Pallid Sturgeon

The pallid sturgeon is one of the largest  fishes found in the Missouri-Mississippi River drainage.  It is from 30-60 inches long and can weigh up to 85 pounds (39 kg). It is usually light brown on the dorsal surface and white underneath. It has a flattened, shovel-shaped snout. Fleshy chin barbels are located at about 1/3 the distance between the mouth and snout, with the inner barbels about 1/2 the length of the outer barbels. The pallid has a long, slender, flattened and armored region from the dorsal fin to the tail fin, which has a long upper lobe. The pallid sturgeon has no bony plates on its belly.  The pallid sturgeon is a member of a primitive family (Acipenseridae) which, like other sturgeon, has lengthwise rows of bony plates covering its body, rather than scales.

This species is a bottom dweller, found in areas of strong current and firm sand bottom in the main channel of large turbid rivers such as the Missouri River.  Pallids are slow-growing, late-maturing fish that feed on small fishes and immature aquatic insects. Spawning occurs from June through August.  The pallid sturgeon is distributed from the headwaters of the Missouri River (Fort Benton-Great Falls, Montana) through the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana.