 Research needs to be done to identify what habitats are critical to ensure the protection of each life stage.One area of research for discovering and designating critical habitat of shortnose sturgeon will be the study of foraging ecology and growth of the various life stages, as well as defining the benthic habitats that support preferred prey.To enhance this understanding, results on the mapping of the benthic organisms will be needed to better define both the available and preferred diets of sturgeon.