Photo: Daniel Gotschall

Since the age of the dinosaurs, Green Sturgeons have roamed the Pacific Ocean and select rivers on the West Coast, remaining almost entirely unchanged in their appearance for more than 200 million years. This ancient fish can reach over 7 feet in length and migrated in huge numbers until very recently, so one would not expect that it would have become the obscure species that it is today. The Green Sturgeon is one of the many forgotten wonders of the North Coast, and for the first time in its long history, it has slipped quietly towards the brink of extinction.

On June 11, EPIC, with the Center for Biological Diversity and Waterkeepers Northern California, formally petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service ("NMFS") to protect the Green Sturgeon and its habitat under the federal Endangered Species Act ("ESA"). The American Fisheries Society recently released a status review of the Green Sturgeon that concludes that the species has declined by 88% throughout most of its range and is in danger of becoming extinct.

Green Sturgeon are among the largest and longest living species found in freshwater, living up to 70 years and weighing up to 350 pounds. They resemble some sort of prehistoric creature, possessing a skeleton that is more cartilage than bone and rows of bony plates for protection rather than scales. Green Sturgeon are olive green in color and have a vacuum cleaner-like mouth that is used to siphon food.

click here to view or download this image full size (982k)	click here to view or download this image full size (880k)
above photos available compliments of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife