By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The Atlantic sturgeon is an ancient fish whose origin dates back more than 120 million years. But the “dinosaur fish”—as it is affectionately known because of its prehistoric looks—has a serious problem. Its numbers are dwindling in the Chesapeake Bay.

But NorthBay, an environmental education and adventure camp that serves children from all over the country, hopes to change the situation by studying the fish and eventually running its very own hatchery program. “It’s another  example of a depletion of natural resources,” NorthBay Education Director Keith Williams says of the declining sturgeon population.

“And it’s a sad problem that a lot of people may not be aware of, but  something that has to be addressed and fits well into our belief that our attitudes and actions have a direct impact on the future, the environment, and the people around us.”

Unhealthy habitats
NorthBay is facilitating the program as part of its educational partnership with the Maryland Sea Grant, and the camp is the perfect location for a sturgeon study. Owned and operated by Erickson Retirement Communities, and located at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, it is at the very center of the fish’s natural breeding grounds.

Sturgeon can usually be found from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico, but they swim through the Chesapeake Bay in April and May on their way into small Chesapeake tributaries, which they use as spawning grounds and nurseries.

Experts say that the decline in bay sturgeon populations has been caused by over-harvesting, overall water quality degradation, and the building of  freshwater dams, which prevent the fish from entering their main breeding grounds.

“This is something that those who love the Bay just can’t ignore,” Williams says.

Education first
Before NorthBay can host its very own hatchery program, it must show that it is a responsible citizen to the fish by studying and reporting on similar but not endangered “starter sturgeons,” Williams says.