In late June, Hudson River Estuary Program fisheries staff caught and released a massive, 220-pound Atlantic sturgeon under a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) endangered species research permit. Of the 3 sturgeon species in New York–lake sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon, and Atlantic sturgeon—the latter is the largest, and a 220-pound specimen is a truly special catch for the team of researchers. Through continuous tagging studies, along with a coastwide ban on Atlantic sturgeon fishing that began in 1998, we may be beginning to see the positive impact of habitat preservation and protection efforts in these long-lived, slow-growing fish.
Amanda Higgs, a Fisheries Biologist with the Hudson River Estuary Programs in cooperation with Cornell University, provided some insight into how the fish was caught and the significance of their work in the Hudson.
According to Higgs, surveys began in 2006 (and continues today) to help monitor and protect the spawning stock of Atlantic sturgeon that enters the Hudson River to reproduce during the months of May and June. The goal of these surveys is to learn more about life history, and the areas that Atlantic sturgeon use to spawn. Through tagging studies using PIT tags, they’ve been able to gain a better understanding of the abundance of sturgeon, the ratio of males to females, growth rates, and whether they return to the same areas each year.
Higgs said they are currently about 2 years into a 3-year population estimate study in collaboration with Delaware State University, the University of Delaware, and USGS, after a 2014 study—which was later published in 2020—estimated the population of Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River to be around 450 individual fish. Unfortunately, the public will have to wait another year or two for an updated population estimate. However, hopes are high that the population is growing.
“In 2018,” Higgs said in an interview, “National Geographic used side-scan technology in the same area that we handled this 220-pound fish, and they discovered a sturgeon (near the bottom) that measured 14.1-feet long, which probably would have been about 800 pounds.”
“We don’t catch them that big,” Higgs continued. “I’m actually not sure what we would do with a fish that large; but there are fish of that size in the river today and, historically, they’ve grown to be that size.” Most people could not fathom laying eyes on an 800-pound Atlantic sturgeon, and Higgs says that due to hundreds of years of overfishing coupled with their slow growth rate, they’re not entirely sure how large Atlantic sturgeon can grow to be.
“We haven’t fished on them since 1998 coastwide, but throughout history, from Native Americans until the 1990s, sturgeon have been fished on; so it’s hard to know the maximum size they can grow to since fishing pressure has always suppressed them,” Higgs said. “They’re a very old, long-lived fish. Females, in some cases, don’t return to the river to spawn for the first time until they’re 20 years old, so they’re very susceptible to overfishing.”
Higgs stated that this was an average year in terms of study results. They began their research early in the spring due to warmer water temperatures, which have brought sturgeon back to the Hudson earlier than usual in recent years. According to Higgs, their team caught between 175 and 200 sturgeon this year, which is typical. “We don’t catch many females, and that held true for this year as well,” said Higgs. “The fish that has been made famous on Instagram was one of just 3 females captured. One of those three females had already spawned, but the one pictured had not yet spawned,” Higgs added.
For those who are curious how such a large fish is safely captured, studied, and released, Higgs provided a brief rundown:
“We fish around slack tide, set nets, let them sit for an hour or so, pull them in, and see what we get. Then we process the fish, which consists of taking their weight and length measurements, checking for tags, and taking a small genetic sample before returning them to the water,” she said. “We are under strict management from the National Marine Fisheries Service, who manage endangered fish, and our permit has stringent conditions. For example, when water temperatures hit a certain mark, we can’t hold the fish for very long, but we are permitted to catch and tag Atlantic sturgeon on the spawning grounds.”
While biologists are hopeful that the Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon population is on the rise, in 2022, the Delaware River population, once the largest on the East Coast was estimated to be less than one-tenth of 1% (about 250 fish) of the historic Atlantic sturgeon population. While proper spawning habitat exists and fishing has ceased, the threat of vessel strikes on the large, spawning sturgeon in the Delaware Bay and River is suspected to be the species greatest threat, a threat that, in one of the country’s busiest ports, is not so easily abated.
