The Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) is a member of the Acipenseridae family and is among one of the oldest fish species in the world. Its range extends from New Brunswick, Canada to the eastern coast of Florida. It was in great abundance when the first settlers came to America, but has since declined due to overfishing and water pollution. It is considered threatened, endangered and even extinct in much of its original habitats. The fish can reach sixty years of age, fifteen feet (4.6 m) in length and over eight hundred pounds (360 kg) in weight.
Read more about Atlantic Sturgeon: Physical Appearance, Life Cycle, Economic History, Conservation Status, Baltic Population, Conservation Designation, Management
Famous quotes containing the words atlantic and/or sturgeon:
“In clear weather the laziest may look across the Bay as far as Plymouth at a glance, or over the Atlantic as far as human vision reaches, merely raising his eyelids; or if he is too lazy to look after all, he can hardly help hearing the ceaseless dash and roar of the breakers. The restless ocean may at any moment cast up a whale or a wrecked vessel at your feet. All the reporters in the world, the most rapid stenographers, could not report the news it brings.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“You were right: the sturgeon was a little off!”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)