Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 5 3 



At the turn of the century, when Sturgeon were caught in very large numbers 

 and when mature individuals were the mainstay, fishing was so intensive that very 

 few fish were able to reach the upper waters to spawn. This was probably one of 

 the reasons for their great decrease in subsequent years. Also, the building of dams in 

 many important rivers (e. g. the Susquehanna, Maryland) deprived Atlantic Sturgeon 

 of their favorite spawning areas, and pollution by wastes of all kinds from the factories 

 and by municipal sewage from the towns and cities along the Atlantic shore aided 

 in reducing still further the local populations. 



Laws prohibiting the capture of Atlantic Sturgeon below a minimum size or 

 during certain periods of fishing (jp: 76) were helpful in protecting and maintaining 

 the species. However, even at its lowest ebb the Atlantic Sturgeon in North America 

 never was close to complete extermination, as some authors** were inclined to believe 

 (in 1950). There are indications, along the Atlantic seaboard, that this Sturgeon is 

 coming back. The small number of large fish taken during recent years is partially 

 due to a reduction in the quantity of appropriate fishing gear. In New York, for 

 instance, the lo-inch mesh nets, legally specified for taking this species, are not used 

 in the Hudson River because fishermen do not consider it likely that enough fish 

 could be taken to justify the expense of gear and license (55: 139). 



In Quebec, the Atlantic Sturgeon is perhaps as plentiful now as it used to be 

 in bygone years. For instance, at our request a fisherman of St. Vallier counted all the 

 young A. oxyrhynchus that he liberated alive from his peche; during the night of Oc- 

 tober 2, 1944, he freed 1,000 young 6—15 inches long. 



The principal Quebec catches are made with weirs situated along the southern 

 shore of the St. Lawrence River, from Riviere Quelle to St. Nicolas. Some fish 

 are also taken regularly with gill nets in the same area. Along the northern shore of 

 the St. Lawrence, some large fish are caught in either weirs or in salmon nets, par- 

 ticularly in the estuaries of Riviere-aux-Outardes and Riviere Manicouagan, and 

 occasionally large fish are taken at Sept lies. 



Relation to Man. The Atlantic Sturgeon is a good quality foodfish, but less so 

 than the Lake Sturgeon {fulvescens), which reaches maturity at around 20 pounds and 

 is more generally appreciated for "smoking" purposes. The flesh of the young or half- 

 grown Atlantic Sturgeon, which make up the great bulk of the catch of this species, 

 is coarse, contains many ligaments, and has only a small amount of fat; it is only the 

 large adult that furnishes a tender and rich flesh. Some years ago the price paid to Quebec 

 fishermen for a fish weighing 30 pounds when dressed was 35 cents a pound for an 

 Atlantic Sturgeon as compared with 80 cents or even one dollar per pound for a Lake 

 Sturgeon of the same dressed weight; the male fish brings a better price than the female. 

 Moreover, the Atlantic Sturgeon carries heavier scutes, thus there is a greater loss of 

 weight during preparation of the meat. Dressing for the United States market consists 



46. Darlet and Prioux {25: 6), in their review of the Atlantic Sturgeon supply in different countries, said that there 

 were no more left in America ("aux Ameriques il n'y en a plus"). 



