Atlantic sturgeon

Commercial fishing groups are petitioning NOAA to downgrade the protected status of the Atlantic sturgeon, a large, long-lived fish that has been listed as endangered or threatened along the US East Coast since 2012. The request sets fishing interests against conservationists, who argue the species has not yet recovered from historic overfishing, habitat loss and bycatch. The outcome could affect how much protection the fish's spawning rivers and coastal waters receive.