Hudson Valley On The Water: 'Albany Beef' Saved From The Brink

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Sturgeon have historically been the very symbol of the Hudson River Valley, but today your best chance to spot the native species might be to head to Coney Island.

In February 2019, the New York Aquarium became home to five endangered Atlantic sturgeon. The aquarium was also designated as a satellite research facility by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help educate visitors about protecting the species that was once king of the Hudson.

The "black gold" rush for sturgeon caviar helped to spell the end of the abundance of the species in the Hudson River. The fish was once so plentiful and widely used on lunch tables in the Hudson Valley, that it was commonly dubbed "Albany Beef."

An east coast-wide moratorium on sturgeon fishing was declared in 1998. Recent sightings have offered some hope the endangered native species is slowly beginning to make a rebound in the Hudson River.

Meanwhile, the sturgeon at the aquarium in Brooklyn measure up to six feet in length and, in some cases, weigh more than 120 pounds. They are the newest residents of Canyon’s Edge in Ocean Wonders: Sharks!, a massive replication of the Hudson Canyon marine ecosystem located approximately 100 miles from the mouth of the Hudson River. At the aquarium, the sturgeon share a habitat with sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and other marine species native to Hudson River and Long Island Sound waters.