Graduate student is holding a sturgeon

Graduate student at the Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is holding a sturgeon. Lake sturgeon are widely distributed in freshwater systems throughout North America, occupying both lake and riverine habitats. Like other members of the sturgeon family, lake sturgeon are long lived, slow to mature, display intermittent spawning, have high fecundity and low natural mortality. Despite their low natural mortality, these life history characteristics make them especially vulnerable to overexploitation. Lake sturgeon populations have declined throughout the range of the species due to factors including habitat loss and overfishing, and are listed as extirpated, endangered, threatened, or of special concern in 12 states. The State of Vermont listed the species as endangered in 1975 due to low abundances in Lake Champlain.