White sturgeon
Acipenser transmontanus
Also known asColumbia River sturgeon · Pacific sturgeon
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 8000 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 45% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 1.00% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.40% of body weight
- Max density
- 30 g per litre
A 100000 g adult eats about 1000.0 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~10000 g daily.
Legality
Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Verify with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before stocking.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | restricted | CITES Appendix II; international trade requires permits verified 2026-05-13 |
| California | permit required | Major US caviar production state; commercial licenses required verified 2026-05-13 |
| Idaho | permit required | verified 2026-05-13 |
Unlisted jurisdictions default to "check local regulations".
Origin and habitat
Native to the Pacific coast of North America, from the Gulf of Alaska south to Monterey, California, in large rivers and estuaries, with landlocked populations in the Fraser, Columbia, Snake and Kootenai systems and in California reservoirs such as Lake Shasta. It is the largest freshwater fish in North America: historical fish reached about 6 m and 600 kg or more, though dams and heavy fishing mean modern fish rarely top 3 m and 200 kg. Some populations run to sea and back while others stay in fresh water for life. The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable, and it can live more than a century, with one record of 104 years. Larger fish are piscivorous while smaller ones eat midge larvae, crustaceans, insects and molluscs. White sturgeon is the backbone of the US domestic caviar and sturgeon-meat industry, centred on California's Sacramento Valley.
Climate and outdoor ponds
- Climate
- cold-water (cool water required, dies in heat)
- USDA zones
- 4–9 (winter low around -34°C or warmer)
- Heating needed
- no
- Cooling needed
- yes, if summer water exceeds upper tolerance
Care notes
A long-term, high-investment species for premium caviar and meat, far too large and slow for ordinary home aquaponics. It is the fastest-growing North American sturgeon, putting on roughly 1–3 kg a year and reaching meat-harvest size of 3–8 kg in three to six years. Culture runs warmer than the cool rivers it comes from: growth is markedly better around 20–25°C than at 15°C, and Sacramento's steady 19 to 20 C groundwater is part of why females there mature fast, as early as about seven years in culture against eleven or more in the wild; once mature they yield roe every two to four years. Keep dissolved oxygen above about 5 mg/L and ammonia low, and stock juveniles around {density:20}-{density:40}, easing off as they grow. White sturgeon anchors the US caviar business, with Sacramento Valley farms producing premium white caviar that competes with Caspian imports, and several have run hydroponic plant production on their recirculating effluent, showing sturgeon aquaponics at scale. Fingerlings come from farms in California, Oregon and Idaho, culture usually needs permits, and CITES rules cover any cross-border trade in sturgeon products.