Tag Archives: Atlantic sturgeon
Atlantic sturgeon season approved as DFO ponders species status
A small commercial fishery for Atlantic sturgeon in the St. John River will begin as usual next month, despite a looming federal decision on whether to list the giant fish under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Mike Dadswell, a retired Acadia University sturgeon researcher, says the report contains errors and out-of-date information. He said the population size of up to 2,000 breeding fish used by COSEWIC is a significant underestimate, and puts the true number of around 11,500, which he says is “close to the virgin population of 11,000 adults in 1880.” Read the rest here 07:40
Atlantic sturgeon back in Chesapeake Bay, or did they ever leave?
Thought nearly extinct in the Chesapeake just two decades ago, sturgeon are turning up in surprising numbers and in surprising places. They’re also doing surprising things, like spawning in the fall — unlike any other anadromous fish on the East Coast. Read the rest here 08:55
North Carolina: New rules set for gill-net fishing
Gill-net fishermen have new requirements designed to protect an addition to the endangered species list. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently signed an agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that implements a statewide incidental take permit for Atlantic sturgeon in the estuarine large-mesh and small-mesh anchored gill net fisheries. Read more here 15:26
A new effort is being made in the James River to help save an endangered and prehistoric fish.
The stones are expected to create a 70-foot by 300-foot by 2-foot high rocky river bed, an ideal spawning location for the Atlantic sturgeon . The species spends most of their adult lives in the ocean but return to their home river to spawn in both the fall and spring. Their long life span makes them slow to reproduce. more@progressindex 10:26
VCU Receives NOAA Grant to Study Biology and Ecology of Iconic Fish The Atlantic Sturgeon
The 
and VCU Center for Environmental Studies have received a research grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to understand the biology and ecology of the Atlantic sturgeon, an iconic fish found in the Chesapeake Bay region. @vcuedu.org
Ever wonder if federal officials jumped the gun in declaring the Atlantic sturgeon an endangered species?
In its listing proposal, the agency, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that Atlantic sturgeon population numbers in the Carolina region had declined to less than 3 percent of historical levels. Data collected by state agencies seems to suggest otherwise. continued@starnewsonline
Following the embarrassment – Find out What’s Been Happening with Atlantic Sturgeon
Today, NOAA Fisheries NMFS staff made a presentation to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to provide an update on what we know about population status and various management actions under development for Atlantic sturgeon. Click here to read more about this. NOAA concedes:sturgeon not endangered, after all Fisherynation.com Editorial: The Great Atlantic Sturgeon Debacle
University of New England researcher nets 7-foot, 250-pound Atlantic sturgeon in Saco River, says it’s a sign of the prehistoric fish’s comeback
BIDDEFORD, Maine — University of New England associate professor James Sulikowski has a big fish story. On Wednesday, his team of marine science researchers caught what they estimate to be a 7-foot-long, 250-pound Atlantic sturgeon on the Saco River, potentially the largest ever recorded in the southern Maine waterway. Photos – continued
Sturgeon’s designation had minimal data, major impacts – Debate growing over fish’s label as endangered
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently issued estimates of coastal populations of the fish that are healthier than many thought. The estimate of more than 400,000 fish per year from Maine to North Carolina raised eyebrows among scientists and highlighted the lack of population data that were available when the designation was made. heh! continued
A desperate try to restock the Potomac’s sturgeon
Believe it or not, there’s a Chesapeake Bay fish in even worse shape than the recovering striped bass, the troubled blue crab and even the imperiled bay oyster. The Atlantic sturgeon, pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and development, is little more than a memory in the Potomac River, ready for a spot in a museum. Read more, and treat yourself to the Wapo comments.
