Fisheries crews with the Hudson Estuary Program caught a giant fish in New York’s Hudson River last week.
According to a Facebook post from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), the Atlantic sturgeon is 6 feet long and weighs about 220 pounds.
It was captured near Hyde Park, about 80 miles from New York City.
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Before releasing the giant fish, staff measured it, tagged it, took a piece of its fin for genetic analysis and weighed it before releasing it back into the wild.
An Atlantic sturgeon caught near Hyde Park, New York, weighed about 220 pounds and was six feet long. (New York State Department of Environmental Protection)
Photos released by the NYS DEC show the long fish stretching in the hands of four staff members. Nets were used to capture wild animals.
Staff suspect the unique fish is a female that has not yet laid eggs.
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The post states that the Atlantic sturgeon is the largest fish in the Hudson River and the largest species of sturgeon in New York State.
Atlantic sturgeons typically spend most of the year in the ocean, but adult sturgeons travel to the Hudson River to spawn during this time of year, the New York State DEC post said. (New York State Department of Environmental Protection)
Amanda Higgs, a fisheries biologist with the Hudson and Delaware Marine Fisheries and the Hudson Estuary Management Program, told Fox Digital News that back in 2014, it was estimated that there were about 450 fish in the Hudson River sturgeon.
“Another population assessment is underway (for the three-year study period) and is in its second year, so it may be a few years before updated data is available. Preliminary data shows positive trends,” she said.
The New York State DEC post added that Atlantic sturgeons typically spend most of the year in the ocean, but adult sturgeons travel to the Hudson River to spawn during this time of year.
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The sturgeon was caught under a National Marine Fisheries Service endangered species research permit.
Atlantic sturgeon were caught in New York’s Hudson River under a National Marine Fisheries Service Endangered Species Research Permit. This fish can weigh up to 800 pounds. (New York State Department of Environmental Protection)
According to NOAA, the Atlantic sturgeon can weigh up to 800 pounds and be 14 feet long, with five rows of bony plates on its body and a shark-like tail that is larger on one side than the other.
“Program workers have caught fish weighing 250 to 300 pounds in the past,” Higgs said.
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The annual mission to find the fish species, which began in 2006, is conducted over several weeks in May and June “to track trends in Atlantic sturgeon populations,” according to the NYS DEC post.
Amanda Higgs, a fisheries biologist with the DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program, told Fox News Digital that back in 2014, there were estimated to be about 450 sturgeons in the Hudson River. (New York State Department of Environmental Protection)
“The Hudson River Estuary Program helps people protect, restore and enjoy the Hudson River and its valley. The program focuses on the tidal Hudson River and adjacent watersheds from Troy Federal Dam to New York City’s Verrazano Channel, Includes the Port of Upstate New York-New Jersey,” NYS DEC’s website reads.
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“The program works with a number of groups to develop knowledgeable and effective estuary managers, using an understanding of river ecology as the basis of its work,” it added.
