(posted 8/8/02)
The Last Alabama Sturgeon?
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Alabama is home to one of the rarest fish species in North America
An artist's sketch of the ancient Alabama sturgeon

The endangered Alabama sturgeon was once caught from the Alabama River in abundant numbers. But years of damming, dredging, pollution and over-fishing have dealt the species a blow from which it may not recover.

"The current feel is that the reason this species is in trouble is we had a very high harvest rate 100-plus years ago. Then you add on all the different changes in their habitat that have occurred since then, and the fish have never been able to overcome those obstacles" said Nick Nichols, assistant chief with the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

Nichols along with a team of biologists and researchers hope to give the Alabama sturgeon some help. They've been trying to start a propagation program to add new numbers to the crippled population. To start breeding sturgeon, there has to be a viable male and female. And getting the two together at once has proven so far to be impossible.

State fisheries workers have searched thousands of hours for the elusive fish. But because the sturgeon's numbers dropped before any formal research was conducted, not much is known about its life cycle or behaviors. That has made it extremely difficult to locate the fish. Since 1997, fisheries workers have only caught five Alabama sturgeon, all of them brought in by teams led by Philip Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick says he just tries to use common sense.

"It's all trial and error. You have to try and understand the resource you're on. You have to try and understand the way the river works, and the way the fish work. You like to use as much biology as you can, but you like to use all the good sense you can too." said Kilpatrick.

The last time Kilpatrick saw an Alabama sturgeon in the wild was 1999. That fish is now under careful guard in a special tank at the Marion Fish Hatchery. Fisheries workers have cryogenically preserved sperm, or milt, from the fish. But without fertile eggs from a female, that milt is of no use. And as the last known Alabama sturgeon continues to get older, the search for a mate grows more desperate.

Biologists are turning to rather odd efforts to help them locate a mate. Dr. Carol Johnston works in the Fisheries Department at Auburn University. Johnston conducts studies on the language of fish ... or rather, how they talk to each other. Her efforts focus mainly on minnows and darters, but she's re-applied her techniques to the sturgeon.

Since there are no Alabama sturgeon to study, Johnston has turned to its Mississippi River cousins, the Pallid and Shovel-nosed sturgeons, for answers. She hopes that by studying those close relatives, more can be learned about the Alabama species. Listening plays a big part.

"The sounds sturgeon make are fairly high-amplitude. In other words, they're loud and of high-frequency. But some of them are low enough to where they can travel pretty far distances. So my best guess at this point is that they are speaking to sturgeon in other areas, telling them 'Hey! We're spawning over here. Come on over."

Johnston says they now suspect the sturgeon do "talk" to each other, but it will take more time to learn the context of what they're saying. However, time isn't something that's a luxury with the sturgeon situation. Nichols doesn't expect the lone male in Marion to stay alive forever. And its death would be a heavy blow to the breeding effort.

"It's not a real optimistic view we have right now. It may be a case of being too late." said Nichols.

The Alabama sturgeon has been driven from at least 85-percent of its historic range by changes in the river system ... meaning there may not be enough habitat left for young sturgeon to survive.

"Even if we could raise a hundred fingerlings, if the habitat is not there, we're just wasting out time." Nichols said.

The future looks dark for the Alabama sturgeon, but it may be brightening just a bit. Researchers are now aware of the species' plight, and have reshaped some areas of the river into possible habitat. State and federal law also prohibits taking or harming a sturgeon.

So if you happen to catch something strange from the Alabama River .. leave it in the water and call the Marion Fish Hatchery. They'll be thrilled to hear from you.

go to the latest Sturgeon update (Bubba Dies!)

read other reports about the endangered Alabama sturgeon

go sturgeon hunting with the Alabama sturgeon research team

read about the Death of Bubba

read about Bubba in the Deep Freeze

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