Abstract
Age at sexual maturity has not been described previously for the pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus, an endangered species. Age and reproductive development data were obtained for five male and nine female pallid sturgeons collected from 1983 to 1991. Spawning bands were observed in pectoral fin ray sections of age-25 and age-41 females. Males reached sexual maturity at ages 5–7. Females began egg development at ages 9–12 and first spawned at age 15. Eight of the specimens we examined were collected from the headwaters of the Atchafalaya River, where pallid sturgeons had not been previously reported.
