Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, which means they migrate upstream to spawn but spend most of their lives feeding in rivers, deltas and estuaries.

[7] The southern metapopulations of shortnose sturgeon are currently found in the Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Edisto, Cooper, Santee, Altamaha, Ogeechee, and Savannah rivers.

In the northern and mid-Atlantic metapopulations, shortnose sturgeon are currently found in Saint John (Canada), Penobscot, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Piscataqua, Merrimack, Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, and Potomac rivers.

They have also been spotted foraging and transiting in the St. George, Medomak, Damariscotta, Sheepscot, Saco, Deerfield, East, and Susquehanna rivers.

To enhance this understanding, results on the mapping of the benthic organisms will be needed to better define both the available and preferred diets of sturgeon.

Probabilistic or generalized linear models or similar approaches used to map benthic habitat should be constructed to help identify the distribution of shortnose sturgeon density.

[5]: 8  The intestines for shortnose sturgeon are dark and have a spiral valve (important for nutrient absorption), similar to that of sharks and rays.

Some reports have found that female adult shortnose sturgeon feed throughout the year, but a study from the Saint John River found that pre-spawning females rarely had food in their stomachs and likely stopped feeding about eight months prior to spawning while ripening males generally had full stomachs.

Sturgeon tend to be long-lived, slow-maturing, and spawn infrequently, which have served the species well through evolutionary time but poorly to anthropogenic impacts like overharvesting, habitat loss, and degradation.

[5] The life history of shortnose sturgeon begins with adults that lay their eggs in freshwater and then return to saltwater.

Time of spawning varies by latitude and is likely based on water temperatures in the range from 6.5–15 °C (43.7–59.0 °F); this may be as early as January in South Carolina or as late as May in Canada.

The eggs hatch after 13 days when incubated at water temperatures of 8 to 12 °C (46 to 54 °F),[5]: 12  into 7- to 11-mm-long hatchlings with a large yolk sac, minimal swimming ability that is used for negative phototaxis, and a strong tendency to seek cover.

[citation needed] They then drift downstream in the deep channels of the river, remaining in freshwater for the first year of their lives.

Females spend multiple years with reduced feeding and growth while they are producing the gonadal material needed for spawning.

Profitable fishery business using shortnose sturgeon began to grow in the 1800s leading to a rapid decline of the species population and distribution.

[5] Shortnose sturgeon are protected in accordance with Section 1(c) of the Endangered Species Preservation Act of October 15, 1966 (80 Stat.

[7] Although there are now about 12,000 adult shortnose sturgeon living within the Delaware River estuary, the population faces serious human-induced threats.

[9] Water quality contaminants such as endocrine distributing chemicals (EDCs) have been linked to reproductive and developmental disorders in many fish species.

[1] For example, some dams impede sturgeon travel back and forth between salt and fresh water, resulting in the disruption of natural spawning cycles and preventing the reproduction of the already struggling species.

More human-induced threats include ship/boat strikes, poaching, mortality from commercial and recreational fishing (bycatch) due to high sensitivity to being caught, injury to early life stages from water intake systems, instream construction projects within the spawning area, and dredging, including the ongoing Delaware River deepening project.

[10] Additional research has been done to prove that algal blooms, which can be caused by increased nitrogen levels in runoff or other anthropogenic factors, sometimes result in Shortnose Sturgeon die-offs.

[5] NOAA Fisheries work with conservation organizations, energy companies, states, tribes, and citizens to evaluate barriers—big and small—to improve upon fish passage.

The fish are captured and bred to help provide important insight into the physical, chemical, and biological parameters necessary for the optimal growth, survival, and reproduction of shortnose sturgeon in the wild.

The team suggested the following research projects to be conducted in order to improve understanding of the shortnose sturgeons’ status.

Firstly, continue the survey and tracking of adults to gather additional tissue samples and detect changes in population status (abundance, residency ranges, winter ecology, and spawning success).