Sturgeon are one of the oldest living vertebrates on the planet, originally evolving about 250 million years ago. This way cool group of fish were alive with the dinosaurs, and their relatives are still alive today. Sturgeon live for decades, some reaching well past a hundred years old, and can only reproduce once past the age of 15. Unfortunately between human-induced habitat destruction and over-fishing, sturgeon are now one of the most endangered families of vertebrates across the globe. Their endangered status makes them a species of high conservation concern, and as such population supplementation is worldwide. The main supplementation source comes from conservation hatcheries, where baby sturgeon are raised with the goal of releasing them into the wild to boost wild population numbers. Raising baby sturgeon inside, for life in the wild, is not as easy as one would think. As a fish biologist, investigating what makes sturgeon “way cool” helps us move towards our goal of saving the sturgeon.
Madison Earhart, is a PhD student interested in the conservation of endangered fishes. Her main goal in her PhD is to investigate the effects of domestication, whether it be through hatcheries or labs, on wild fish. She aims to improve hatchery practices through research as well as improve our understanding of the effects these fish have on wild populations.