Alabama Sturgeon by Marina Enriquez

Alabama Sturgeon
Description and Ecology:
    The Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhychus suttkusi) is a small, elongate fish that can grow up to 80cm. It is the smallest of all North American sturgeons. It has a broad and flattened head with a shovel like snout. There are 4 barbels located right under its snout and protrusive mouth. The barbels are used to help the sturgeon locate prey. The body of the sturgeon is lined with 5 rows of bony scutes, which are also on its head; it also narrows between the body and tail. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is elongated and ends in a long filament. The Alabama Sturgeon is light tan to golden yellow, with a creamy white belly. The Alabama Sturgeon is considered to be one of the rarest freshwater fishes on this planet. The Alabama Sturgeon is endemic to rivers of the Mobile River Basin, requiring flowering water habitats to help them complete their life cycle.

Geographic and Population Changes:
    There are records of Alabama Sturgeon from nearly all major rivers in the Mobile River Basin at or below the Fall Line. In 1898, they were estimated to have been nearly 20,000 fish. Now the species has disappeared from at least 85% of its historical range. The last observed Alabama Sturgeon was on April 23, 2009. Recent DNA evidence has come forward that the Alabama Sturgeon is still alive, however due to the building of dams, they have strayed from their historical range.

Listing Date and Type of Listing:
    The Alabama Sturgeon was listed as an endangered species on May 5, 2000.

Main Threats:
    Initially overfishing was thought to have endangered the Alabama Sturgeon since they were sought for caviar. However, the most likely result of the endangerment of the Alabama Sturgeon is the building of dams on the Mobile River Basin. There are now more than 25 locks and dams in the Mobile River, creating impoundments that prevent the sturgeon from migrating upstream to spawn, which means that the larvae can’t drift downstream to develop which is critical for their larval development. If the larvae can’t develop, then the sturgeons aren’t able to successfully breed to offset their mortality rates. Over the past 15 years, only nine Alabama Sturgeon have been reported or captured. There may now be less than 50 sturgeon for the entire species, which will lead to interbreeding and a loss of genetic variation. This is now their most immediate threat, their low numbers making them unable to sustain a viable population.

Recovery Plan
1.    Establishment of an Alabama Sturgeon broodstock
2.    Continue the hatchery program
3.    Preserve the current habitat of the Alabama River
4.    Perform life history studies
5.    Revise the recovery plan if needed

Since the main threat that is now facing the sturgeon is their low numbers making them unable to counteract their mortality rates, the primary objective of this recovery plan is to increase the number of individual fish by creating a broodstock. The long-term objective is to get the sturgeon from being listed as endangered to threatened since it is unlikely in current circumstances for the sturgeon to make a complete recovery. Scientists appear to agree that to help the sturgeon, they would need to open the navigation locks several times a day that way the fish are able to migrate, which is key to their life cycle.

What can you do?
    While overfishing may have been an issue in the past, it is no longer an issue due to the rarity of the fish and protection provided to them. As of now it is in the hands of the scientists and those who are in charge of the dams to work together to save this species.

Resources:

"The Alabama Sturgeon Lives! Feared extinct, fish's DNA rediscovered in Alabama River." AL, 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2017
"Listing of the Alabama Sturgeon." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2000. We. 04 Nov. 2017
"Recovery Plan for the Alabama Sturgeon." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2013. We. 04 Nov. 2017