The Chinese sturgeon mainly feeds on some small or slow-moving benthic animals, including shrimps, crabs, mollusks and aquatic insects, etc., and its food types have also changed due to different living environments. The young fish mainly feed on chironomid larvae, dragonfly larvae, mayfly larvae and plant debris in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, while the young fish in the estuary salty and fresh water area feed on shrimps, crabs and small fish.