|
|
Tweet |
Scientists catch sturgeon in Penobscot for first time in 28 years
"One or two fish could represent strays from another river system, but the numbers we are now encountering bode well for a remnant shortnose population that spawns somewhere in the Penobscot,"
- Michael Kinnison
Orono, Maine - University of Maine scientists have caught nearly a dozen endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Penobscot River in the past week, representing the first confirmed sightings of the fish in the river since 1978.
Eleven fish were caught in a gill net and released in waters off Winterport downriver from Bangor.
Michael Kinnison, a University of Maine biological sciences professor, said the discovery suggests that the river may be on the rebound after suffering from loss of fishing habitat and poor water quality conditions over the past century.