Sturgeon in the Delaware River

Photos: Delaware State University

An episode of the podcast State of Change from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey focuses on the sturgeon population that existed in the Delaware River in the 1890s and today.

It was their eggs (roe) and a booming market for it as caviar in the 19th century that grew an industry on the river. Though the industry and the sturgeon population collapsed, there are approximately 300 breeding adult Atlantic sturgeon that return to the area today.

Like our horseshoe crabs, sturgeon are "living fossils" that have survived from the days of the dinosaurs through threats to their existence and into the 21st century.

In 2022, New Jersey’s list of endangered and threatened species added the Atlantic sturgeon. It is the second fish, along with the shortnose sturgeon, on that list. 

Listen to the State of Change podcast episode 

The Atlantic sturgeon has existed for hundreds of millions of years but there is a question about whether it will survive in the coming decades. Overharvesting, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change are all working against it. Will this ancient fish survive in the era of humans?

More on sturgeon in NJ from this blog