A Story of Survival!
On July 17 and 18, St. Marys Riverkeeper hosted a team of researchers from FWS and UGA for a ground truthing mission in search of potential sturgeon spawning grounds in the St. Marys River. Researchers braved diving in our black water river and hunkering down during a bad thunderstorm in order to set eyes on possible sturgeon spawning locations. These sites were chosen based on a side sonar scan that FWS completed in January of 2024.
St. Marys Riverkeeper partners with over 20 organizations (local, federal, state, and other NGOs) to research Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeon in their southern-most river habitat.
The 2024 St. Marys River sturgeon sampling season began April 29. This collaboration is part of a long-term monitoring program aimed at determining the distribution, abundance, and population dynamics of these endangered species. The season was scheduled to last eight weeks but due to unusually high water temperatures, June 12 marked the last day of sturgeon sampling on the river.
Read our previous BLOG post to understand what questions we are trying to answer, why this research is important for the continuation of this endangered species, and how it supports the conservation efforts to protect our St. Marys River.
3 ... 2 ... 1 ... ACTION!
A big thank you to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, and Adam Fox, PhD from UGA Warnell School, as well as Fish and Aquatic Conservation Headquarters, Georgia Ecological Services Field Office and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for their continued dedication to sampling the local sturgeon population in the St. Marys River. Thank you also to Jennifer Brown from Into Nature Films and The Nature Conservancy for helping tell the story.