Conservation Status
In February 2012, the Atlantic Sturgeon was officially classified as an endangered species by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.
The American Fisheries Society considers the fish as threatened throughout its entire range, although it is believed to no longer inhabit the full range it once did. In the Chesapeake watershed, the James River in Virginia is one of the last confirmed holdouts for that region's nearly extirpated population. In May 2007 a survey identified 175 sturgeon remaining in the entire river, with 15 specimens exceeding 5 feet (1.5 m). A bounty-based survey of live Atlantic sturgeon in Maryland's portion of the Bay found "a high number of captures reported in 2005-06. The University of Georgia is also conducting an ongoing study on the life history of Atlantic sturgeon on the Altamaha River in Georgia.
Read more about this topic: Atlantic Sturgeon
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