Sturgeons going on endangered species list
In this Oct. 8, 2010 photo, Virginia Commonwealth University graduate student Matt Balazik, gets ready to toss a 70-pound Atlantic sturgeon into the James River near Charles City, Va. Balazik is a sturgeon census taker, using electronic tracking devices to monitor the movements of the armor-plated fish. Credit: AP
The Atlantic sturgeon will be listed as an endangered species Monday in an attempt to save a fish that has existed for millions of years but now struggles to survive.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service announced that it will extend Endangered Species Act protections to four Atlantic seaboard populations, including those that spawn in the Hudson River.
"They've been around since the dinosaurs," said Kim Damon-Randall, a NOAA supervisory fishery biologist. "We want to make sure they stick around."
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group that petitioned NOAA to make the designation, praised the move.
"The federal government is giving this remarkable fish a fighting chance to live on into the 21st century," Brad Sewell, senior attorney at the council, said in a statement.
In the late 1800s, more than 6,000 females were part of the annual spawning stock in the Hudson, but NOAA estimated in 1998 that only 270 females still spawn there.
The decline is even more dramatic in the Delaware River, where female spawning stock has plunged from an estimated 180,000 before 1890 to less than 300.
A 2007 review by NOAA and other federal agencies found that sturgeon populations have been impacted by pollution, dams and unintended catches, despite a 1998 moratorium on catching them.
The endangered species protections take effect April 6.
NOAA will study the impact of commercial fishing on sturgeon as it crafts a recovery plan for them. "Sink gill nets" used by commercial fishermen can be deadly for sturgeon, Damon-Randall said.
Though further restrictions on fishing have not been announced, the potential for such a move has the local industry worried.
Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said regulations could hurt fishermen's livelihoods if areas are closed off completely or restricted to fishing only during certain times of the year.
"We sincerely hope that fishermen are not the only ones who have regulations put on them," Brady said.
Sturgeon, like salmon, spawn in fresh water and live in saltwater, and return to their birthplace to spawn again. The fish, once prized for their caviar, can grow up to 16 feet long and live for 60 years.
Todd Gardner, a biologist at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, said sturgeon are particularly vulnerable to fishing because they mature slowly and those culled may be the ones that would be breeding.
"That makes them very easy to knock down fast," Gardner said.
ATLANTIC STURGEON
Estimated female sturgeons spawning annually in the Hudson River:
6,000 to 6,800 in the late 1800s; 270 in 1998
How often they spawn: Every 3 to 5 years
Life span: Up to 60 years
Size: Up to 16 feet
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
