Sturgeon Show Sign of Return To Chesapeake Bay

On April 29th of this year, A 7 1/2 foot-long 170lb female sturgeon was found in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This is the first time in 30 years that a mature and gravid Atlantic sturgeon was found in the bay where the species was thought to be functionally extinct.

The animal was turned over to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where they hope to fertilize the eggs and release the young. The department has been holding males in tanks for the past 11 years waiting for such an opportunity.

It's too early to tell whether this breeding effort will help lead to a sturgeon resurgence. "But," said Andy Lazur an aquaculture specialist, "there is a glimmer of hope and some good news."

It's hard to avoid Sturgeon news these days. The big, armor plated fish have become the signature species for rivers and coastal waters around the world in recent years. The Hudson river valley is filled with signs denoting protected sturgeon spawning grounds and large
specimens of the Yangtze species have attained celebrity status in China.