Environment DEC
From the July 2004 issue
DEC Releases More Than 100 Atlantic Sturgeon into Hudson River
DEC Commissioner Erin M. Crotty participated in the release of 110 large Atlantic sturgeon as part of New York State's ongoing efforts to study and restore this rare species to the Hudson River. The fish, some of which are 4 feet long, range from 6 to 10 years old and are the offspring of Hudson River sturgeon collected more than a decade ago.
The release, part of a joint project undertaken by DEC and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), will provide information on behavior, habitat use, movement, homing instincts and the health of wild and hatchery-raised Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River Estuary. There was a release in May, and another is scheduled for later this summer or fall.
A total of nearly 350 sturgeon, all from the USFWS hatchery in Lamar, Pennsylvania, will be released in the Hudson. Information collected could be used to protect critical habitats or determine to which river system hatchery-raised fish will ultimately return for spawning.
It is not known exactly how hatchery-raised fish identify their natal river. For example, it's not clear to which river an immature sturgeon would return if it came from Hudson River parents, but was hatched and reared on a tributary of the Susquehanna River.
Sturgeon and the Estuary Action Plan
Sturgeon look somewhat sharklike,
with large submarine-shaped bodies
and upturned tails
The release of sturgeon also works in concert with the goals of the state's Hudson River Estuary Action Plan. Governor George E. Pataki directed the creation of this plan to protect and conserve the estuary's natural resources and ecosystem health, clean up pollution and other impairments, and promote public use and enjoyment of the river. Since 1995, New York State has committed $190 million to implement the plan.
The Action Plan helps guide restoration of the Atlantic sturgeon to levels that could make it possible for the species to be fished again. The East Coast fishery was closed in 1998 due to over-fishing. Biologists estimate that it will take 40 years or more to re-establish enough mature sturgeon to withstand even limited harvest in the Hudson.
