficulty in differentiating between the two species and their roe. This similarity of appearance has resulted in the documented take of pallid sturgeon and is a threat to the species. The determination that the shovelnose sturgeon should be treated as threatened due to similarity of appearance will substantially facilitate law enforcement actions to protect and conserve pallid sturgeon.
- Press Release
- Questions and Answers
- Federal Register Notice
- References cited
- Peer review plan More information can be found on the Service's ECOS webpage
