Lake Sturgeon May Live Over 400 Years, Study in Journal of Fish Biology Suggests
Research published in the Journal of Fish Biology indicates that the lifespan of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Great Lakes may exceed earlier estimates. A team led by Edward Baker examined data spanning from 1980 to 2024 across five rivers. Their findings suggest that a male measuring 5 feet 3 inches could be between 87 and 215 years old, while a female at 5 feet 11 inches might range from 90 to 248 years. The largest specimens could potentially live up to 435 years for males and 292 years for females, possibly making them the longest-living freshwater fish. Previously, the oldest recorded age was 154 years. This study underscores the urgent need for age reevaluation and conservation, as current populations have dwindled to below 1 percent of their late 19th-century numbers.
Key facts
- Study published in the Journal of Fish Biology suggests lake sturgeon may live up to 435 years, nearly three times the previously known oldest age.
- Researchers analyzed capture-mark-recapture data from thousands of lake sturgeon collected from 1980 to 2024 in five Upper Great Lakes waterways.
- A 154-year-old sturgeon caught in 1953 on the Minnesota-Canada border was previously considered the oldest ever.
- Male sturgeon of 5 feet 3 inches had a median age range of 87 to 215 years; females of 5 feet 11 inches had a range of 90 to 248 years.
- The largest fish in the dataset had predicted median ages up to 435 years for males and 292 years for females.
- Lake sturgeon populations in the Great Lakes have dropped to less than 1 percent of the 15 million estimated in the late 19th century.
- Winter torpor, a state of reduced physiological functions, may prolong sturgeon longevity.
- Experts call for further verification, such as radiocarbon dating, and stricter harvest limits to aid recovery.
Entities
Artists
- Prosanta Chakrabarty
- Edward Baker
- Mark Luehring
- Josh Schloesser
- Stephanie Ogren
- Sahas Mehra
Institutions
- Journal of Fish Biology
- Louisiana State University
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Grand Rapids Public Museum
- Re:wild
- USFWS
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- Great Lakes
- St. Clair-Detroit River System
- Black Lake
- Sturgeon River
- Menominee River
- St. Clair River
- Lake Winnebago
- Minnesota
- Canada
- Wisconsin
- Bad River
- Kazakhstan
- Alabama