Scientists suspect multiple yearly spawning runs for Atlantic sturgeon in James River

Scientists are examining the possibility that Atlantic sturgeon – a prehistoric fish whose population is so low that it may be listed as an endangered species – may spawn more than once per year in the James River.

In early September, biologists with Virginia Commonwealth University captured a female sturgeon leaking eggs near the confluence of the Appomattox and James rivers. This area may be a place where migrating fish adjust to less salty water before moving upstream to spawn.

If the Atlantic sturgeon is placed on the federal Endangered Species List, the multiple spawning run discovery could increase the amount of time that spawning-age fish are protected each year.

Read this article from the Bay Journal to learn more about Atlantic sturgeon on the James River.

Image courtesy Virginia Institute of Marine Science