The sturgeons in this family are potamodromous. In other words they migrate, but spend all their lives in fresh water, unlike other sturgeons which are anadromous. The latter, like salmon, live in the sea and then migrate up into fresh water to spawn. The Scaphirhynchus family is divided into 3 species: Albus (the females wait 15 years before procreating), Platorynchus (Shovelnose) and the Suttkusi (also known as the Alabama sturgeon). This family of fish suffered a lot from serious water pollution to the point where its eggs cannot be eaten.