Over the last many years sturgeon have become common in the saltwater stretch of the Saint George River. Clients frequently see one of these large fish jump and ask me about it. We do not know why they jump still but we do know a great deal about them. NOAA produced this animation about sturgeon and I think it does a nice job explaining what we do know. I think that they are clearly on the increase in the Saint George is a very hopeful sign and it also indicates that the river has relatively clean water. The text includes links to more information about both species of sturgeon that we see in the Saint George.
From the NOAA e-mail about the animation.
Did you know that there’s a family of fish found along the East Coast of the United States that dates back to the Cretaceous period more than 120 million years ago when dinosaurs were still in existence? Sturgeon! Two species of these ancient fish, the Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, are found in coastal waters, estuaries, and rivers from Florida to Maine.
NOAA Fisheries and Maine-based animation team, Puckerbrush Animation, recently partnered to create a new digital animation that talks about these two species of sturgeon and the threats that have led to their protection under the Endangered Species Act. Though sturgeon have been around for millions of years, there’s still a lot we need to learn about these ancient fish to help inform recovery efforts.
You can also help us recover these ancient species. Check it out to learn more.
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