In search of a true river monster

The Atlantic sturgeon is slowly recovering in Virginia

By Will Parson |
A small plastic wire tag pokes out from the top of a sturgeon resting in a tub of water.
Matt Balazik of the VCU Rice Rivers Center has studied Atlantic sturgeon for roughly 20 years, tagging over 900 in the James River and more than 2,200 of the endangered species overall. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Balazik looks out ahead of himself while piloting his boat, creating white wake lines behind him on the river.
Balazik pilots a research skiff downstream toward Dutch Gap to catch sturgeon making the fall spawning migration. "We're really trying to keep tabs of the adult population here," Balazik said. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Balazik releases a sturgeon back into the river after measuring and tagging is complete. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Balazik hauls up a male sturgeon measuring nearly six feet long. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Balazik's wet hand and pruny fingers hold a small, clear plastic vial holding an even smaller PIT tag.
Balazik holds a small vial holding an even smaller PIT tag, used to track the movements of individual sturgeon. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Balazik crouches over a tub of water, holding a sturgeon's tail with one hand and a tape measure in the other.
Balazik measures the length of a sturgeon. Before populations collapsed from over-harvest, sturgeon exceeding eight or 10 feet were common. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
A closeup view of a sturgeon's bony armor, just under the surface of the water.
The Atlantic sturgeon has five rows of bony plates called scutes, an adaptation that has allowed sturgeon to persist relatively unchanged for 200 million years. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

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