September 6, 2017 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Federal fisheries managers have taken a significant step toward promoting the recovery of the nation’s depleted Atlantic sturgeon resource.
Last week, NOAA Fisheries designated a vast area along the Atlantic coastline as critical habitat for the Atlantic sturgeon. The critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of important coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida.
Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012.