Shovelnose Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
This species was found at 16 bioassessment sites, 0 rapid fish bioassessment sites, 6 fisheries assessment sites, and 0 fisheries presence-only assessment sites. In total, it was collected at 22 distinct sites, or 1.5% of the 1472 total sites monitored by the bioassessment program. It is the 88th most commonly collected species.
The Shovelnose Sturgeon was collected in 21 bioassessment sampling sessions and 6 fisheries assessment sessions. It was present in 0 rapid bioassessment sessions and 0 presence-only sessions.
The biological assessment program has collected a total of 237 individual Shovelnose Sturgeon specimens, ranking it the #84 most collected fish.
Buff or olive-drab above and light beneath. Its entire body is armored with heavy plates. Its snout is markedly flattened or shovel-shaped. There are no spiracles. A very long, thread-like filament attached to the top lobe of the tail fin, gives this fish one of its common names, switchtail. This filament is very fragile and is often missing, especially in older fish. This species commonly weighs 6- to 8-pounds, but 4- or 5-pound fish are more common.
HUC12 watersheds where this species has been found