Federal protection for sturgeon considered

October 06, 2010|Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Five East Coast sturgeon populations have been proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced yesterday that sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine have been proposed for listing as threatened, while endangered status is being proposed for the Chesapeake Bay, New York Bight, Carolina, and South Atlantic populations.

An endangered listing gives species full protection under the act, including bans on killing, collecting, or even harassing and pursuing endangered species.

The slowly reproducing fish, which can live 100 years and weigh hundreds of pounds, were once abundant along the East Coast and sought after for their salty eggs. They were driven nearly to extinction by the caviar industry at the end of the 19th century.

NOAA received a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council last year requesting that the Atlantic sturgeon be listed. The agency has been evaluating the need to list the species since 2007, when a review was completed for the species by a team of biologists from NOAA, the US Geological Survey, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service,

Atlantic sturgeon spawn in fresh water and spend most of their lives in salt water. Their range once included most major estuary and river systems from Labrador to Florida.

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