Dead sturgeon found on moored sailboat in Bristol

A 5-foot sturgeon was found dead in the cockpit of a moored sailboat at a Bristol, Rhode Island harbor last Friday, according to the Herreshoff Marine Museum. A dockage member spotted the fish on the boat and alerted the museum. The sturgeon—an ancient species that can live 50 to 400 years—is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act for both Atlantic and shortnose varieties. Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management said it safely collected the fish and found no obvious signs of trauma. The agency will coordinate with NOAA Fisheries’ Sturgeon Recovery Program, and samples will be used to support population and recovery assessments.