white sturgeon
Acipenser transmontanus · Acipenseridae · predator
Giant North Pacific sturgeon, which runs up large rivers to spawn and reaches 6.1 m. In Mexico it occurs only in northern Baja California. It is considered a sport fish.
Also called: esturjão-branco, esturjão, esturión blanco, white sturgeon
- maximum
- 610 cm
- record/max.
- 816.0 kg
- depth
- 1–122 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the white sturgeon
who is the white sturgeon
Fish of the family Acipenseridae, with an elongated body and bony plates on the belly, and no spines on the dorsal fin. It reaches 6.1 m and 816 kg, and spends nearly all its time at sea, close to the coast. It enters the estuaries of large rivers and travels far upriver to spawn. The largest eat mainly fish; the smaller ones eat insect larvae, small crustaceans and molluscs. The flesh is very good to eat, and the roe is made into caviar. In fishing it is considered a sport fish and turns up now and then.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the white sturgeon; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It can reach 104 years: that is the recorded maximum age.
- Younger females spawn every 4 years, and older ones every 10 to 11 years.
identification
Elongated body, grey or brownish on the back and paler underneath, with grey fins and no spines on the dorsal fin. Between the anus and the anal fin there are two rows of bony plates. It has no obvious bony scutes behind the dorsal and anal fins. The barbels are closer to the tip of the snout than to the mouth.
where found
In Latin America, it only occurs in northern Baja California, Mexico. The species lives mainly in the North Pacific, from Alaska to California.
Habitat: At sea, near the coast, and in the estuaries of large rivers; it runs up rivers to spawn.
rules for the white sturgeon
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
A sturgeon that lives up to 104 years and only matures at around 160 cm, and the species is considered vulnerable. If you catch one, release it carefully and, ideally, with the fish in the water.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, smoked or frozen, and the roe is used as caviar.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00302, b = 3.18; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Acipenser transmontanus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Acipenser transmontanusNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: