Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi)

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Endangered Species Bulletin: May/June 1999

Alabama Shovelnose Sturgeon

The Alabama sturgeon, a freshwater fish that historically inhabited some 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of the Mobile River system in Alabama, was once so abundant that it was caught and sold commercially. But today it is among the rarest of North American fish.

The Alabama sturgeon is long and slender, growing to about 30 inches in length, and is a golden - yellow color. A mature fish weighs 2-3 pounds. The head is broad and flattened, shovel-like at the snout. Bony plates cover the head, back and sides. The body narrows abruptly to the rear to form a narrow stalk between body and tail. The upper lobe of the tail fin is elongated and ends in a long filament.

Within the Mobile River system, the Alabama sturgeon inhabited the Black Warrior, Tombigbee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Mobile, Tensaw, and Cahaba rivers, as well as stretches of the Tombigbee River in Mississippi. It has disappeared, however, from approximately 85 percent of its historic range in the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers and their major tributaries in Mississippi and Alabama. Since 1985, all confirmed captures have been restricted to a short, free-flowing reach of the Alabama River in Clarke, Monroe, and Wilcox Counties, Alabama.

During the past 2 years, FWS biologists have worked with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Alabama Tombigbee Rivers Coalition (a group of private businesses and industries with economic interests in these rivers), and other partners on efforts aimed at increasing the numbers of Alabama sturgeon. As a part of these efforts, the Marion State Fish Hatchery has been modified to maintain and propagate Alabama sturgeon, and efforts to collect brood stock have been initiated. Biologists also are seeking to identify important habitats for the species in the Alabama River and to develop strategies for protection and management.

The decline of the sturgeon is believed to be due to overfishing, the loss and fragmentation of habitat as a result of navigation related development, and degradation of water quality. Today, the species' population has been reduced to the point where, if no conservation measures are taken, its chances for recovery are slim. The numbers of surviving sturgeon may be too low for natural reproduction to restore a sustainable population in the wild.

The FWS originally proposed the Alabama sturgeon for endangered status on June 15, 1993. Because of a lack of proof that the species still existed, the proposal was withdrawn on December 15, 1994. Since then, however, six fish have been caught by State, Federal, and commercial and recreational fishermen, events that confirm its continued existence.

The FWS and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have examined river activities and potential conflicts that might arise from listing the Alabama sturgeon. This study resulted in a joint determination that current activities in the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, including the annual navigation channel maintenance dredging programs, will have no impact on the sturgeon and will not need to be eliminated or modified should the species be listed. Both waterways already contain habitat for four listed mussel and fish species, and their presence has not resulted in any use restrictions on the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers.