HomeFreshwater aquarium fishOther freshwater fishLake sturgeon Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) Scientific name: Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817 The Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is a freshwater fish of the family Acipenseridae. Native range: North America, St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins. International trade restricted (CITES II, since 1.7.75; CMS Appendix II). BiologyInhabits bottom of lakes and large rivers, usually in 5-9 m depth, over mud, sand, and gravel. Occasionally enters brackish water. A specimen caught in 1952 was reputed to have been 152 years old. Search for food, with the aid of the sensory ability of the barbels, by constantly moving close to the substrate. Omnivorous, virtually anything edible that enters the mouth is sucked up and consumed. The food is worked or pulled in the mouth, often partly ejected and sucked in again. Spawning sites are rocky and boulder filled areas along the outside bend of rivers. Smoked and in 1951, Canada, 2,000 lbs. of caviar were made from the eggs. Threatened due to over harvesting, habitat loss and pollution.Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameAcipenser fulvescensFamilyAcipenseridae (Sturgeons)OrderAcipenseriformes (Sturgeons and Paddlefishes)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length274Common length97.5EnvironmentFreshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromousClimateTemperateDistributionNorth America: St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins. International trade restricted (CITES II, since 1.7.75; CMS Appendix II).Conservation status (IUCN)Least Concern (LC)Threat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: commercial; aquaculture: experimental; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariumsResilienceVery Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=16-26; tmax=97; K=0.04; Fec=50,000) More other freshwater fishSouth American lungfishLepidosiren paradoxaLined soleAchirus lineatusPumpkinseedLepomis gibbosusShort-tailed pipefishMicrophis brachyurus brachyurusFinescale tigerfishDatnioides microlepisFreshwater garfishXenentodon cancilaSee all other freshwater fish SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026