Conservation

Biodiversity

The topic of biodiversity can cover many different aspects, but in general, it's a term for variety in biology, and can be measured in different ways; Genetic (how a species' genes can determine the future of the organisms), chemical (how chemical processes like protein and cells work together in a body), and the diversity of an ecosystem: Different ecosystems in an area, or on Earth.

This page covers a few different population aspects regarding the Atlantic Sturgeon. This page also covers a discussion towards conservation, and why this species deserves recognition and reconciliation to ensure a successful future.

Demographics and IUCN

In 1973, these environments were listed as Critical Habitats under the Endangered Species Act, and is designated by NOAA for threatened and endangered species such as the Atlantic Sturgeon. Populations by year have not been thoroughly recorded, but various research can lead to an estimate of coast-wide catches from the 1800s to 2012.

The Endangered Species Act was created in 1973 and serves as a framework to protect endangered species and the habitats they reside in, in both domestic and abroad areas. There are multiple sections that cover the process, from determination of an endangered species to international cooperation.

Even though the sturgeon has lasted over many extinctions, the biggest blow to the species' survival was the influence of over-fishing, hunting, and over-harvesting of roe/caviar (eggs) and meat, and habitat loss as the East Coast became urbanized and industrialized. The biggest areas to fish was the Hudson River (New York), New Jersey and the Carolinas.

The IUCN records the Atlantic Sturgeon as an increasing species, with its population recorded around 10,000 mature individuals as recently as 2019.

The Atlantic Sturgeon is also, on the IUCN website, listed under CITES Appendix 2. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is the only treaty to protect animals and plants from international trade, and to protect them in their natural habitat.

Conservation Groups

The Rights of Nature is a working group that aims to grant bodies of water (such as rivers) legal protection and rights in behalf of its animals and humans that survive and rely on pure, untouched water. As of April 2023, H.B. 795 has been introduced to the North Carolina General Assembly's House of Representatives. This is the first state-level Rights of Nature law in the Unites States to fight for the protection and justice of the environment on this level.

Some organizations and researchers tag animals to track their movement as they travel, which helps map out their cycle and life for as long as they have the tag. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science uses this technology to identify habitats, and follow the sturgeon's movements within the James River in Virginia.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urge anyone who finds a tagged sturgeon to contact them, to help collect vital research on the species.

Habitat Protection and Significance

Earth is a unique, massive planet that humans haven't even begun to study as deeply as we have studied space and planets beyond the solar system. Much of the ocean remains a mystery, but from what we know:

Animals and non-animals rely on a general system of physical and chemical needs (Food chain, tidal waves and currents warming and cooling seawater...)
Even the smallest animals play a significant part, and even their conservation is meaningful and must be supported (Sand lance that rely on gravel and seafloor, candy darters that require unpolluted river water to lay eggs and survive)

The Atlantic Sturgeon has no doubt been an organism of importance to various human needs, fulfilling the over-harvesting and caviar production for hundreds of years since colonial times. Now that the sturgeon is a considerably rare species, their disappearance would shift the way the ocean moves, and protecting them will lead to protecting the Atlantic coast as a whole.

Their conservation can lead to better research, and new ways to sustainably live as humans with the ocean and its environment. The evolution of the sturgeon may also be another way to study the past, as fish that have lived through ancient periods of time is no small feat. Their protection in the UECG and other environmental conversations should be seen just as significant as more popular mammals around the world.

Conservation Works Cited

Eric Hilton (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), & Dewayne Fox (Agriculture and Natural Resources, C. of A. and R. S. (2019, September 14). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/ja/species/245/2785934#population

Fisheries, N. O. A. A. (2022, April 18). Atlantic Sturgeon Critical Habitat Map and GIS Data. NOAA. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/atlantic-sturgeon-critical-habitat-map-and-gis-data

Fisheries, N. O. A. A. (2020, November 10). Atlantic Sturgeon Population Estimates. NOAA. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/atlantic-sturgeon-population-estimates

New North. (2013, November 17). Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. species - Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://asmfc.org/species/atlantic-sturgeon

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