Oceans Trustees & Gulf sturgeon

Gulf sturgeon were once common in river systems from Tampa to the Mississippi River. Historical overfishing, habitat loss, and environmental factors have contributed to a in populations and its designation as a threatened species. The Open Oceans Trustees found that Sturgeon populations were likely exposed to nearshore areas after the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. Since 2019, the Trustees have worked to restore those populations through a restoration project and two monitoring and adaptive management activities. Due to COVID-19, the Trustees weren't able to complete field work. The lack of data would have negatively affected its overall goals. Recently, the Trustees approved a one-year extension and funding needs to conduct an more field season for two of its restoration efforts. Read more at the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group's latest Gulf Spill Restoration news update >>