No esocids but...

[Ronix 51]

Got to sample sturgeon this week with the DEC in the buffalo harbor...these things are by far the coolest fish I've seen/handled (other than muskie!) and the fact that they've been around for millions of years as well is really impressive. My boss sampled some last year that aged out to around the first world war!

Edited May 15, 2013 by Ronix 51

[BlueEye]

Wow..... how cool is that!!  Looks like we will need a STURGEON forum on this site soon enough

[Sk8man]

My understanding is that sturgeon are a PROTECTED species in New York State....I don't think you are even supposed to fish for them at all...or even handle them...except if accidentally caught....they are illegal to possess... let me know if I am mistaken.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Sk8man

[bandrus1]

my guess is this was part of a study

[Nalod]

Sk8man:  Mike (Ronix 51) is actually lucky enough to be doing netting, sampling, etc for his job!  I know I am very jealous...

 

I believe you are correct about the rest of us not being able to target and handle them.

[Sk8man]

Lets hope so. Probably would have been a good idea to have said  so though....

[Sk8man]

That is good to know....and they are a really cool prehistoric fish...sorry if I jumped the gun but it wasn't clear to me at first.

[Ronix 51]

Sk8man I am out working with the DEC sampling, tagging, aging, placing transmitters, etc...

[JOE ESOX]

cool stuff!

[Great Northern]

Very cool Mike! I heard a UofR fish biologist give a talk last week about a Sturgeon revitalization program started in the early 2000s. They put 7,500 10" fish in the lower Genesee, and so far, the populations look healthy. The issue in terms of endangerment is that the fish don't reach sexual maturity until 10-15 yrs old. The fish they netted last week were about 10 yrs old and 3-4 ft long. Cool stuff!

BTW....Sturgeon are illegal to target, but it's difficult to enforce because of the similar angling techniques used to catch cat fish. However, you are required to release any caught fish and are also encouraged to report to DEC with any tag info, tattoos, markings, etc. thx for the post!

And yes Chad. We need a sturgeon forum!!

[zach]

 Mikey got to touch the coolest fish there are, heard their skin feels like rubber- is that true? Do they tattoo sturgeon? Neat.

Edited May 17, 2013 by zach

[mostlymuskies]

A few years back a fishermen posted pictures of three big sturgeon they caught in the north gap of the Buffalo Harbor.They were targeting them to catch three from the same spot.The pictures, their email address and isp number were turned in to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Sent from my SCH-I200 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Edited May 17, 2013 by mostlymuskies

[solgrande]

that`s awesome you`re able to do that...jealous indeed.Nice work

sol