After more than a century, sturgeon return to Bellows Falls

This is the first time that sturgeon have been verified to exist in this portion of the Connecticut River since 1907.

By The Commons News
June 12, 2024, 6:39 pm



A sign at Riverfront Park in Bellows Falls warns anglers to be on the lookout for sturgeon and to return them to the river if they inadvertently catch them.

This story by Robert F. Smith was first published in The Commons on June 12.

BELLOWS FALLS — It has taken two years since researchers first began accumulating evidence, but on June 7, scientists announced that shortnose sturgeon are living in the Connecticut River as far north as the hydroelectric dam in Bellows Falls.

Sturgeon exist in the fossil record going back 250 million years and, for thousands of years, have been native species in the Connecticut River.

But this is the first time that sturgeon, which can grow up to 4.5 feet in length and live for up to 30 years, have been verified to exist in this portion of the Connecticut River since 1907. Since 2018, sturgeon had been verified only as far north as the Vernon dam.

Among the data that scientists discussed and presented at the June 7 meeting at the Conte Laboratory were fishway count data on fish ladder inspections at the dams on the river and assessment reports on various species in the Connecticut River, including various fishes, American eel, and sea lamprey.

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