Like the green sturgeon the white sturgeon is a primitive, bottom dwelling fish. It is characterized by its large body size, large head and mouth, and long cylindrical body. It has four barbels located in front of its large, wide and toothless mouth, located on the bottom (ventral) side of its head. It has no scales, but "scutes" along its body for protection. Scutes are actually large modified scales, that serve as a type of armor or protection. White sturgeon have 11-14 scutes in front of their single dorsal fin, no scutes behind the dorsal, 38-48 scutes on the side, and 9-12 bottom (ventral) scutes. Dorsal color is dark to light gray, pale olive, or gray-brown. The white sturgeon's ventral or bottom surface is white. The scutes are lighter than the body in color, and the fins are dusky to opaque gray.
The white sturgeon is a slow growing, late maturing anadromous fish. White sturgeon spawn in large rivers in the spring and summer months and remain in fresh water while young. Older juveniles and adults are commonly found in rivers, estuaries, and marine environments.
Anadromous white sturgeon most commonly move into large rivers in the early spring, and spawn May through June. Spawning usually takes place in swift current with a rocky bottom, near rapids. White sturgeon can spawn multiple times during their life, and apparently spawn every 4-11 years as they grow and mature. Females can produce from 100,000 to several million eggs each. Older white sturgeon produce more eggs and wait longer times between spawns. Adults apparently broadcast spawn in the water column and the fertilized eggs sink and attach to the bottom to hatch. Research shows that eggs can hatch in 4 days to 2 weeks, depending on water temperature, and it has been estimated that white sturgeon reach maturity in 15-25 years.
In North America, white sturgeon are found from Ensenada, Mexico to Cook Inlet, Alaska. Found in most estuaries along the Pacific coast, white sturgeon prefer estuaries of large rivers. However, it is rare to find white sturgeon in Puget Sound or Hood Canal, Washington.
