According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, a 200-pound fish was taken in the Hudson River last week.
Fishing workers from the Hudson River Estuary Program caught a fish last week that measured over 6 feet long and 220 pounds during an Atlantic sturgeon survey.
It is likely that the fish is a female that has not given birth yet, according to NYSDEC.
Though they spend the majority of the year in the ocean, adult Atlantic sturgeon are an endangered species of fish that migrate to the Hudson River to breed.
They move to Maine from Florida while in the water.
According to NYSDEC, these are the largest fish in the Hudson River and the largest species of sturgeon in New York State.
According to NYSDEC, there are three species of sturgeons in New York: the Atlantic, shortnose, and lake sturgeons. A research permit #20340 from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was used to capture the fish.
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This yearly study, which has been going on since 2006, is done during a few weeks in May and June to monitor changes in the population of Atlantic sturgeons.
Before releasing the fish back into the wild, staff members used nets to catch it, measure it, check for tags, remove a portion of its fin for genetic testing, and weigh it.
