A threatened fish species that washed up on a Franklin County beach last week is now being studied by state biologists. A Gulf sturgeon washed up near sunset beach at Alligator Point last Friday.
The gulf sturgeon is listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act. Adults range from 4-8 feet. They can live for about 60 years though they usually average 20 to 25 years.
The Gulf Sturgeon found at Alligator Point was about 3 and a half feet long. The fish was described as very thin as though it had not been eating.
The fish was taken to the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea where it was stored in a freezer. Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission picked up the fish this week and plan to perform a necropsy to discover the cause of death.
Its not known how many Gulf Sturgeon there are, though its estimated that there are nearly 7700 in the Suwannee River and maybe 3000 in the Choctawhatchee River. Estimates in the Apalachicola, Pascagoula and Pearl rivers range between 50-350 fish.
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