NFC Launches Multi-Chapter Endangered Sturgeon Informational Sign Project...

There are 27 species of sturgeon. Some date back to the Early Jurassic period of 175 to 200 million years ago. Two species, Acipenseridae naccarii and Acipenseridae dabryanus, are likely extinct in the wild, and one, Pseudoscaphirhynchus fedtschenkoi, is believed to be entirely extinct.

Sturgeon are long-lived fish that mature late. They are also a large fish, with the record being a 23’, 1570 pound specimen caught in 1827 from the Volga estuary in Russia. Most sturgeon are anadromous, migrating upstream to spawn, while spending most of their time in saltwater estuaries.

We don’t know nearly what we need to know about sturgeon in regard to their numbers, habits, and habitat. Native to the east coast of the United States, shortnose sturgeon are federally Endangered. Native to the east coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic sturgeon are Threatened.

As a bottom-feeder, sturgeon are sometimes accidentally caught by anglers in rivers and estuaries. This led NFC to reach out to NOAA Fisheries and several New England state marine resources agencies to discuss an informational sign to let anglers know what is expected of them.

Bob Dalton (MA NFC), Lynn Lankshear (NOAA), and Kyle White (MA/NH NFC)

What was started as a Massachusetts NFC project initiated by former MA NFC Chair Bob Dalton and MA NFC board member and former NH NFC Chair Kyle White, has been expanded into Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. We are looking to expand into Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maryland next.

The first state where signs were posted was Massachusetts. MA NFC members posted signs on the Connecticut River and Merrimack River, as well as the lower Ipswich River.